‘Captain America: Civil War’
★★★½
“Captain America: Civil War,” the third and perhaps final installment of the Captain America movie franchise, is the kind of smart, emotionally resonant and visually exhilarating movie fans of the genre have been waiting for.
The Avengers, including Captain America (Chris Evans), are on a worldwide hunt to bring the Winter Soldier to justice. This hunt pits Avenger-against-Avenger in a tense standoff that asks serious questions about the moral and political consequences of being a superhero.
It is also an opportunity to introduce new heroes into the Avengers orbit including the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the precocious teenage web-slinger Spider-man (Tom Holland). Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) acts as Cap’s philosophical foil. He believes superheroes have to be accountable to government oversight or risk the anarchy of good intentions. It is a fascinating role reversal that keeps “CA:CW” from collapsing into predictable liberal/conservative arguments.
Mr. Holland’s debut as Peter Parker/Spiderman is delightful and lives up to every expectation. He brings a sense of joy and new-found possibility to the role. The battles between the heroes are well-staged and avoid the confusing camera work that often obscures fight scenes under a fog of special effects.
Yes, “Captain America: Civil War” truly is the best superhero movie ever made.
Rating: PG-13 for comic book violence and mayhem.