Captain America: Civil War (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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Captain America: Civil War (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Action Adventure |
Featurette-Making Of-United We Stand, Divided We Fall Featurette-Captain America: The Road to Civil War Featurette-Iron Man: The Road to Civil War Featurette-Open Your Mind: Doctor Strange - Exclusive Sneak Peak Deleted Scenes Outtakes Audio Commentary |
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| Year Of Production | 2016 | ||
| Running Time | 147:41 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Language Select Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By |
Anthony Russo Joe Russo |
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Studio
Distributor |
Marvel Walt Disney Studios Home Ent. |
Starring |
Chris Evans Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson Sebastian Stan Anthony Mackie Don Cheadle Jeremy Renner Chadwick Boseman Paul Bettany Elizabeth Olsen Paul Rudd Tom Holland Daniel Brühl |
| Case | Standard Blu-ray | ||
| RPI | $29.95 | Music | Henry Jackman |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 French DTS HD High Resolution Audio 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.40:1 | ||
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.40:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English Arabic Dutch French |
Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes, Two additional scenes | ||
The status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was blown to smithereens in 2014 by Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a sizzling espionage thriller which reinvented its titular superhero and took the MCU to a deeper, darker place. Thankfully, this thematic density and harder edge is preserved for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, which also sees the return of directorial duo Anthony and Joe Russo. As to be expected from a superhero blockbuster, it marches across the globe to provide expanse, but the stakes are entirely personal this time around, which is a refreshing change in such a crowded subgenre. In addition, Civil War is a more fitting thematic follow-up to 2012’s The Avengers than its own underwhelming sequel, as this is as strongly a movie about a team falling apart as the first Avengers was about a team coming together. While it’s removed from the playful jubilance of prior Marvel entries, Civil War still delivers bruising action set-pieces as it works through an intricate narrative, and the Russo Brothers confidently maintain control of the picture from start to finish.
When a skirmish in Lagos against bioterrorists ends in innocent deaths, the Avengers suddenly find themselves under increased scrutiny by the United Nations. Enter U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), who proposes a legal document known as the Sokovia Accords, which would require the Avengers to seek approval from a designated U.N. panel before engaging in battles that could jeopardise innocent lives. Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself in favour of the legislation due to the guilt he feels over both creating Ultron and devastating Sokovia, while Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) resolutely opposes it, believing that bureaucratic control will hinder their duties and ultimately cost more lives in the long run. As a result, the Avengers are split right down the middle. In the midst of this, Rogers realises that his old friend Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is being used as a patsy for global unrest, held responsible for the death of Wakandan King T’Chaka (John Kani). Convinced that Bucky is innocent and something more sinister is afoot, Rogers goes rogue to hunt for the real culprit, while the manipulative, vengeance-hungry Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) methodically lurks in the wings.
Once again written by the pair of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who scripted both Captain America: The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier), Civil War is based on the seven-issue limited series of the same name by Mark Millar, and in many ways it represents the next logical step in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. The cost of collateral damage is not normally addressed in superhero stories, and its fertile ground for exploration, presenting a different perspective to previous battles. Of course, it ostensibly seems as if Russo Brothers chose to deliver The Avengers 2.5 at the expense of a more focused Captain America story, but we actually get both. Civil War is a Captain America story first and foremost, as it delves further into his troubled character and largely concentrates on Rogers, but because Cap resides at Avengers headquarters and his social circle is almost exclusively compromised of the other superheroes, the movie can’t help but feel like an Avengers sequel. It’s also a creative way to eliminate the question of “Where are the other Avengers?” which lingers throughout other solo adventures like Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. (However, the glaring absence of Chris Hemsworth as Thor is baffling, though the Hulk’s absence is understandable given the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.)
