Captain America: Civil War - Trailer Analysis

This is a new thing for me: analysing trailers. Since I'm unable to watch and review movies as quickly as before, I decided to take a foray into other movie-related subjects; namely analysing the newest trailers.

Everyone I know has watched Civil War's trailer, and it doesn't get more pumping than it already is! And it features more than just Captain America. For this one, Marvel Studios has brought almost all the heroes from its previous movies plus more. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers face off after a grave disagreement over a new Act by the government.

In case you've been living under a rock for the last few weeks, or if you just want to watch the trailer for the millionth time like me, here it is:

Wow... I CANNOT wait for this one! Anyways, let's get on with it!

The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes

The Winter Soldier was last seen at the end of 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', after he'd rescued Rogers. He seems to remember his old life, and "Doesn't do that anymore" when asked about all the assassinations he's carried out ever since the Second World War. However, the rest of the world doesn't seem to care whether he was brainwashed or not: they want him dead, which is why the polizei are after him in this scene:

The Winter Soldier is also one of the reasons Tony Stark squares off with Steve Rogers in the first place. Howard and Maria Stark, Tony's parents, were killed by the Winter Soldier in a car accident planned by HYDRA and executed by the Winter Soldier. 

The Winter Soldier's metal arm is made from vibranium- the almost indestructible metal that Cap's shield is also made of. Since the main source of vibranium in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Wakanda, a small African country which the Avengers visited during 'Age of Ultron', thw Winter Soldier's arm one of the reasons why we see Black Panther in the trailer. More on that later. 

The Sokovia Accords

In the comic books for Civil War, the main cause of the civil war was the Superhuman Registration Act which called for humans with powers to register with the government to prevent them from acting on their own accord. Captain America is anti-registration, while Iron Man is pro-registration. 

The Sokovia Accords are a substitute for the Superhuman Registration Act, and were created after the events of 'Age of Ultron', when the Eastern European country was destroyed and also due to the unsupervised mucking around of the 'Science Bros' aka Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, which created Ultron. So its obviously no surprise that Stark has sided with the government for this one. Stark has also sided with the government because of another international incident he probably had a part to play in, maybe something to do with this huge fiery explosion:

By the looks of it, the explosion seems to be at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which would become a major international incident, seeing as delegates from hundreds of countries would be present. On IMDb, the roles many of the supporting actors play are delegates from other countries. There are UN Delegates and there's also a Swiss Ambassador. This confirms my point.

In the picture below, if you look closely, the document seems to be handed to Scarlet Witch. She has the most personal connection to Sokovia: this was where her brother Quicksilver was killed by Ultron, and also where she was experimented upon. 

Who else would wear black nail polish?

Black Panther/T'Challa

When Marvel announced that Black Panther was getting his own movie in Phase 3, everyone was excited. But why is he in Civil War? He isn't an Avenger, and most likely has no allegiances with any of the characters in the movie. But like Stark, he may also have a connection with the Winter Soldier. If you scroll up, I wrote about how the Winter Soldier's arm was made of vibranium- a metal found only in Wakanda. As the head of state, Black Panther's role is to protect Wakanda, and maybe he feels Wakanda is threatened after whatever international incident sets of the war between Rogers and Stark. He is seen in pursuit of Bucky in the trailer as well as kicking him away:

Part of the film also takes place in Wakanda: another potential reason for Black Panther to get involved. 

General "Thunderbolt" Ross

Remember the villain in The Incredible Hulk? After 7 years of inactivity, William Hurt returns as General "Thunderbolt" Ross, even though Bruce Banner/The Hulk won't be in the film. Since S.H.E.I.L.D no longer exists as of the movies, General Ross will be the military presence in the movie, and in the trailer, he visits the new Avengers facility to remonstrate the Avengers for the events in Sokovia and for whatever incident that they had caused. 

In the comics, Ross had his own group of villains known as the 'Thunderbolts'. If he continues to show up in more of the MCU films, he and the Thunderbolts may eventually get their own standalone film, similar to DC's 'Suicide Squad'. 

Who dies?

There is going to be at least one death in the movie: Captain America. Sorry for the spoiler, but in the comics, Captain America was killed by Crossbones. Since Frank Grillo is playing Crossbones, it only makes sense that he will kill Cap. Watch this short clip:

I know, he could be saying anything, but this makes the most sense. We also learn that The Winter Soldier may be able to pull out the arc reactor from Iron Man's suit. 

Another character who may have been killed is Rhodey. Remember this from the trailer?

Notice how Rhodey' suit's arc reactor is missing, and how it appears to have been torn out. Since the arc reactor is what powers the suits, if it were removed during flight, the suit would lose power and crash, and that is exactly what has happened here. You can see that the two are in some sort of a crater. Tony Stark's expression is also one of anger and shock, as if he can't believe his best friend was killed. But is he dead or just unconscious?

