Bloated effort falls short of its predecessors

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2016)

Like the vast majority of the movie going public this weekend, I suited up for another go 'round with the mighty MCU. Outside of the first 'Avengers', the 'Captain America' films have been, for me at least, the best of the MCU to this point. First Joe Johnson delivers a fun period piece that, like its title character, builds its muscular action around an enormous heart. Then the Russo brothers craft a sleek, smart homage to the political thrillers of old in the exceptionally well made Winter Soldier. Now comes Civil War, also by the Russo's. If it's not quite on the level of the first two Cap films, it's miles better than the most recent solo efforts of 'Thor' and 'Iron Man'.
For all intents and purposes, this is really just another 'Avengers' film. Only a few players sit this one out (Thor, Hulk) and while Cap is a central player, he's not the main character. That's because there really is no main character. Like 'Avengers', it's an ensemble. Cap may be 1A, and the friendship between he and Bucky the main dramatic thrust, but "Captain America" is a bit misleading.
This is a movie packed to bursting; with ideas, with story, and most certainly with characters. It's a bit bloated at times, lacking the laser-sharp focus of its predecessor. It never gets as unwieldy as 'Age of Ultron', but that's a backhanded compliment to be sure.
New characters were the big buzz going in, and they deliver. Chadwick Boseman has the charisma and physical goods to breath life into a character I knew nothing about and I look forward to his solo effort. Tom Holland (the seventeenth Spider-Man in the last decade, or so it seems), makes a big impact in his relatively brief screen time. In fact, his Spidey was like a B-12 shot here, waking the second act from its lethargy. The fact that he's an actual teenager really adds an important intangible to the character and it should be fun to watch him grow into the role.
There's a lot of really good stuff in here, unfortunately it just never flows as smoothly as I'd have liked