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Film review: 'Captain America: Civil War' Affirms Liberty and Justice for All
PJ Media ^
| 05/09/2016
| Walter Hudson
Posted on 05/09/2016 11:22:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Hollywood, typically regarded by those of us on the political right as a bastion of hedonistic leftists, has lately been flouting that stereotype. Still in theaters, Disney's The Jungle Book boasts subtle but articulate themes affirming human liberty and the value of capitalism. Dropping over the weekend from the related Marvel Studios, Captain America: Civil War likewise takes a firm philosophical stance in favor of choice over control. Its politics prove so prominent that they moved Salon writer Amanda Marcotte to denounce Captain America as "a douchey libertarian."
Exploring the politics of the film will require delving into some particulars of the plot. So be warned: spoilers will follow. Marcotte provides the context in her piece:
In Civil War, the Avengers are facing growing international criticism for the way they handled the events in The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Many people are arguing that they are operating without government oversight and innocent civilians are getting killed in the process. While its true that those civilian casualties are not the fault of the Avengers they were fighting off serious threats and unfortunately, in war, civilians get killed there are nonetheless growing demands for some kind of accountability and oversight.
Marcotte goes on to argue that such oversight proves appropriate. Yet the facts presented in the film prove otherwise. From the inciting incident during which a bombing claims the lives of international diplomats, straight through to the film's resolution, government "oversight" gets everything wrong. They accept fraudulent evidence without pausing to evaluate it, and end up enabling the film's true villain. We see the ulterior motive of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross manifest as he eagerly captures and imprisons any Avenger he cannot directly control. In the final analysis, there is no ambiguity regarding who was right or who was wrong in this "civil war." Tony Stark, leading Cap's opposition as Iron Man, admits that he was misguided.
This all flows naturally from themes which have been consistently developed throughout the franchise, and that's part of Civil War's brilliance. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have been at odds from the moment their relationship began. Yet their philosophical positions regarding government oversight have largely reversed. In Iron Man 2, it was Tony who addressed Congress as the "douchey libertarian," arguing that he had "privatized world peace." In Avengers, it was Rogers arguing that the team should blindly follow orders from S.H.I.E.L.D. Both men, through their separate narrative journeys, have been given cause to reevaluate their politics. They each now come at a new proposal with fresh eyes. Rogers has good reason to regard government oversight with skepticism, and Tony's desire to be held accountable makes sense from his perspective.
Meanwhile, we the audience know from our position of relative omniscience that government interference in the Avengers' operations would have been disastrous. What was government's answer to the Chitauri invasion of New York? They launched a nuclear bomb. What was government's answer to the rising threats emerging from that incident? They "aimed a gun at everyone's head" in The Winter Soldier, an approach Captain America rightly decried when he noted, "This isn't freedom. This is fear." Lest we forget that S.H.I.E.L.D. thus enabled the villainous Hydra.
It would be a mistake to think of Captain America as anti-government. These films are not preaching anarchy. Rather, Steve Rogers employs a well-developed sense of skepticism when considering both people and institutions. If someone wants control, it is right to question their motive. As Rogers puts it in the film, government is "run by people with agendas and agendas change." We must be careful not to cede control over our lives to people whose schemes would deprive us of liberty or deny us justice.
TOPICS: Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: captainamerica; civilwar; hollywood; liberty; marvel; moviereview
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To: SeekAndFind
I thought the guy that plays Captain America is actually a Lefty.
2
posted on
05/09/2016 11:24:13 AM PDT
by
Jim W N
To: SeekAndFind
It sorta looks like a goofy premise kinda like the Batman vs. Supermen nonsense.
3
posted on
05/09/2016 11:26:12 AM PDT
by
Jim W N
To: Jim 0216
Whether we’ll like the movie or not, here’s the gross after just 4 days out (The movie budget was $250 Million ):
Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $181,791,000 26.9%
+ Foreign: $494,000,000 73.1%
= Worldwide: $675,791,000
It’s on track to gross over a Billion dollars at the rate it’s going.
