One of the big stories of the pre-summer movie season was the supposed breakdown in relations between film critics and the superhero genre, owing to the reception that greeted Warner Bros’ Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, if fans were worried that the trend might continue, said worries were likely alleviated when the early reviews began to arrive for Captain America: Civil War with critics signing a much more positive tune about a different story of once-friendly superheroes coming into conflict.
No surprise, Marvel Studios is taking advantage of that positive buzz to keep building hype for Civil War’s debut in U.S. theaters. The film’s latest TV trailer thus highlights excerpts from the most enthusiastic reviews for Captain America’s third solo film.
While it doesn’t show of much in the way of new footage (and, in keeping with the other TV spots, Spider-Man’s presence is kept out of the picture so as to surprise anyone who hasn’t watched the theatrical trailers) the new Civil War TV trailer handily collects some of the most supportive critic quotes that Marvel was no doubt happy to receive. Civil War has received some criticism too (for its running time and sometimes upending its own attempts to be serious by throwing unnecessary humor in), for obvious reasons the spot sticks to buzzy accolades like “emotional and compelling,” “brilliantly crafted” and “everything a blockbuster should be.”
Interestingly, the TV spot’s editing once again places Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, at the forefront of the heroes’ conflict. While other trailers have treated the broader plot element of The Sokovia Accords - a U.N. mandate that places restrictions on the freedom of superheroes to use their powers as they see fit - as the main wedge dividing The Avengers from each other, this TV spot makes it once again clear: it’s Captain America’s attempt to aid his fugitive former best friend that ignites the already simmering tensions between the good guys.
The new Civil War TV spot arrives at a moment of change for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which recently saw a previously-announced project removed from the studio’s famously long-planned slate for the first time - in this case, Inhumans. While the delay has officially been described as non-permanent, some industry experts have voiced belief that the project was mainly on the schedule because Marvel Comics’ CEO mandated the characters be pushed into prominence over the similarly-themed X-Men because another studio (20th Century Fox) owns their movie rights. Notably, the backstory for The Inhumans as a franchise has already been laid as part of the plot of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - and that ABC/Marvel TV series is expected to feature some degree of crossover with Civil War soon, too.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange– November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1– May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020. Inhumans currently has no release date.
Source: Marvel Studios [via Comic Book]
