One of Marvel’s cleverest achievements was the sly way they brought their most problematic figure, Captain America, to the screen by turning the jingoistic flag waver into a representative of the country’s lost ideals.

He was a member of the greatest generation that defeated Hitler in the first film, and in the second, he battled the encroaching government surveillance culture.

Here though, he’s more Captain Ugly American.

Motivated by his desire to save his boyhood friend Bucky (Stan), who after the Second World War was turned into a merciless killer, he becomes a go-it-alone American who will fly in the face of world opinion and cause any amount of collateral death and destruction to support an ally who the rest of the world sees as a dangerous homicidal maniac.

The new Captain America film is actually the latest installment of the Marvel Gang Show. Even without Hulk and Thor, at one point 12 superheroes face off against each other.

The tug of love with Sony has been resolved with them getting joint custody of Spider-Man, and his third incarnation in the shape of Tom Holland makes a lively start here.

Overall though, you can’t help wondering if it’s all a bit overstaffed, even for a civil war.

There are too many men in metal suits; too many people with vaguely defined floaty light beam powers and, of course, there’s the pointless bow and arrow man.

They are a classy ensemble but it is the same old turns, doing the same old acts.

The Bros Warners will be kicking themselves. Had they made a decent job of Batman Vs Superman, this might have been greeted as being a bit tired.

Rating: 3/5 stars