Other Important Characters

While a lot of heroes are going to be in the movie, two of them failed to make an appearance, namely Vision and Spider-Man. In the photos released before the trailer was released, Vision was seen on Team Iron Man, but rumours say otherwise; he probably switches sides and then leaves Earth, which could mean he crosses over with Star-Lord in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie. 

The other wild card is Peter Parker. Due to a deal between Marvel and Sony Pictures that thrilled many, Marvel is now allowed to incorporate Spider-Man in the MCU! He is going to be introduced for the first time in Civil War, and he's the youngest hero in the movie. In the comics, he first sided with Iron Man and then switched to Captain America, so that's what will happen in Civil War too. 

We also don't see Scott Lang aka Ant-Man in the trailer, but that's probably for obvious reasons.

Here's a list of who's on who's team-

Anti-Registration/Team Captain America:

• Steve Rogers/Captain America
• Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
• Sam Wilson/Falcon
• Clint Barton/Hawkeye
• Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
• Scott-Lang/Ant-Man
• Sharon Carter/Agent 13

Pro-Registration/Team Iron Man:

• Tony Stark/Iron Man
• James Rhodes/War Machine
• Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
• T'Challa/Black Panther
• Peter Parker/Spider-Man
• Vision

Who are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments!

The Martian

"Help is only 140 million miles away."

Ahh, science fiction movie about going to Mars and facing problems there. One of my favourite sub-genres of science fiction. Mission to Mars movies are always fun and interesting to watch.

During a fierce storm on Mars, 5 astronauts blast off, leaving behind Mark Watney, who was presumed dead. Once he wakes up, he realises that he's stranded on an unknown and hostile planet. With only a meagre amount of supplies, he must use his wits and knowledge of science and botany to survive. Meanwhile on Earth, NASA fights against time to formulate a plan to rescue the stranded astronaut.

The Martian was a masterpiece. Usually, when I watch a movie, I take down a few notes on my phone to help me with the review. But I was so engrossed in the movie that I completely forgot to make any notes. That just goes to show how gripping and interesting the film actually was. I really liked the plot of the movie, especially when Watney finds the old Pathfinder probe and the manoeuvre that the rest of Watney's crew executed to get back to Mars. Matt Damon was excellent. A great performance by him. The supporting cast did a good job too, especially the actor who played Vincent Kapoor (though it would have been even better if Irrfan Khan had gotten the role). When I heard about this film, I expected it to go along the lines of Interstellar, which had a darker and more serious feel to it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was lighthearted and laced with humour every now and then to keep issues from becoming too serious, which would have been boring. The Martian landscape looked just like the pictures we have of Mars. Most of the movie was also scientifically accurate as well, especially the way he was producing water, using the radioisotope of plutonium for heat and growing potatoes in Martian soil. However, one mistake was that the dust storms on Mars are not as dangerous as they were shown to be (you can read more about that on Wikipedia). If I had to compare The Martian to Interstellar or Gravity, I would be lying if I said The Martian wasn't my favourite. If I had any complaints, it would be that the movie was a tad too long. At 141 minutes long, I found myself asking when the movie would be ending.

• Genres- Science-fiction, action and adventure
• Director- Ridley Scott
• Producers- Simon Kinberg, Aditya Sood, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam
• Starring- Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Askel Hennie and Chiwetel Ejiofor

My rating

9/10

Picture from- http://fo4mw16y1z42edr6j2m4n6vt.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/martian-560x224.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8

Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

"The maze was just the beginning"

Wow, two reviews in two days! I really am making up for lost time! Scorch Trials is the second instalment in the Maze Runner trilogy, based on the awesome book series by James Dashner. Thomas, Minho, Newt and Teresa return to the big screen to fight WCKD.

Scorch Trials picks up from where Maze Runner ends. Thomas and his friends have broken out WCKD's headquarters, and are transported to a fortified facility in the middle of the Scorch, a desolate swathe of burned land teeming with virus-infested Cranks (aka zombies), only to find out that they still haven't escaped from WCKD. With the help of a new ally, Thomas and his friends stage an escape into the Scorch.Now the Gladers' only hope may be to find the Right Arm, a resistance group that may assist them in battling WCKD.

