Face-off: 'Batman v Superman' v 'Civil War'
After Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice pitted DC Comics’ most popular characters against each other, Captain America: Civil War puts Marvel’s warring Avengers at odds. So do the two movies — which both deal with government regulation of a nation’s superpowered citizens — have that much in common? Let’s take a look:
THE VILLAIN
We've seen BvS baddie Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) onscreen before, but this time he's an over-the-top, wisecracking young tech mogul with a specific mission: to turn Batman and Superman against one another … and then unleash a monster on both of them? (His plan is hard to follow.) Over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is a new, much more ambiguous villain who hangs out on the fringes of Civil War, while the heroes do some bad on their own. But no doubt, Zemo is scary: He tortures, kills and decodes for reasons that aren’t immediately clear.
THE COMIC RELIEF
BvS isn't a superhero movie of the funny, feel-good variety. The movie lacks laughs — save a few for Luthor’s showy dialogue laced with random literary references, and one when Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) shows up unannounced, befuddling Batman and Superman. Civil War, however, has heroes who land jokes even while landing punches. A few of the many comedic moments in Civil War include: any time Falcon (Anthony Mackie) speaks, any time Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is onscreen, any time Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) interact, and any time Vision (Paul Bettany) tries to prepare food.
THE ROMANCE
Superheroes need love, too! Superman (Henry Cavill) and Lois Lane (Amy Adams) profess their desire for one another often, but the chemistry isn't there: They leave the audience cold even when sharing a bathtub. Batman’s (Ben Affleck) relationship with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is at least a little flirty. Meanwhile, there aren't any major Civil War couplings, but there's a single kiss in the film that has more passion than any BvS relationship.
THE CLIMACTIC BATTLE
Though BvS makes viewers wait two hours before the title heroes engage in their promised duel, that fight does deliver: It's a gripping literal and figurative storm with an armored Batman and vulnerable Superman. However, the battle ends abruptly, and awkwardly segues into a fight with Batman and Superman on the same side, joined by Wonder Woman, who winds up taking on Luthor’s Doomsday monster. Does that second part of the action sound confusing? It is, and it's too loud, too CGI-heavy and just too much. In Civil War, however, there are impressive action scenes that pepper the film from start to finish, including an unprecedented staircase chase. The climactic airport fight between the superhero squads of Team Cap and Team Iron Man is something Marvel fans will be raving about for a while: It's a cleverly crafted bit of choreography that manages to highlight each of the hero's specific powers and sense of humor.
THE BOX OFFICE
BvS ranks as the biggest March opening ever with a record-breaking $166 million and has earned $327.3 million to date. Civil War has laid waste to that, opening with $181.8 million, which ranks it as the fifth-biggest opening ever, and not a lot of competition until the arrival of X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27.
