It’s these human touches that make Captain America: Civil War such an entertaining two-and-a-half hours, and an effective launch-pad for yet more movies to come.The shaming of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” will continue apace - or better still, be forgotten entirely - in the wake of “ Captain America: Civil War,” a decisively superior hero-vs.-hero extravaganza that also ranks as the most mature and substantive picture to have yet emerged from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers may be superheroes, but they all have quirks we can all recognise – from Stark’s egotism to Vision’s ineptitude in the kitchen. In short, Civil War delivers the spectacle that movie-goers will expect, but remembers that it’s the characters that are the Marvel universe’s greatest strength. This isn’t to say that the beat-downs and fist-fights in Civil War don’t feel repetitive on occasion – there are only so many ways you can kick a stunt actor into a wall – but there’s a vim and imagination to the film’s bigger moments which really sets them apart. As a Marvel movie, it’s better paced than Age Of Ultron, which felt top-heavy with CGI destruction. He gets a pretty spectacular early sequence where he sprints after a motorcycle, but again, it’s a scene he shares with Bruhl’s villain that reveals a human, compelling side to both characters.Īs a comic book movie, Civil War feels more nuanced and less bludgeoning than Batman V Superman – another 2016 about titans with differences of opinion. Then there’s newcomer Chadwick Boseman, prince of Wakanda and agile superhero Black Panther. There’s a spark of quirky chemistry between Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in their scenes as off-duty Wanda Maximoff and Vision. In some instances, these are the bits that stick in the mind the most Tom Holland’s new Spider-Man is introduced not with a bang, but in a captivatingly loose, natural-feeling scene which somehow makes the character seem as though he’s been in the MCU all along. It’s action-heavy, particularly in its opening and closing acts, yet writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely find plenty of moments where the characters behind the symbols and fancy outfits are given a chance to shine. It’s this satisfying mix of heavy and light tones which keeps Civil War feeling fresh. Civil War simply suggests that some battles aren’t simply good-versus-evil, and that decisions made in the past can affect the present in dire, unforeseeable ways. The specifics of Sokovia Accords treaty may go over some younger audience members’ heads, but it’s not the film’s aim to beat us over the head with capital-M messages. Like The Winter Soldier, Civil War explores all kinds of current concerns – terrorism, the misuse of military might, state control – with a lightness of touch. One of Civil War’s underlying themes is that ordinary people can be twisted or fooled into doing ugly things as result, everyone character has a logical motivation for their actions – even Br ühl’s villain. The signing of German actor Daniel Br ühl ( Good Bye, Lenin!, Rush) proves to be a canny one here: as the main villain of the piece, his performance is charismatic and refreshingly restrained – where some actors would chew the scenery, Br ühl goes for quiet, tightly-wound anger. Similarly, the slabs of action you’d expect are contrasted by some occasional yet effective moments of suspense. The grit and gloom of ordinary-looking locations, from dingy bunkers in Siberia to run-down tenements in Berlin, contrast pleasingly with the slick costumes and square jaws of our heroes. This is partly because the Russo brothers again manage to make their action set-pieces build from the intimate (in Marvel terms) to the sprawling and explosion-laden. Naturally, there’s lots more to Civil War, yet the plot remains brisk even with the film’s hefty 150 minute duration.
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