When I read the Maze Runner series, I was amazed. The Scorch Trials was my favourite book in the series and the trailer gave me goosebumps whenever I watched it, so I was expecting a lot from the movie. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Now, I know that when a book is made into a movie (movie-fied as I like to say), I do understand that the producers and screenwriters can't make everything the same, but at the same time, they can't change the entire story. But here, I'm disappointed to say that it was as if the book had never even existed in the first place. The story had been tweaked in so many ways. One major difference is that Brenda was not immune to the virus (known as the Flare). In the book, her being immune to the Flare forms an integral part in driving the story forward. That element will now be missing from the next movie. Also, if Brenda was not immune, she shouldn't even have been alive when Thomas and her friends met her. There were also so many other small errors which I noticed. For example, everyone seems to be very cold since they're wearing jackets and their breath is frosting. They are supposed to be in the Scorch, which is meant to be scorchingly hot. I felt that some of the new characters introduced, like Vince and Mary were useless. They were not needed for the story. Meanwhile, characters like Newt and Aris should have held more importance, but their roles were downgraded. Indeed, there were some points in the movie where I forgot that Newt was even present. Another speaking point is that for some aspects of the movie, like the enzyme cure and the Flare virus should have been accompanied by some more information, especially for the Flare. Anyways, there were some parts of the movie I really liked. The special effects were amazing. Everything looked very real and convincing, especially the ruined buildings. They gave the excellent backdrop a dystopian world. The Cranks exceeded my expectations. I was expecting something similar to the zombies from World War Z, but what I saw was much better. They looked quite scary and creepy to me. Dylan O'Brien impressed as he did in first film, and hopefully he keeps that going.

• Genre- science fiction, action and adventure
• Director- Wes Ball
• Producers- Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen and Lee Stollman
• Starring- Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Rosa Salazar, Jacob Lofland, Giancarlo Esposito and Aidan Gillen

My rating

6/10

Picture from- http://cdn1-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2015/03/scorch-trials-header.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-44_igsZtgU

The Intern

"Experience never gets old."

Going by the name of this film, you'd expect it to be about a young new intern, new to the chaos and disorder of today's corporations, struggling to earn approval, and maybe finding love on the way. Well, The Intern is almost nothing like that. (I know this movie came out a long time ago, but there you are.)

Ben Whittaker is a 70-year old widower and he's just discovered that retirement isn't anything excited. He's tried everything, from travelling the world to cooking to learning Mandarin. Hoping to find some adventure, he takes up an internship and becomes a senior intern to the founder of an online fashion store- Jules Ostin.

Most of the movies I've reviewed here are science fiction or action or adventure, but it feels great to write about something else. Robert DeNiro executes his role as the perfect gentleman flawlessly, from the crisp suits he wears everyday to the advice he gives to his younger colleagues. His character was one of those who you can't help but like. Anne Hathaway was perfect in portraying the hectic life of a working woman who juggled her duties. The two had a really great chemistry. Jules was the one who asked for help and Ben was the one who brought the experience to the table. They form the perfect team. Humour was no stranger here. The boys road trip was absolutely hilarious, and I was rolling around with laughter in my seat. The audience cracked up numerous times during the movie. If I had one complaint, it would be that I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. But overall, a heartwarming movie, and I was smiling as I walked out. (By the way, this movie is NOTHING like The Internship. It couldn't be more different.)

• Genre- comedy
• Director- Nancy Meyers
• Producers- Suzanne Farwell and Nancy Meyers
• Starring- Robert DeNiro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Adam DeVine, Zack Pearlman and Anders Holm

My rating

8/10

Picture from- http://s2.dmcdn.net/M0ubg.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU3Xban0Y6A

Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation

"Go rogue"

One of the biggest releases this year, it was no surprise that Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation made a boatload of money at the box office. It was the fifth instalment in the Mission: Impossible series, and we follow Ethan Hunt once again trying to complete another impossible mission.

With the IMF now disbanded, Ethan Hunt is out in the open on his own. A new threat soon emerges from the shadows - The Syndicate. The Syndicate is an organization bent upon establishing a new world order, and includes a network of highly trained operatives. In what may be his most impossible mission yet, Ethan brings his team back together and sets out to defeat this new menace.

While this wasn't the best film in the series, I did quite like it. In every film, a futuristic piece of technology is shown to us. In Ghost Protocol it was that projector screen and camera in that hallway and in Rogue Nation, it was that tablet computer Benji used and the wristband Ethan wore when he jumped into the water-cooled chamber. (Sorry for the spoilers!) Its always exciting to see the new technology that movies show us. The plot of this film was exciting and gripping, even if it was a little hard to follow in a few places. It was thorough and I didn't find any problems with it. Humour is always a good addition to an action movie, and this was no exception. Simon Pegg was great in his portrayal of Benji, as always. Tom Cruise, as always, impressed me. Even at the age of 53, he's still got a lot of it left in him! I can't believe he actually did that plane scene by himself! I also felt that Rebecca Ferguson did a good job in her role of Ilsa Faust. However, I felt that Ving Rhames' character, Luther Stickell, was weak. The movie could have been made without him as well. The action scenes get better from one movie to the next. One scene that was different but impressive was the fight scene at the opera. It was the music that made it as good as it was. Fighting for your life with opera in the background. I should try that sometime. The screenwriters always find new ways to amaze us, and here it was when Ethan jumped into the water-cooled chamber to input a file. Once again, I'm very sorry for all the spoilers!

