"Captain America: Civil War" (2016) is nearly everything I hoped it would be; it's easily on par, if not better, than the first two "Avengers" movies. (And I can't help but think of this as the third "Avengers." Yes, Cap's name is in the title, but this is necessarily an ensemble story about the divided superteam.) I'd give it a 9 out of 10.

I honestly just need to be very vague in this review  this is such an eagerly awaited film, and I want to be extra cautious about spoilers. No, there are no twists in the movie, but there are surprising character and plot elements.

The movie surprised me in a couple of ways. One, this film appears to follow the original 2006 comic book crossover only very loosely. (I have not read it, but I know the story.) There is no "Superhero Registration Act" that would directly affect countless people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's much narrower than that — a demand by the United Nations for direct oversight of The Avengers.

Two, this is definitely the darkest and most adult outing with The Avengers so far. Don't get me wrong — the levity and gee-whiz comic book fun that is the MCU's trademark is still there, and it's no Christopher Nolan movie. But the movie's central story device is set in motion by the question of who should be held accountable for civilian deaths. And so many individual major characters are motivated by grief or rage.

This is notable throughout the film, for example, in the characterization of Tony Stark, and his portrayal by Robert Downey, Jr. He's no longer a wisecracking billionaire playboy who all the guys want to be. Instead, he's a troubled, pensive leader who often seems out of his depth. We watch as his team and the events surrounding him spin out of control, and we no longer want to trade places with him. He's more sympathetic. But he simultaneously fails to engender the viewer loyalty that he so quickly and easily won in every other Marvel movie he's appeared in.

And yet  he isn't, as I had suspected, a cardboard adversary for Captain America's underdog to stand up to. There are some sad things going on in his life, both during the events of this movie and in "Iron Man 3" (2013), and his failings and poor decisions are perfectly understandable. (I won't say more, besides that viewers will definitely get a different spin on "Iron Man 3" after this movie.) And Downey displays a great range in playing this far sadder Tony.

One character in the movie even makes a quip about "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and it feels like a meta reference, as that film is regarded as the darkest in the "Star Wars" original trilogy. (And their are story structure similarities as well.)

But don't get me wrong — "Captain America: Civil War" still brings loads of fun. It's an effects-laden, geeky, hero-against-hero, superteam gangfight that is straight out of every Marvel fan's dreams. (And, needless to say, it's far better than its analog this year from DC.) Tom Holland might be the best Spider-Man yet. The action is damn pleasing, and the one-liners made me laugh out loud. ("Made ya look.")

The bromances (including the broken ones) seemed real to me. I found myself liking and caring about  Winter Soldier, of all people, and I kept hoping things worked out with his friendship with Cap. (Sebastian Stan impressed me in the role for the first time.)