"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" Review

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

4.5 out of 5 stars

Rated PG-13

Mild language

Blood as a result of wounds and beatings but nothing gory

Brutal action violence

One scene features someone falling in turbines from a side angle

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will not be disappointed with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." It continues the tradition of giving the audience likable characters and great action sequences that have made this franchise surpass DC comics in popularity. 

Like "Iron Man 3," this film addresses issues that came up in "The Avengers." Ever since Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been keeping Hydra weapons, he has had problems trusting the intelligence organization. Because he's a good soldier, he does what he is told to do, but everything raises questions.

This is especially true when he is on a mission in the beginning involving a S.H.I.E.L.D. boat being hijacked by pirates. He has a certain job to take the boat back, but he finds out that Natasha Romanov/ The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has different orders than he does.

Meanwhile, there is corruption within S.H.I.E.L.D., and it gets taken over. Rogers and Romanov look for clues to find out what exactly is going on. 

There are also people hunting down Rogers and Romanov. One of them is a mysterious figure known only as "The Winter Soldier." It is revealed who he is, and this is an important detail to Rogers.

The action scenes are among the best to come from the Marvel franchise. There are plenty to showcase Captain America's strength. His hits are brutal, often sending people into the wall or whatever is around. Several scenes feature very fast hand-to-hand combat. Unlike other movies in which the camera shakes too quickly to see anything, the shots are focused enough for these sequences to be enjoyable.

This is thanks in part to directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who know how to properly film this. They also do a good job at keeping shots in non-action scenes interesting, which often involve mirrors and windows.

Since "The Avengers," the plots have been getting progressively more comic book-like. That is exactly how this one is. The way the characters find out what is going on with S.H.I.E.L.D. is very unrealistic, but it is exactly something one would expect coming from the pages of Marvel. Though it might be a little cheesy to some people, this is not a bad thing at all. It is a universe based on comic books, and it should have that feel.

While this movie does not focus super hard on the characters, it stays true to how they have been established throughout the previous films. Though Steve Rogers is starting to question things, he is still a goody-good who only wants to do what is right. Natasha Romanov is witty yet professional as in the other films. There is an interesting relationship that develops between the two characters.

Another hero is introduced named Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). He is likable enough, but he is not developed very well. He just kind of goes with everything, and the film does not give him a definite personality. Though the story would not have changed very much without him, he adds quite a bit to the action scenes with his super-cool weapon.

I would recommend seeing this in theatres. It is a very solid product from a franchise that shows no sign of slowing down.