Six weeks ago, two of the most iconic and recognizable superheroes in comic book history crossed paths on cinema screens for the very first time in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite an overwhelming amount of hype, the film was a critical disappointment, and fell short of the $1 billion gross that Warner Bros. had been counting on. Maybe it was the fact that the studio seemed more focused on creating the foundation for their upcoming Justice League film than telling a coherent story, or maybe it was because neither of the film's protagonists felt particularly relatable - regardless, many fans who had often found themselves dreaming of an epic confrontation between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel walked out of the theater in a fog of disappointment.
With that experience so fresh in our minds, it would only make sense to regard Marvel's Captain America: Civil War with a certain degree of caution. After all, the core of the film is built around a similar conflict, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) find themselves at opposing ends of an ideological issue that threatens to dismantle The Avengers. But unlike their competitors, who tried to shoehorn an unnecessary amount of backstory and world-building into their second adventure, Marvel has paced themselves - they've been developing these characters over the past eight years. We've been privy to their triumphs and failure, their wins and losses, over the course of 12 previous films, which makes us far more invested in their fates.
Opening with a thrilling action sequence that finds Cap and his team hot on the trail of former SHIELD operative Crossbones (Frank Grillo), the newest lineup of The Avengers is working like a well-oiled machine. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) blend into their surroundings as they recon the area, while Falcon (Anthony Mackie) keeps watch from the sky. When their target is flushed from hiding, the team moves in for the takedown - but a critical mistake from Wanda results in a horrific tragedy, with several Wakandan nationals perishing in the aftermath.
The Avengers may be heroes, but there are some who feel the cost of their involvement far outweighs their effectiveness. After New York, Washington, and Sokovia, this latest incident is more than the other governments of the worlds are willing to tolerate - the team can no longer be permitted to operate without some kind of oversight. The solution is the Sokovia Accords, an agreement forged between 117 countries that will leave The Avengers answerable directly to the United Nations.
Endlessly haunted by his own mistakes and shortcomings, Stark pledges his support of the plan, but Cap refuses to submit to a greater authority. In his eyes, the team is only effective if they're free to operate on their own terms, and once the UN fastens a leash around their necks, The Avengers as we know them will cease to exist. He's not entirely wrong - the agreement stipulates that only the UN can decide when to call in support from the team - but it's not as if Stark's argument doesn't contain a certain amount of validity. Both men are correct in their own way, which makes the conflict that much more engaging.
To delve much further into the plot of Captain America: Winter Soldier would be to spoil some of the film's best moments. Suffice to say that ratifying the Sokovia Accords sets forth a series of events that splinters The Avengers into factions, with The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) playing a key role in the schism. Cap's loyalty to his old friend turns him into a fugitive, and while General Ross (William Hurt) has no qualms about using lethal force to apprehend the duo, Stark begs for an opportunity to handle things his way, culminating in a jaw-dropping showdown at the Leipzig airport that features a dozen characters and the most spectacular superhero action ever committed to film.
While every character is given ample opportunity to strut their stuff during this skirmish, it's Spider-Man that emerges as the standout. Tom Holland plays the webslinger with boundless enthusiasm and the exact sort of inquisitive nature that we would expect from a 16-year-old genius encountering a team of superheroes for the first time, marveling (no pun intended) at The Winter Soldier's bionic arm and pausing mid-battle to inquire why Captain America's iconic shield doesn't seem to be bound by the laws of physics - something the audience might find themselves wondering from time to time, as well.
Another new addition to the Marvel roster is T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), a member of the Wakandan royal family who dons the mantle of the Black Panther and fights alongside Team Iron Man, albeit for a very different reason. He's full of rage and determination, a fierce warrior with an agile, acrobatic combat style that can hold his own against the most stalwart of foes. T'Challa may have a deeply personal stake in the conflict, but his involvement is thematically rooted in the broader narrative, which is a testament to the talents of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. In a film with such a dense narrative and so many moving parts, it would have been easy to let some things fall by the wayside, but the script for Civil War never feels bloated or stuffed with extraneous moments - everything here matters.
But no matter how many pulse-pounding actions sequences the film serves up - and trust me, there are plenty of those - the entire thing would fall apart if the audience doesn't buy into the dispute between Steve and Tony. To that end, Evans and Downey bring their A-game to Civil War, turning in their most complex and emotional performances as these characters to date. Neither of these men want to find themselves staring across the battlefield at the other, but they both acknowledge that the time for diplomacy and compromise has long since passed, especially when a heartbreaking revelation in the third act not only ups the ante significantly from an emotional standpoint, but completely alters the nature of the conflict.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and will also return for the next two Avengers films, have raised the bar for superhero cinema. They've taken two legendary heroes and set them at odds with each other, telling a gripping and engaging tale with real stakes and real consequence that somehow manages to never devolve into a disjointed cacophony of half-baked ideas and head-scratching leaps in logic. Captain America: Civil War is not only the best Marvel film yet, it's a serious contender for the best superhero film of all time.
