Got back a couple hours ago. Before I get in my comments, I want to say I'm glad this thread was made. We have a main Marvel thread, but it's good to make threads like this for the big movies so we don't have pages of spoiler tags in the main thread. Someone should probably do that when Guardians 2 comes out next year.
Okay! I really enjoyed this. In contrast to Ultron, where I thought the movie was hindered by the desire to move Marvel universe stuff, I felt this movie didn't move the arc of movies much, but was more focused on just being a good movie. I appreciate that it kept the focus on Cap, Bucky, and Tony, all the way to the end, so that it didn't feel so much like Avengers 2.5 outside of the airport battle.
- Crossbones's presence made me think this was going to end like the comics, which I'm sure is why he's even in this at all. Killing him at the beginning was a fun way of telling people who know the comics "haha, you know nothing."
- T'Challa was a strong presence even before the reveal of Black Panther. Playfully mentioning the end of Winter Soldier to Black Widow was a good way to bring him in, and giving him a revenge story sealed the deal. Made me wish his movie was coming out next year instead of 2018, but I'm also excited for ....
- The other newly-introduced, Spider-man ... well, everyone's said what there is to say. He's chatty, he's awestruck, he has skills. I knew they were casting a kid, and I'm so glad. He has the right demeanor. I love the little "I have to impress Mr. Stark" bit, and when fighting Cap "that shield does NOT obey the laws of physics!" He was definitely a scene stealer and I'm looking forward to Homecoming next year based on his time in Civil War.
- Fucking General Ross. Excuse me, Secretary Ross. When I saw that stupid undersea prison, I knew he had to have blueballs over wishing he could put Bruce Banner in there and had to settle for a chunk of the Avengers. "Do you know where Thor or Banner are? Or just Banner. Anyone know where Banner is? Come on, I'd just ... I'd really like to know where Banner is. That'd really make me happy." Fuck, anyone could've gotten out of their cell if they'd known where Ross could find the Hulk. I've always hated that guy.
- One gripe I have is how quickly Scott Lang jumped on-board with Cap's side, considering they even warn him he'll be a criminal again if he helped them. I know he thought they were after assassins, but still, considering how much he wanted to be a part of his daughter's life in Ant-Man, it felt strange that he'd just throw in so quickly.
- Speaking of the five assassins/the rest of the Winter Soldier six-pack, I was kind of dreading a lame duck climax. Five no-names with Bucky's abilities did not sound like something worth giving a shit about. But it made good bait, it worked, and the Russo brothers proved themselves, because the reveal of Zemo's plan, and the results, was excellent. I really thought someone was going to die there. The good thing for Cap/Bucky is that while their abilities are part of them, they just needed to disable Tony's suit. It was a dramatic climax and you could feel everything they were going through. The scene with T'Challa and Zemo was solid; I really loved that quiet, intense moment. All of this being the work of one man's revenge, a man without an agency behind him, no superpowers, no super-tech, just as he said, his experience and determination, just felt right, the kind of tone you'd expect out of a non-superhero movie.
- I thought the end with Tony was fine. He had time to cool off and accept what Steve said, that Bucky wasn't in control as the Winter Soldier, which Tony already knew, but considering the video he'd just watched--I mean, he's only human. Maybe he could never forgive Bucky, but he could forgive Cap, even if they can't be friends anymore. Plus, fuck General Ross. He can stay on hold.
I was pleasantly surprised with the way things played out in the end. The movie didn't feel bloated like I was worried it would and I'm confident the Russo brothers are going to knock it out of the park with Avengers 3 and 4.