A degree of déjà vu is to be expected when watching superhero films of late—so similar have genre offerings become in their overall themes, and even broad story arcs to an extent, that they now feel increasingly interchangeable. The super-folk issue du jour, for instance, appears to be the question of holding these mega-beings accountable for the collateral damage they causewhen running around rescuing the world from the clutches of evil—generally of the nasty alien variety—and whether they should continue to be placed on pedestals or have their powers checked and policed. Another visible trend is the ensemble act, where costumed crusaders are found taking a break from their individual franchises and assembling together, either joining forces against a common enemy, or—as we’re seeing more recently—railing against each other. Marvel’s new Captain America: Civil War, helmed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, stays very much within the confines of these conventions, but even as it treads familiar ground, it manages to surpass most of its contemporaries through the efforts of a crackling cast and top-notch visual work. Unlike the last Batman v Superman, say, with which comparisons are inevitable given the many parallels one could draw between the two films, there is a refreshing lightness of approach here that makes for a far, far more enjoyable watch. 

It’s just another day at the office for Captain America (Chris Evans) and company—namely, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie)—who are hot on the heels of some terrorists, led by Brock Rumlow (Frank Brillo), in Lagos, Nigeria. Though our superfriends manage to stop the baddies and secure the biological weapon they had pilfered, their efforts leave the usual destruction in their wake—a building has been blown to smithereens, many civilians killed, among other damages. The incident proves to be the straw that breaks the camel’s (or in this case, the UN’s) back: the US Secretary of State (William Hurt) soon summons the Avengers (minus Thor and the Hulk, who are off doing god knows what) and informs them that the governments of more than a hundred countries have had enough of their messy, cityscape-flattening antics and are now calling for them to sign an accord submitting themselves to the UN’s supervision. 

Surprisingly, Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), despite his otherwise nonconformist inclinations, is the first to acquiesce to the deal, followed by Black Widow, the War Machine (Don Cheadle) and the rubber-faced cyborg they call Vision (Paul Bettany). Captain America, on the other hand, doesn’t think it’s such a good idea to surrender their autonomy so completely to an organisation that could easily be led astray, believing that the “safest hands are still our own.” On his side are Falcon, Scarlet Witch and his BFF, the infamous Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)—who, you’ll remember from the last film in the series, had just escaped the terrorist organisation HYDRA, where he had been bionically outfitted and brainwashed into playing assassin for many years, and who, now deprogrammed, is running from the law after being framed for a terrorist act. And so, with alliances thus defined, the stage is set for the titular war in which our two lead heroes and their respective posses—expanded further with a couple of new and old recruits—are to duke it out in style. 

There isn’t really much in Civil War that we haven’t already seen before, where we find these “enhanced individuals”weighing the good that they do against the varied harms they nearly alway send up causing in the process. It slyly pretends to debate the ethics of vigilantism and the use of violence while still relying heavily on stylised violent imagery—the commentary itself is neither original nor all that convincing. Thank goodness then for directors who understand that political debates—though certainly welcome if tackled smartly—are not necessarily what we come to superhero films looking for: we need them to be fun. If only more filmmakers in the genre were more attuned to this fact, there’d be a lot fewer of those grim, joyless features, bogged down by self-seriousness, that we’re forced to slog through every year. This in mind, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (also behind the first two Captain America movies) plug much-appreciated doses of humour into the proceedings—whether it’s by having our burly protagonists packed and bickering in a conspicuously tiny car, heroes themselves in a fan-boy tizzy upon meeting other heroes or the usual quips courtesy of the snarktastic Mr Stark.

Civil War also features some seriously stunning action choreography, skillfully avoiding the sort of overlong, incoherent pile-ups other such films tend to peddle to exhausting effect. One of the most inventive of these involves a chase between three characters on a busy road, a wonderfully intense, kinetic sequence that will have you on the edge of your seat. Another is the battle in the airport, one that goes on for quite a while and could’ve been tedious, but where potential monotony is leavened with humour, allowing for enough breathing room between the punches and crashes.  

What’s more, despite featuring such outlandish characters with such complex mythologies, and the sprawling settings characteristic of the “cinematic universe” they inhabit, there is still a decisively intimate, human focus to the script—on the people under the costumes. Not to give too much away, but even the sole villain here is more small-scale and relatable than any other we’ve come across in recent years: no alien warlords or mutant reptiles or SHIELD double agents here, let’s just put it at that. And it doesn’t hurt that the cast list features some wonderful talents who bring real personality to their roles. Indeed, this sort of balance between blockbuster-esque action and spectacle on one hand, and character development and emotion, on the other—is increasingly proving to be Marvel’s strong suit, certainly evident in its films, but more so inseminal (and far darker) TV series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. 

Civil War is no way free of the commercial ambition that defines such properties these days, and grabs at every opportunity to promote upcoming projects. And it doesn’t really offer much food for thought, so that you’ll be hard-pressed to recall it in much detail once you walk out the theatre doors. But at least for as long as we’re in those seats, it makes sure we’re happy. And that’s really all we’re asking for.