Team Cap or Team Iron Man? The real winner here is Team Marvel. Civil War isn’t just a damn-near-perfect popcorn crowd-pleaser it doesn’t offer any easy answers for its combatants, or the world going forward. If there’s a risk of the Marvel ‘formula’ becoming stale, there isn’t any evidence of that here. There’s also a slightly icky and completely unnecessary romantic beat that torpedoes the MCU’s best love story, and it’s a shame that the trailers (and LEGO) gave away quite so many of the film's surprises. It's generally well-paced, but there's one too many plot swerves as you wait for the gang to suit up and throw down. You’ll be grateful there is, and desperate to see more of Holland’s sensational web-slinger the moment you leave the cinema.
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“There’s usually not this much talk,” says Falcon. In the airport fight however he's truly spectacular, holding his own against the best the MCU has to offer, using his webs in entertaining and creative ways, while his motor-mouthed (and charmingly naive) wisecracking couldn’t be better. His Peter Parker is perfect – nervy, goofy and instantly endearing. In a surprisingly substantial appearance, 19-year-old Tom Holland not only makes a case for being the best screen Spidey so far, but also threatens to steal the entire film.
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On the basis of Civil War, we’re champing at the bit.īetter yet is Marvel’s all-new Spider-Man. “Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don’t want to know more?” exclaims Falcon after their first run-in. For Very Important Story Reasons he's quite sullen in Civil War (hopefully he’ll lighten up for the standalone Panther flick) but in his vibranium suit T'Challa is just as capable and acrobatically dazzling as any of the MCU's super-folk, with a set of razor-sharp claws that even Cap's shield can’t withstand. Arriving fully formed, Boseman plays the prince of Wakanda with regal airs, charm and forceful determination. More importantly: how do the MCU’s new supers stack up? Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther has a bigger role than you might expect. Scarlet Witch struggles to deal with the implications of her immense power Hawkeye comes out of retirement in a satisfying continuation of his Age Of Ultron arc Black Widow has fun playing both sides, even if there's none of the joyful frisson with Cap this time around Falcon gets to show off what those wings can really do and War Machine takes the hardest line for the Accords, ever the iron patriot. Daniel Bruhl’s shadowy Zemo is the film's Lex Luthor – the master manipulator pulling the strings from behind the scenes – but unlike Jesse Eisenberg’s aggressively annoying braniac, Bruhl gives Zemo gravitas and pathos. The brilliance of Downey Jr’s sympathetic performance is that even if you’re staunchly Team Cap you still feel for him.Īs for the other players: Bucky is more tortured soul than Terminator this time round, and though he can still feel more MaGuffin than character at times, you buy why he’s worth saving because Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans sell their life-long friendship so well. “I’m trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart,” he pleads.
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He’s less the swaggering snark merchant of movies past here and more the elder statesman, reflecting on the consequences of his actions and looking to make amends. It's a wittier riposte than anything Tony musters in the entire film. “You're being surprisingly non-hyper-verbal,” Black widow quips. Even better is Robert Downey Jr, who shows a different side to Tony Stark. And though he doesn’t have as much to chew on here as he did in The Winter Soldier, there's little doubt why anyone would risk being branded a fugitive to follow him into battle. The characters may be pulling their punches – after all they’re the good guys, and with one key exception they don’t want to see each other dead – but a later, three-way fight massively raises the emotional stakes, because after eight years and 12 films you can’t help but care about the people on each side of the divide.Ĭhris Evans is dependably superb as Steve Rogers – the stoic heart and soul of the MCU. Everyone gets a moment to shine, not least of which Tom Holland’s friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler and Rudd’s amazing miniature man who run away with the lion’s share of the battle’s memorable moments, the super-barney consistently surprising with deliriously gleeful beats. After waiting a good 90 minutes for each side to suit up you can’t help but brace for a mammoth letdown, but the airport-set Battle Royale ranks among the most inventive and fun scraps ever committed to superhero celluloid. And Civil War builds to an unforgettable main event.