• Genre- action, adventure
• Director- Christopher McQuarrie
• Producers- JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk, Tom Cruise, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger
• Starring- Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin

My rating

8/10

Picture from- http://s1.dmcdn.net/Jh3Dy/1280x720-v1y.jpg
Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOW_azQbOjw

Ant-Man

"Heroes don't get any bigger."

From now on, instead of reviewing my movies from Singapore, I'll be doing it in Bangalore. That's right. I've relocated! Back to Ant-Man now. For the casual moviegoer out there, Ant-Man may be the most unconventional superhero out there. Having ants as allies? Surely Marvel could think of something better than that! Anyways, with Ant-Man ends Phase 2 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When Dr Hank Pym is forced out of the company he created by his former apprentice, Darren Cross, he recruits Scott Lang, a master thief fresh out of prison, to become Ant-Man. Armed with a special suit that enables him to shrink in size but increase in strength, Pym trains him on how to command an army of ants. When Cross tries to sell similar technology to Hydra for nefarious reasons, Lang must step up to prevent the suit from falling into the wring hands.

A great way to end Phase 2 in the MCU! The post-credits scene set everything up for the next phase, especially Civil War, with Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson discussing what to do with Bucky, and how Tony Stark couldn't be summoned for assistance. Anyways, back to Ant-Man. I was a bit skeptical when I heard the name of the movie, but then I watched the trailer. This proves that Marvel can pull of anything! First there was a film which starred a talking raccoon and a walking tree, and now a superhero who's the size of an ant! Paul Rudd portrayed Scott Lang quite well as the charismatic and likeable character who you root for throughout the movie. Corey Stoll was a good addition, and he did well as the corporate businessman and super villain. Michael Peña was hilarious, especially with his story narration scenes. If you love movies with action in them, Ant-Man is your fix. All the action scenes, especially the one at the end between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket were beautifully choreographed. The humour was great, with Paul Rudd and Michael Peña contributing to that. As always, the animation and CGI were first-class, especially with the shrinking and growing of Lang in the suit. To me, Ant-Man felt different from the other MCU films, like Iron Man or Thor, but it was a good sort of difference. I can't wait to see Scott Lang/Ant-Man as a part of the Avengers in Infinity War!

• Genres- Science fiction, action, superheroes 
• Director- Peyton Reed
• Producer- Kevin Feige
• Starring- Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña, Michael Douglas and Anthony Mackie

My rating

9/10

Jurassic World

"The park is open."

If you're anything like me, you would have been eagerly waiting for this one! As soon as I heard about Jurassic World, I was struck with a crazy anticipation! One question though. Didn't they learn ANYTHING from the events of the previous movies? Dinosaurs in a park + people = a place you would not want to be at.

20 years after Jurassic Park 3, Isla Nublar is now a luxury resort, showcasing the wonders of the prehistoric world to all who visit. Jurassic World is now home to an array of genetically modified dinosaurs, including the viciously intelligent Indominus Rex. When a chain of events cause the Indominus Rex to escape from its enclosure and run rampant across the island, its up to Owen Grady, a velociraptor trainer, to save 2 brothers and the rest of the tourists in the park.

In short, I would say that this entry into the franchise was a fine film, but too similar to the first one and a bit predictable. In the Jurassic Park, we had a dinosaur theme park. Then a T-Rex goes berserk and chases everyone. In Jurassic World, we have a dinosaur theme park, and the Indominus Rex causing havoc everywhere. Very similar. Having 2 kids in the centre of everything also made the outcome of the movie really predictable. Even in Jurassic Park, there were 2 kids who had the bad luck to be chased by dinosaurs. Chris Pratt was the only one who executed a fine performance. I found Bryce Dallas Howard boring. There also seemed to be a shortage of common sense in the characters. As the director of a park showcasing dinosaurs, shouldn't Claire have had the common sense to not SCREAM for the boys in the middle of the forest where they knew the Indominus was hiding? And why did Owen bring a tiny gun to fend of a gigantic, intelligent dinosaur? On a better note, the special effects and CGI in this movie were top-notch, and the dinosaurs looked real enough for my liking. (Spoiler alert) I also enjoyed how, for the first time in a Jurassic Park film, the T-Rex and raptors were the good guys. In conclusion, the film was a fine addition to the franchise, but a new storyline is needed for it to survive. 

• Genres- Sci-fi, action, thriller
• Director- Colin Trevorrow
• Producers- Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley
• Starring- Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong and Jake Johnson

My rating

7/10

Picture from- http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/images/c_fill,h_1080,w_1920/t_mp_quality/lzgq0lx37axayeplcrql/does-jurassic-world-ruin-jurassic-park-in-an-age-of-amped-up-special-effects-and-over-th-459070.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJJrkyHas78