Have you seen the new Marvel superhero movie yet? As of Thursday, May 19th, Captain America: Civil War (PG-13) has brought in $314 million domestically and $677 million internationally for a global grand total of $991 million. That means that the battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man will cross the global billion-dollar mark some time on Friday, becoming the first film to do so in 2016. This movie is the next chapter in the character-driven series featuring Marvel heroes like: Captain America, The Avengers, and Iron Man. This franchise does not own the rights to other Marvel characters: “Deadpool”, “Spiderman” and “X-Men”.
I have really liked the recent Marvel universe movies: The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), , , , , , , , , and . My husband and I were very excited to see Captain America: Civil War. In this movie, most of the Marvel superheroes have joined forced and become “the Avengers” who defend and protect Earth. Unfortunately, the government has been concerned and decides to set up a governing body to oversee the Avengers and ensure everyone’s safety from collateral damage during their fights. The hero team splinters into two camps: one led by Steve Rogers/Capt America and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference. The other group follows Tony Stark/Iron Man’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
I give this movie:
I had a great time seeing most of my favorite heroes and actors come together in one movie. Following their backstories through each film up until now has been a different kind of adventure. How often do we get to see an entire universe of characters develop individually as well as cross over into each other’s lives? I love watching all the movies and tv series unfold as the stories ebb and flow among everyone. It doesn’t hurt that the Marvel Universe features strong female characters as well:
Scarlett Johansson (“Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow”), Emily VanCamp(“Sharon Carter / Agent 13”), and Elizabeth Olsen (“Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch”) kick butt and keep up with the boys just fine, thank you very much.
My husband enjoyed the good action movie with an engaging plot. He ranks Captain America: Civil War as one of the better Marvel movies.
My 11-year old daughter, on the other hand, watched the trailer and immediately decided that she was not interested in seeing the movie. I have noticed that the PG-13 rating seems to run quite a large gamut: from language to sexually-suggestive situations/scenes, etc. My daughter has watched a few PG-13 movies, but she enjoys the more light-hearted/non-dramatic movies that she can completely understand the jokes and doesn’t need anything explained to her. The only movie in this series that she has watched and liked, is Ant-Man – partially because he has a silly sense of humor and he is an ant: “My Ant-Man Screening with Paul Rudd”.
Family Viewing Disclaimer (1/low – 5/high scale):
My 11-year old daughter was not interested in this movie when she first saw the trailer. I did not push it, because I know she hasn’t taken to most of the previous Marvel movies yet. They are darker and more serious than her preferred entertainment. This does not fall under my family movie collection, but my husband and I enjoyed it extremely – even though I didn’t like watching my favorite characters fighting among themselves.
1 – NUDITY/SEX:
- A man and a woman kiss while two other men watch and smile.
- Women wear low-cut dresses and tops that reveal cleavage, as well as tight-fitting outfits that accentuate their figures in several scenes.
- A woman wears a low-cut top and a short skirt that reveals cleavage and bare thighs.
- The few subtle sexual comments are easily missed.
4 – VIOLENCE – This is primarily a superhero movie, so there is mainly intense fight scenes without the blood spatters and death. See previous movies for reference. Or, check out my favorite site for in-depth scene detail to determine if your kiddo will enjoy this movie: kids in mind – Captain America: Civil War
3 – PROFANITY – 6 scatological terms (one whispered and unclear), 7 anatomical terms, 9 mild obscenities, name-calling (paranoid, dangerous, vigilantes, death squad, psycho assassins, idiot), exclamations (jeez), 2 religious profanities (GD), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. God, Oh God, Jesus, Holy [scatological term deleted], Oh My God). [courtesy of http://www.kids-in-mind.com/c/captainamericacivilwar.htm]
DISCUSSION TOPICS- Heroes, good vs. evil, vigilante justice, enhanced humans, traumatic memories, death of parents, processing grief, friendship, guilt, accountability, victory at the expense of the innocent, compromise, causality, agendas, diplomacy, revenge, fear vs. understanding, consequences, protection vs. internment, assassination, promises.
I had a great time in the movie and did not want it to end, but as a parent, I am conflicted when there are movies marketed for children (with merchandise, etc.) but the content or language is not appropriate for them. My hope is that each family makes the best decision for themselves, so that everyone can enjoy movies at their own pace and time.
Feel free to comment below. I would love to hear your experience.
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