But fear not, there’s also some light relief in the form of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and a nerdy teenage Spider-Man (Tom Holland).ĭirectors Joe and Anthony Russo juggle all these elements impressively: for every awkward franchise requirement (like Martin Freeman’s here-and-gone-again military man), there’s another that slots effortlessly into place – Holland’s introduction as Peter Parker is one of the sweetest scenes in the series. But it’s rich pickings for character conflict, and that’s what ‘Civil War’ cares most about: not just between Cap and Iron Man, but between dimension-benders Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), between old friends Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and between newcomer Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and basically everyone. None of this is especially original – the ‘Watchmen’ comics covered similar ground three decades ago. But Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) isn’t sold, especially as the first order of business is to eliminate his childhood friend-turned-crazed assassin, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Ridden with guilt, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) agrees. Enter William Hurt’s politician with an ultimatum: submit to UN oversight, or cease all crimefighting activities. The earth-shattering events of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ have left the authorities – and many of the Avengers – questioning their role in world affairs. It's the joy of making a movie for and about people. No, this is the kind of joy that comes with crafting characters people can relate to, with designing action scenes that spring and spin and bound off the screen, with picking just the right moment for a tension-breaking gag, a pause for reflection or a rousing speech. This is a film about the violent end of a friendship and the moral questions that come with free will, so it’s hardly a party. Which isn’t to say ‘Civil War’ is threat-free and happy-clappy. But luckily, ‘Captain America: Civil War’ is packed to bursting with the one ingredient its rival superhero smackdown ‘Batman v Superman’ lacked: joy. Does any of this sound familiar? Two iconic heroes duking it out over two-and-a-half epic hours… Angsty agonising over the collateral damage that ensues… Cameos from multiple costumed crusaders, just to make sure we’re suitably hyped for the next ten movies.

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