Prior to directing The Winter Soldier, the Russo Brothers had predominantly dabbled in comedy and television, but now they’ve become the go-to guys for superhero extravaganzas. Civil War is a full meal, spending nearly 150 minutes working through its complex themes and narrative machinations, but it never feels strained or messy. Furthermore, just as The Winter Soldier was a more serious affair, Civil War likewise dials back the humour, a wise move after the forced, inorganic comedy which plagued Avengers: Age of Ultron. Nevertheless, laughs do permeate the movie, adding plenty of unforced levity, avoiding the dismal gloominess of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. As to be expected, fight choreography remains top-notch - the close combat throwdowns are tight and brutal, and the characters bleed and bruise. The well-publicised battle royal at the airport, meanwhile, is a standout in the grand scheme of the MCU. Much has been said about the airport showdown, and you can believe the hype - it is thoroughly awesome in every sense of the word, observing the skilled and ornate heroes unloading on each other with their unique gifts. Furthermore, thanks to smooth cinematography and astute editing, it’s always easy to follow and enjoy all of the action scenes, which are coherent and thrilling. Plus, digital effects are consistently convincing, as to be expected from a movie with this price-tag. From a visual standpoint, it’s hard to fault Civil War.
Commendably, after the standout airport skirmish, the Russos dial things back a touch for the climax, which is more intimate and understated, and more rewarding as a result. It’s explosive and gripping, to be sure, but it’s a far cry from the scope of something like the New York City showdown in The Avengers. Incredibly, once the driving force behind the superhero civil war is identified and the motivation for the action scenes has ceased, the fighting continues because the dark secrets, deep-seated character flaws and furious emotional pain involved in this story have transcended the plot mechanics which brought them to the surface in the first place. While it’s a given that more cynical, smug viewers will downplay the tremendous achievements of Civil War since it’s “just another Marvel/Disney movie,” the picture works as well as it does largely because Marvel has spent so many movies introducing these characters and establishing the world for this narrative to inhabit. To be sure, the screenplay isn’t airtight; the villain’s plan does rely on accurately predicting the behaviours of the Avengers and government with little margin for error, which is certainly ridiculous in hindsight. But then again, this is the fantastical MCU, and this nit-pick may be fixed with a retcon in a future movie.
Despite being Captain America 3, this particular Marvel adventure also introduces Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and both are permitted more than just a cameo. Miraculously, the script manages to handle both subplots without detracting from the central narrative, in the process negating the necessity for either hero to be subjected to a generic origins movie. (Seriously, the story you would expect to see in an introductory Black Panther movie is told in the background here.) This is the third cinematic Peter Parker in just fifteen years - after the dismal failure of the Amazing Spider-Man reboot series, Sony agreed to a rights-sharing situation to allow Spider-Man to join the MCU. Holland instantly makes an enormously positive impression in the role, right down to an authentic-sounding Queens accent, making the character feel truly alive for the first time in years. It also helps that this is the first Peter Parker to actually look like a teenager.
Speaking of the heroes, a huge cast comes out to play in this instalment (and it’s set to increase again in Avengers: Infinity War). Remarkably, just about everyone gets a chance to shine here, though Rogers does undeniably remain the protagonist. Evans carries a lot on his shoulders, but manages to pull it off with ease and make us still care about him. Moreover, you can understand his perspective, as well as his frustration with the bureaucrats. Rogers and Stark have always had a humorously antagonistic relationship, as Cap’s patriotism and purity clashed with Iron Man’s conceited vulgarity, but it’s something else to see the two truly at odds with one another. Downey Jr. is oddly serious and sombre in the role this time around, due to his change in character, which may require a period of adjustment. Still, the much-loved Marvel luminary has a real talent for witty one-liners, of which he delivers a fair few, and he handles the dramatic material without missing a beat. As Bucky, Stan is given a beefier role than ever, and he’s one of the movie’s secret weapons. Meanwhile, the other members of the Avengers - Scarlet Johansson, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany and Jeremy Renner - hit their marks as expected, and it’s a treat to see Paul Rudd return to the fray again so soon as the wise-cracking Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Elsewhere in the cast, this is the first time that Hurt has appeared in the MCU since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and it’s a nice touch to bring him back. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) even shows up in a minor role.
It’s often said that Marvel has little in the way of memorable villains, but that changes with Brühl as Helmut Zemo. He isn’t a flashy bad guy by any means, but he’s possibly the best antagonist in the MCU to date directly because of how low-key he is. His motivations are wholly understandable, and he manages to do a lot of damage without the need for super powers. Brühl is quietly chilling in the role, but he’s also not out-and-out evil.
