Comic book movies are a dime a dozen these days, with one released pretty much every season in a year. Back in the early days (till this year anyway), these films' premises were simple yet effective: it was always the case of good guys vs the bad guys. This doesn't seem to be the case anymore, with the desire for more convoluted plots and an array of characters, fueled by the success of 2012's The Avengers, has prompted film studios to craft up fresh takes on these fabled comic characters, often resorting to their long list of comic iterations for a hint of inspiration.

We've already seen the first of these, Warner Bros' Batman v Superman serving up an overstuffed and frankly depressing take on their planned DC Comics Universe, with that film also failing to consolidate itself in terms of box office receipts after a lofty opening. Thus, a month later on, we now have our second seismic Hollywood face-off of 2016, pitting the Captain of America against the Man of Iron in Captain America: Civil War.

Directed by Antony and Joe Russo, the 13th Marvel Cinematic Universe entry aims to follow up on the events of 2014's The Winter Soldier (which the Russos' also directed) as well as last summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron, and like Dawn of Justice, both films tackle the nature of a superhero's responsibilities on civilian casualties amidst their display of strength in saving the world, resulting in a  divide of super-heroic proportions. All of these, whilst introducing a third Spiderman in less than a decade, seems like an almighty feat indeed, but did the Russo Brothers' second Marvel feature do a better 'clash of the superheroes' depiction than Zack Synder's DC offering?

(Very) Loosely based on the Mark Millar comic series of the same name, Civil War starts right off with our superheroes thwarting another villainous scheme in Nigeria (against a returning Frank Grillo), which inadvertently brought along more collateral damage. Fed up with the Avengers' irresponsible acts, especially with the events from both Avengers film and The Winter Soldier in tow, the Sokovia Accords is introduced to keep our heroes in check (by none other than General Ross, last seen in 2008's Incredible Hulk). A rift soon opens up within the team as one half supports the cause (#TeamIronMan), while another opposes it (#TeamCap). The conflict is further compounded with the reappearance of the Winter Soldier, and both sides are eager to get to him first.

The plot isn't as tight as the Russos' previous efforts in The Winter Soldier, that's because the added casts brought over from Age of Ultron, plus the new additions (to make up the lack of a Thunder God and a rage monster) meant that some of Civil War's 150+ minute runtime had to be split between this massive cast, yet everyone here gets a significant moments to demonstrate their powers and develop their own personal arcs.

You can't say the same for Dawn of Justice (as much as I don't want to compare the two), which failed to create any compelling story for both Superman and antagonist Lex Luthor. Yet, with so much going on in Civil War, the film manages to balance its tone throughout, transforming into a serious thriller when the need arises, with enough of the traditional Marvel humour sprinkled around for good measure (the banter between Bucky and Sam Wilson is top notch). Even the plot twist  towards the end (you'll realize it if you paid attention in The Winter Soldier) is so well crafted/planned out it is perhaps the most damaging villainous act in this franchise, enough to wreck the Avengers in the long term (before Thanos comes around anyway).

And let's not forget the amazing action set pieces Civil War had to offer, from the initial mission in Nigeria to the final showdown in Russia. Civil War continues the close hand-to-hand fight choreography seen in The Winter Soldier and the stunt works might be the best we've  come to see in the Marvel Universe thus far. Certainly helps when the action scenes in Civil War were supervised by stuntmen and the directors of John Wick - Chad Stahelski & David Leitch.

We then come to the main event of Civil War - the titanic battle royale between our heroes in an airport tarmac in Germany, and this long, action-packed sequence is every superhero/comic book fan's dream come true. The way every character comes together here, be it friend or foe, is equally engaging as it is captivating, and it's no surprise that people are championing this battle as one of the best moments in Marvel Studio's short history, if not one of the best action spectacles in recent memory. It's like that childhood moment where you brought out all your action figures in a clash of the plastics.

From Spiderman resisting Bucky Barnes metallic punches to admire his opponent, to Hawkeye firing a shrunken Ant-Man through his arrows, every participating player gets their moments to shine (some BIGGER than others). Curiously, it's the insect-related heroes that serve as the highlight amongst the vast numbers, with Ant-Man (Paul Rudd and Spiderman (Tom Holland) injecting plenty of comedic and entertaining moments from both sides of the field. To list all the memorable highlights would be a herculean task indeed, and it begs to be watched on the biggest screens.