To: Jim 0216
RE: I thought the guy that plays Captain America is actually a Lefty.
Well, Captain America was the one who was against government control. Ironically, it is the “rebel” Iron Man who was fighting for the Avengers to be under the auspices of the United Nations.
To: Jim 0216
6
posted on
05/09/2016 11:30:40 AM PDT
by
longfellow
(Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
To: SeekAndFind
I meant Chris Evans - I heard he was a Lefty.
7
posted on
05/09/2016 11:30:57 AM PDT
by
Jim W N
To: SeekAndFind
8
posted on
05/09/2016 11:31:09 AM PDT
by
be-baw
(still seeking)
To: be-baw
RE: Great shot of Ant-Man.
If you hadn’t told me, I’d have missed him :)
To: All
Chris Evans is probably a big time Lefty, but I give him kudos: Captain America is my all-time favorite Superhero and Evans has done a great job.
IMHO, “Captain America, the First Avenger” is the best Comic book movie ever (crush on Peggy Carter!).
To: SeekAndFind
After the Civil War it took almost a hundred years for blacks to go through the KKK, Segregation, Separate but Equal, Civil Rights marches, attacked by cops and dogs .....
11
posted on
05/09/2016 11:34:17 AM PDT
by
SkyDancer
("Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
To: SeekAndFind
I’m rooting for Scarlett Johanssen....to have a “wardrobe malfunction.”
12
posted on
05/09/2016 11:34:34 AM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
To: BenLurkin
She already did, on her cell phone.
13
posted on
05/09/2016 11:36:46 AM PDT
by
Williams
(Dear God please save us from the democrats. And the republicans.)
To: SeekAndFind
To: SeekAndFind
The movie was excellent, certainly the most “serious” of the Avengers movies, and I like them all.
But, a major underlying liberal theme animated the whole movie. The Avengers are blamed for collateral damage in situations where they literally saved the world.
And there was a major anti-military leftist theme voiced by the Vision, who theorizes that the bad guys keep attacking BECAUSE they are attracted by the Avengers’ strength.
Yes Captain America resisted global control, but the movie doesn’t exactly decide he was right.
15
posted on
05/09/2016 11:43:37 AM PDT
by
Williams
(Dear God please save us from the democrats. And the republicans.)
To: SeekAndFind
I don’t think I would have seen him had I not been looking for him. He’s a bit wee.
16
posted on
05/09/2016 11:46:17 AM PDT
by
be-baw
(still seeking)
To: SeekAndFind
Waiting for ITunes on this one. I can’t believe that with fifty plus years of material the best they can do is Civil War. Not to mention that Iron man wanting government control after previously rejecting it and creating Ultron just to see if he could is laughable.
So Tony did you want government overwatch before or after you created an independently thinking killing machine and would you have listened?
17
posted on
05/09/2016 11:50:10 AM PDT
by
Alcibiades
(Save the Republic--NeverHillary.)
To: Jim 0216
It was a campy movie.
Fun, go turn your head off for a couple of hours, kind of movie. But it wasn't just Loud and Dumb (like some of the others...) It made WBill Jr think a little. I could see the wheels turning when he walked out of the theater...
"What's more important, doing what's right, or doing what's lawful? What happens when the two are in conflict?"
Most important.... "What happens when the government is *WRONG*?"
18
posted on
05/09/2016 11:59:04 AM PDT
by
wbill
To: Jim 0216
I don’t know if Chris Evans is, I have not heard that myself.
It is the directors of the second and third Captain America movies, Anthony and Joe Russo, that are big lefties.
But even if Chris Evans is, he is smart enough to keep that to himself and let people enjoy his movies.
19
posted on
05/09/2016 12:03:02 PM PDT
by
sillsfan
(Reagan and Sarah are right- WE win, they lose!)
To: SeekAndFind
Did not Tony Stark give up the Iron Man schtik in IM3?
20
posted on
05/09/2016 12:06:13 PM PDT
by
rjsimmon
(The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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