All things considered, Captain America: Civil War is the best Marvel production in some time, making up for the studio’s weak 2015 output. Even though it covers a daunting amount which causes it to feel a bit leaden at times, it nevertheless doesn’t feel too overstuffed. Under the careful eye of the Russo Brothers, Civil War is thrilling and consistently engaging, belying its origins as a comic book superhero film. And when the dust settles, what really sticks around and satisfies is the emotion-driven character work that the action scenes ultimately exist to facilitate and underline. Plus, even though this is a gloomy tale, it ends on a note of optimism which will ultimately lead into the next Avengers. It’s also encouraging that Marvel has finally nailed a trilogy. As usual, be sure to stay tuned for both a mid-credits and a post-credits scene.
Eschewing a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release right out of the gate, Disney brings Captain America: Civil War to Blu-ray with an enormously competent AVC-encoded, 1080p high definition presentation that impresses from the very beginning. The movie is framed at its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 (the 3D version opens up the frame for the airport sequence), and it appears that this Blu-ray was created using a pristine digital source. Civil War was reportedly shot predominantly with Arri Alexa camera rigs, and therefore the Blu-ray transfer carries all the hallmarks of an above-average Arri presentation - strong detail, excellent sharpness, remarkable stability, and a very cinematic look.
Mastered with a high bitrate, as is typical of Disney Blu-rays, the presentation resolves plenty of fine detail and textures. Skin textures are effortlessly brought out in close-ups, and it's easy to marvel at the insanely detailed digital effects, of which there is plenty in this movie. A light layer of source noise does creep in at times, but it's extremely fine and never proves to be a distraction - if anything, it enhances the visuals and makes the CGI-laden sequences look more real. Sharpness is consistently top-flight as well; the image never looks soft or smeary. Clarity is simply off the charts here, no matter the environment or the lighting conditions. And even though there's a lot of green screen work throughout the movie, it's all extremely well-integrated, and the transfer never makes the special effects shots look too obvious.
In addition, the Blu-ray faithfully retains the colour palette that I recall seeing at the cinema. Skin tones look nicely saturated but still lifelike, not giving over to the ridiculously aggressive orange and teal look trademarked to Michael Bay. Contrast is strong, which serves to bring out as much detail as the 1080p resolution will allow. As to be expected from a high-profile Disney release, the encoding is enormously competent, too - I didn't detect anything in the way of banding, aliasing, macroblocking, or any other anomalies. It's smooth sailing from start to finish.
Despite the many strengths of the presentation, the video nevertheless looks just a tad too smooth on the whole, lacking a finer layer of texture that was visible in the cinema, and it does lack the subtle visual "pop" in its colours that High Dynamic Range can provide. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release would almost certainly fix this and easily score perfect marks, so hopefully we see such a release sooner rather than later. It's reassuring that Disney has finally jumping on-board the 4K train, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. After all, Civil War was screened in Dolby Cinemas with Dolby Vision HDR, and it was reportedly finished at 4K, making it a logical title for the format. Hopefully the delay means that its 4K debut will carry Dolby Vision, and the presentation will be the best that it can possibly be. Until then, I can live with this Blu-ray - it’s excellent.
Subtitle options are available. I had no issues with the English track.
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Like most contemporary big-budget action blockbusters, Captain America: Civil War was mixed in Dolby Atmos, but it's "only" presented on Blu-ray with a lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 presentation that may disappoint Atmos-compatible audiophiles. Nevertheless, there's very little to complain about with this enormously competent 7.1 mix. Whatever audio issues which plagued Disney's release of Avengers: Age of Ultron were temporary, as Civil War is a superb listen. There's plenty of loud, explosive action throughout this particular Marvel adventure (of course), which relies on effective sound design to augment the visceral impact. Thankfully, the subwoofer is up to the task - every punch, kick, gunshot and explosion is loud and impactful. Surround activity benefits from precise placement - the rear channels are put to good use in the big action scenes to create an immersive soundscape.
