The Plot

Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) come head to head when a fatal accident forces the Avengers to register with the United Nations in an effort to make the heroes take responsibility for the destruction they leave behind.

The Good

A month after DC kick started it’s cinematic universe by pitting Batman and Superman against each other, Marvel have followed suit in the form of Civil War. And instead of just two heroes battling each other, Captain America and Iron Man each get their own team behind them, made up of familiar faces: Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Vision (Paul Bettany) on team Iron Man, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) on team Cap.

Unlike last months big superhero mash up, Batman V Superman, Civil War feels more acceptable thanks to Marvel taking it’s time to get to this point after 2 phases and 12 films which have fleshed out the characters enough to warrant their reasons for in Captain America’s case apposing the registration act or in Iron Man’s case, welcoming it.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo don’t seem fazed at all with this assortment of heroes and manage to balance out the fight sequences perfectly thanks to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script, even managing to introduce two new heroes into the mix with Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and a newly rebooted Spider-Man (Tom Holland) making their first MCU appearances before they make their stand-alone debuts next year. Both characters are introduced with just enough information to give some great moments in Civil War while teasing the next chapter in their own stories.

One of the most impressive feats of Civil War is the wonderful mix of both light-hearted fun with dark and serious undertones which after the tonal mess of Batman V Superman is a blessing. Thanks mainly to Ant-Man and Spider-Man’s brilliant humour and quips during the intense fight sequences. After two previous incarnations under the wing of Sony, it feels so good to have Spider-Man back with Marvel finally.

The Bad

Unfortunately there does seem to be a lack of bravery when it comes to the fight sequences. Though shot wonderfully, at no point does any character truly feel in peril. Partly due to the fact that the actors remaining contracts are well known which alleviates any real surprises. And while the titular war between the two teams is the main event, it does seem to somewhat sideline Daniel Brühl who brings an incredibly interesting villain, Zemo. He is peppered through the film but doesn’t really get too much to do compared to others which is a shame.

The Ugly Truth

Captain America: Civil War is a great achievement from a studio now in it’s third phase of it’s cinematic universe. Taking it’s time to get to this storyline gives it more depth than it’s DC counterpart and manages to balance out the big lineup of superheroes while introducing a couple of new ones in the mix. It’s just a shame that nothing truly shocking happens.

Review by Johnny Ellis