15 Best Films Of 2016 (So Far)

Now we get to the massive superhero showdown movie where two heroes come to blows over a major misunderstanding brought about by a highly inaccurate version of a comic book villain where the plot is ultimately heavily concerned with the protagonists' parents. Oh, and isn't Batman V Superman. It’s frankly startling how many similarities there are between the two big comic book movies, right down to a very granular level, and how startling the differences are; Captain America: Civil War manages to do right just about everything Dawn Of Justice did wrong.

You care about the characters, understand why they’re entering the conflict and everything is driven by an interesting plot that manages pitch-perfect escalation despite having it’s showstopper in the middle. It’s as subversive of the Marvel formula a film can be while still sticking to that same Marvel formula. And it balances expectations from all sides; there’s plenty in there for the fans of previous movies, yet it's a fine entry point if you’re genuinely expecting Wolverine to pop up.

The strongest element is the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man itself. The Russos (who between this and The Winter Soldier have made themselves Marvel's best directors) play a deft dance with their motivations, beginning wholly political, then showing how personal concerns dominate before a final battle that has a heart-breaking pettiness to it. Best Marvel movie? You betcha.

For more on Captain America: Civil War, check out 10 Reasons It’s A Near-Perfect Comic Book Movie.