Henry Jackman's flavoursome original score comes through clearly, as do the songs that play throughout. There are absolutely no issues with the audio mixing, as dialogue is never too soft, nor does it get too much drowned out by sound effects. Thankfully, too, it's free of crackles, hisses and drop-outs; it's a problem-free track. Casual viewers probably won't care about the lack of an Atmos track when the 7.1 mix is this good. Nevertheless, we are only left to hope that a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release comes with a Dolby Atmos track to please everybody. I'm docking half a star from the overall rating to reflect the loss of channels, but rest assured that it's still a treat.
The disc contains additional audio options - a descriptive audio track, and a lossy French 5.1 track. I was only interested in the primary 7.1 mix (and the audio commentary too, of course).
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Disney have permitted a more comprehensive selection of special features than usual for an MCU offering, but it's still a far cry from the hours and hours of extras from first Iron Man Blu-ray. Nevertheless, the effort is appreciated and the extras are worthwhile.
Split into two parts, here we have a beefy making-of documentary - which is unprecedented in the history of Disney's Marvel Blu-ray releases. It does feel somewhat fluffy, but it is informative and full of behind-the-scenes footage showing what various scenes and even costumes looked like prior to visual effects. It's also slickly-edited and enjoyable. It didn't really need to be split into two parts, but here we are. Worth pointing out that each part can only be played individually, with no "Play All" function. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and we see more documentaries like this.
As implied by the title, this segment takes a closer look at Steve Rogers, recapping his prior adventures and exploring how he has changed over the course of the MCU.
Understandably, this featurette does for Tony Stark what the previous featurette did for Steve. On top of recapping the events that led Tony to the events of Civil War, and going over his arc, the relationship between Captain America and Iron Man is also touched upon.
This is more or less an extended trailer for Doctor Strange, complete with film clips, concept art, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with cast and crew who talk about the story and the movie's supernatural elements. This feels like it was made for YouTube, as it's very promotional in nature.
Four scenes are provided here, which can either be watched individually or via a "Play All" function: "Extended Peggy's Funeral," "Zemo Meets Doctor Broussard," "You Are Not Used to the Truth," and "Gotta Get Me One of Those." It's certainly interesting to see some of these moments - particularly Steve chatting at length with Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), and an extra action beat during the airport battle, which really shouldn't have been cut.
And here's what I look forward to every time a new Marvel movie hits Blu-ray - the gag reel! Full of on-camera wisecracks, flubs and general goofing around, there are a lot of laughs to be had in this light-hearted string of outtakes. How reassuring that despite the story's seriousness, the actors still had a great time.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo sit down with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for this feature-length audio commentary track. Thankfully, all four men were recorded together, and therefore they bounce off one another and enrich each other's anecdotes. They start with a discussion of what led to Civil War, with other story ideas having been thrown around prior to choosing this particular plot. There are many discussions about the story and the characters, including scenes that were reshot, and even the fact that Markus and McFeely were tasked with writing dialogue for characters they didn't create. Of course, the airport sequence is heavily discussed - it's clear that it was an exhausting set-piece to create. The directors also explain that the scene of Alfre Woodard as Miriam confronting Tony about the death of her son was actually inspired by Jaws. Furthermore, they highlight that the third act battle is very different compared to other Marvel offerings - Civil War doesn't climax with a big action set-piece that causes collateral damage, as that would be hypocritical in the context of this story. This isn't one of the best commentaries that I've heard lately, but it's an informative listen for those with the patience to give it a shot, and it does enrich the movie.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
All editions worldwide are identical in terms of supplements. Buy local.
Another staggering success for the well-oiled Disney/Marvel machine, Captain America: Civil War manages to be epic in scope yet also intimate. With its amazing action sequences and engaging story, this one holds up on repeat viewings and is absolutely worth owning.
Luckily, Disney's Blu-ray is a winner, featuring excellent video and audio, while the supplements are both enjoyable and informative. Fingers crossed we see a 4K release sometime down the line, but this disc nevertheless comes highly recommended.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Samsung UBD-K8500 4K HDR Blu-Ray Player, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG OLED65E6T. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 2160p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | Samsung Series 7 HT-J7750W |
| Speakers | Samsung Tall Boy speakers, 7.1 set-up |