Politics, Civil War, and How Marvel's Villains are Ruining their Own Movies

I always find it so interesting how much movies reflect the feelings of their time: the Original Star Wars are widely considered far better than the prequels because the prequels were marred in the politics and corruption which gripped America at the time they were made, whereas the original trilogy were influenced by the seventies style of rooting for the little guy, the post-Vietnam era of peace and understanding rather than violence and war and the idea of promoting peace where possible and rising up against tyrannical orders who threaten peaceful ways.

In a way, I find it funny that the prequel trilogy didn't feature so much of that. Created around the rise of terrorism, we see much more of the Bush ideals of forcing democracy on a country in the Clone troopers and the Jedi as generals, something which somehow aptly fitted in with the original trilogy and gave way for that story to be told. Movies are windows into the time they are made, they show us the cultural and political landscape through which they were created and give us a way into the mindset of the people of the time.

With all that said, I suppose I should explain that this isn't just some random article about Star Wars and politics (although you might get something along those lines come Rogue One), but a review on Captain America: Civil War.

Age of Ultron: the Spoileriffic Review

This review is gonna be totally spoilery, just a heads-up. Spoilers waaaaaay under the cut:

Ladies and Gentlemen, We have Hit Peak Marvel!

I believe Marvel's time is coming. The end of the road is fast approaching for them; they've had a run of great movies, really great movies: Thor: The Dark World was fun and light-hearted, Iron Man 3 was surprisingly peppy in between the serious moments dealing with Stark as a human being, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of the most solid spy thrillers I've seen in a long while.

But we're now entering the decline of the Marvel movie. We have peaked. And I can tell you that with complete confidence. No other Marvel movie will ever again be good. Because Avengers: Age of Ultron just set the God damn gold standard.

The Winter Soldier: The SPOILERIFFIC Review

WARNING: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER AND DO NOT WISH TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN IT, DO NOT READ THIS POST.

A Night-time Screening of a Slick Superhero Spy Thriller

There's something interesting about a midnight screening. Perhaps it's the exclusivity - being the first one to see a movie, being able to call it before anyone else, and when they ask the next day you, bleary-eyed and proud, can stand up and say "Yes! I have seen that movie!". Perhaps it's the silence as you step out of the cinema and realise it's nearly three in the morning - the one time of day you can see a movie and the sky looks pretty much the same when you leave as when you went in. Perhaps it's just the fact that it's midnight - it's always been a pretty special time.

Whatever the reason, I expected something special out of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And I can't say I was disappointed.