‘Captain America: Civil War’ Killed At The Box Office, But Why Weren’t Any Characters? [Spoilers]

As predicted, Captain America: Civil War made a huge impact over the weekend pulling in $181 million domestically in its debut weekend in addition to accumulating a healthy $673 million globally. CNN reports that Civil War has helped send Disney’s box office sales over the $1 billion mark already this year, a record with only 128-days into the new year, but it didn’t quite reach the $200 million industry analysts predicted.

The film is getting mostly favorable reviews. However, with all of those super warriors fighting each other in Captain America: Civil War, there was something anticlimactic about it. It’s a great film, the premise is fascinating, and it holds its own against the many films in the Marvel cinematic universe. I saw it in 3-D (is there any other way?), and it just about lived up to my expectations, but I left the theater with a nagging feeling that something was missing.

I’m not the only one that feels this way. The Concourse points out that Colonel Zemo’s motivation for tearing the Avengers apart was that there were no consequences for their actions in Avengers: Age of Ultron. They just went home like nothing happened, and it felt like that is what the moviegoer experienced with Civil War — we went home like nothing happened. I agree. Someone substantial should have died in this movie.

I had a physical reaction when War Machine (Don Cheadle) went down — I gasped out loud and covered my heart with my hand. But being the twisted person that I am, I was severely disappointed that he was merely paralyzed, knowing that Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) guilt and loyalty would hook him up with some technically enhanced limbs.

If they would have just let him stay down, that would have given this movie the jolt it needed.

Instead, the mashup of 13 comic book heroes spent their time infighting — dropping flaming vehicles on each other, shooting to maim instead of kill (apparently), pummelling each other over supposed opposing ideologies, and the only consequences were several severe beatings and short-lived incarcerations. Boo!

The movie was fascinating because #TeamIronMan was on the side of the Avengers being accountable to a government entity while #TeamCap was fighting for the lack of government interference, doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. It’s as if they swapped personalities.

Personally, I’m not convinced that what is driving these two is ideology as much their emotions. Tony Stark’s sudden desire for government input is PTSD and the lack of Pepper in his diet. His guilt over what happened in Sokovia is visibly wearing on him, and maybe he is just plain sick of the burden that comes with being a superhero. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is motivated by his bromance with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and he doesn’t seem to be thinking about anything or anyone except Bucky. It doesn’t matter how many people the Winter Soldier kills, Captain America is going to be with him “’til the end of the line”. The Verge believes that the powers that be held back on doing anything overly dramatic for Civil War because they are saving the drama for the next two films. I believe that was a lame move.

Once again, I loved the movie, although my favorite characters, Thor and the Hulk, did not make an appearance in this energetic babe-fest. I didn’t even think to pick a side going in and there was no point by the end. It’s a film I will see over and over again, just like I do with any Marvel film, but something was missing in Captain America: Civil War — real consequences and repercussions to cling to until the next film.

[Image via Marvel]