"What is clear however is that there is a lot more to this story than your generic ‘let’s have these two guys fight each other" setup"

So let's start off with an obvious statement: comic book movies are nothing new. It could be argued that since Tim Burton's Batman (1989) they have been made in one way or another. The same goes for Marvel's many properties which although they are spread between different companies, for the most part they are consistently high quality and score favourably with reviewers and fans alike.

As DC Comics found out earlier this year, crafting a story with A-list characters, making it compelling and actually work within a quasi-real world is extremely hard to pull off. In the case of Captain America: Civil War though, Marvel Studios have knocked it out of the park! They take characters we've known and loved for years and woven new ones into a story which is both faithful to the source material and appealing to those that aren't so familiar.

Old faces from the previous two Avengers movies return for Captain America: Civil War, so the initial lineup shouldn't be too alien to audiences. Newbies this time around come in the form of Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a younger but superb Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). All three fit the theme of the film well and put in great performances. Tom Holland in particular is a highlight and is perhaps the best incarnation of Spider-Man that we have seen on screen. We can't forget to talk about the story going on between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). This is the meat of the movie and to give away details of the story would be to ruin the experience, so I won’t. 

What is clear however is that there is a lot more to this story than your generic ‘let’s have these two guys fight each other" setup (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I'm looking at you) and after it’s all said and done, you're left wondering just who was really in the right. 

For the die-hard comic book fans, there are plenty of moments you'll simply be in awe of at just how well the set pieces are handled. I believe that, when Ant-Man was released last year, it was perhaps the most enjoyable addition to Marvel’s progressive collection.

Humour is a big part of this story too. Sure, it’s nothing like the R-rated, over-the-top humour we see in Fox’s Deadpool, but the subtle humour and one liners dropped do not go unnoticed - Spider-Man particularly has some of the best quips in the film. Marvel seems to have perfected the formula for a big budget summer blockbuster and as usual they've beautifully set up threads for Phase Three to begin.

Captain America: Civil War is guaranteed to be a success, with the calculated risk of Doctor Strange coming this winter, it’s going to take a lot to dethrone Marvel in 2016. But that being said this August we have DC’s wildcard in the shape of Suicide Squad, which may be the Joker in the pack. Only time will tell who emerges the victor, but one thing is for sure: It's an exciting time to be comicbook fan.