The sequel to my favourite Avengers movie (by a not-insignificant amount, by the way) is a strong contender for replacing it. The new characters — and not just Spider-Man — are fantastic. It truly finishes off the story that Winter Soldier started, and leaves us room to spare for future tales.
I rest my case that the Russo Brothers are perfect for these movies, much more so than Joss Whedon ever was. Their strength is finding small character moments and milking them, while making even the smallest set piece feel absolutely massive. (That airport scene is in a small space, but it feels insanely huge.) It’s this strength that makes the new Spider-Man work so well, and it’s this strength that makes Wanda’s part of the story as important as Tony’s or Cap’s.
The other night I saw an opera. And when I was reading about the opera beforehand, the director said that the hardest thing about making it is how every character and actor in the opera is of equal importance. Nobody is bigger than their peers — not even the stars of the show. And that’s exactly how this movie feels. It’s a case study in making an ensemble film, and like the Cap movie that came before, it’s much better than the Avengers film that precedes it. I couldn’t be happier.
(My wife told me she still preferred Batman v. Superman in some ways though, parotculatly for Ben Affleck’s performance. So hey, what do I know?)