Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

    CALL it “civil war” or call it brand extension — the latest Marvel extravaganza furthers the studio’s mix of action franchises in a way that’s sure to satisfy devotees. Posing serious questions about violence and vigilantism while reveling in both, “Captain America: Civil War” is overlong but surprisingly light on its feet. It builds upon the plotlines of previous Avengers outings, bringing together known popular quantities and introducing the Black Panther and a new Spidey in winning fashion.

    Like the previous “Captain America” feature, 2014’s “The Winter Soldier,” the film was scripted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, with Anthony and Joe Russo at the helm. Within genre requirements, they achieve an overall balance between super-kinetic action sequences and character detail, although more of the latter would have been welcome.

    After a brief prologue set in 1991, the film dives into action overkill on the streets of Lagos, where the Avengers chase down a group of murderous mercenaries. But overkill turns out to be the heart of the matter, or at least a key plot engine. The heroes foil the criminals, but not before the energy-projecting Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) accidently sets a high-rise on fire, resulting in many civilian casualties.

    The variously “enhanced individuals” who make up the Avengers have been operating as an independent group, no longer under the spy agency SHIELD, and the nations of the world have taken notice of their collateral damage. The U.S. secretary of state (William Hurt) warns them that the U.N. is about to ratify the Sokovia Accords, named after a fictional country that figured in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and where things didn’t go so well for the citizenry. The agreement would put the group under the supervision of a U.N. panel, and the superheroics of anyone who doesn’t sign on will no longer be sanctioned.

    Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), shaken by a confrontation with the mother of someone killed in Sokovia (Alfre Woodard), is ready to be “put in check.” But Rogers (Chris Evans), who is, after all, a frozen and revivified member of the Greatest Generation, still in his youthful prime, sees giving in to the demands as giving up. And so the lines are drawn, with charmer Sam “The Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) the first to join Team Cap. Natasha “Black Widow” Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and the nonhuman, purple-visaged Vision (Paul Bettany) side with Iron Man, which soon puts them in the position of policing their former colleagues.

    In many ways the movie’s red-blue divide is far more nuanced than the split in U.S. electoral politics. But the screenplay’s angsting over the ethics of being a crime-stopper is also, finally, an excuse for more pummeling clashes. There’s the complicating matter of a ruthless villain, Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), and the race to stop him. And, not least, there’s the necessity of world-colliding skirmishes between Team Cap and Team Iron Man, their superpowers on showstopping display in a spectacular sequence at the Leipzig airport that benefits from flashes of humor and self-awareness, as well as Trent Opaloch’s dynamic camerawork.

    Reflecting the material’s comic-book roots, the Russos keep the film’s action heavy on physics- and biology-defying thwacks and slams, with almost no blood, although there is a crucial injury late in the proceedings. Amid the mayhem, the movie doesn’t necessarily feel overloaded with Avengers, but some personalities get to shine more than others. Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye barely registers, while Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man has comedy and wow-factor special effects at his disposal to make more of an impression.

    The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen. (SD-Agencies)