Marvel
Captain America, to the rescue!
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Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is not long for this cinematic world. That is not a spoiler for anybody who's familiar with how Hollywood works—and comic book Hollywood in particular. Actors only get so many shots at a superstar superhero before a reboot or a contract dispute gets in the way, and according to modern precedent, Downey's running on borrowed time. Up until this week, Marvel's films have been careful not to even hint at that inevitability. That changes with Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark's character doesn't necessarily die or have his superhero status suspended by film's end, but it is the first film in the Marvel universe renaissance to admit that no, Virginia, there may not be a goatee-sporting, generator-enhanced Santa Claus for much longer.
The latest Captain America film succeeds for many reasons, including incredible action sequences, nimble juggling of a giant cast, and remarkable action-mystery pacing. But what makes this the Marvel Universe's equivalent of The Empire Strikes Back is how its believable (and enjoyable) character development sells the film's slow burn tale of in-fighting and existential anxiety. Downey Jr. isn't alone in pulling it off, but watching the beginning of his end is why you'll remember this film for a long time.
Political flip-flop, superhero-style
Collateral damage attached to the Avengers' heroics has been piling up for the past few years, and Civil War opens with a superhero squad pulling a significant "my bad" while once more saving the world. Chris Evans' Captain America (also known as Steve Rogers), with assists from Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), kicks the film off with an incredible martial-arts sequence, full of superhero leaps, drone-powered trickery, and all kinds of hero-specific badassery.
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