Being a Captain America film, the film manages to pan out much of its main focus on the titular character, even with a multitude of heroes this time out, and it's at this point that Civil War distinguishes itself from its unofficial 'Avengers 2.5' moniker, as it rarely treads off its central story to make way for the other characters. Chris Evans once again portrays Star-Spangled Avenger to perfection, embodying the classic comic book character as the righteous man he is, going above the law (and Iron Man for that matter) to save his wartime friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who we last saw as a brainwashed assassin in The Winter Soldier.

Along with Evans, everyone else has brought their A-game in Civil War, from seasoned campaginers like Scarlett Johansson, to reason additions such as Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlett Witch. We see a different side of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) this time around, as a guilt-ridden superhero looking to right his wrongs, rather a far cry from his snarky, sarcastic, murder-bot inventing character from previous installments. this opens up to a fresh take on a character we've been seeing on screen since his 2008 debut. The other supporting players, such as Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlett Witch don't get as much screentime as advertised, whose times in the sun are reserved for the many action pieces this film managed to fit in. This isn't a negative point as their smaller inclusions does not detract audiences from the main players of this storyline (it is a Captain America film after all). Though limited, each of secondary characters' screentimes were wisely utilized, which avoided the main pitfall which befell Age of Ultron.

As for the new characters, Civil War did a far better job of introducing them than last year;s Age of Ultron (and BvS for that matter). Debutants Black Panther and Spiderman 3.0 are a joy to watch, with their introduction and impact to the story both well implemented and entertaining. This only quenches our thirst for their upcoming standalone feature films in the years to follow no less due to the charming portrayals from Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) and Tom Holland (Spiderman) respectively. The latest iteration of the web crawler is a particularly interesting addition to the universe, showing us a Peter Parker brimming with the naiveness and the childlike not previously seen from the Tobey Maguire/Andrew Garfield portrayals. Martin Freeman's also in on the Marvel Universe, albeit with little to do here, thereby gearing us up for a meeting between his character and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange later this year (fingers crossed).

That being said, Civil War isn't a perfect film. The third act, as much gravitas as it holds over the central conflict between our heroes, lacked the satisfying conclusion that The Winter Soldier had, despite both films' third act centering on our heroes' morality as well as their emotional cores. However, Civil War only have this problem no thanks to the pulse racing two acts before it, which ultimately proved hard to top.

The villain too failed to shine, continuing the streak of forgettable MCU villains (who aren't Loki), with Daniel Brühl (bruh, but amazing as Niki Lauda in 2013's Rush) turning up as a regular Joe (with a feasible motive) hell bent on making life miserable for our heroes. As the man pulling the strings behind the scenes, and amongst the fight between frenemies it's easy to forget his contributions to the unfolding carnage, meaning his inclusion in Civil War felt more of an afterthought. Speaking of afterthoughts, some of the scenes involving Spiderman, or the ones where he's interacting with other characters, feels retrofitted (or reshot) and suffered from unpolished CGI.

Captain America: Civil War may trump Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in many forms, but the big advantage the former had was the groundwork laid which formed our hero's backstories over the past eight years, allowing the stakes to go to fever pitch. As for us audience, we have an attachment in these characters' progression and developments, having seen Cap and Iron Man team up on multiple occasions in the two Avengers films, but to see two allied protagonists now duking it out serves as a mesmerizing backdrop to an amazing superhero flick.  Call it Avengers 2.5 however much you like, the plot still centered on the developing bromance friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky against the emotionally unstable Tony Stark, and when it's just these three till the film's climatic end, it feels fitting for a Captain America movie, with the supporting casts taking a backseat for a tense yet emotional conclusion.

It may lack the standalone enjoyment and the politically-fueled storyline of The Winter Soldier, but writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have successfully brought Captain America's story to the next level, even with the addition of a dozen characters, closing out a trilogy of The First Avenger for which I dare say has a solid chance of being the finest blockbuster trilogies out there. Civil War is the comic book movie Age of Ultron wished it was, and it was what Dawn of Justice aspired to be. It's no wonder that the Russo Brothers have been given the directorial keys to the Avengers sequels - Captain America: Civil War is one of Marvel Studios' finest works yet.