It’s never a bad sign when almost every critic who saw a prescreening preaches that the Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie may even be better than the Avengers. That was about the only thing that could possibly add to my excitement of seeing my favorite Avenger back on the big screen again.
Was it really better than the Avengers? You can argue for or against it, but one thing is certain; this is the best film we have seen in phase 2 and it just may be the best stand-alone Marvel film in the Avengers series.
This movie had everything: heart, tension, suspense and mind blowing action. This is everything you would expect Marvel to do to constantly step their game up to the next level. Often times I praise the Marvel films for giving each stand-alone movie its unique feel to keep things interesting. I will say, this film is probably the most different of all of the stand-alones thus far. It’s not nearly as comic bookish as we see in Iron-man, or as fantasy as we see in Thor. Captain America: The Winter Soldier grounds the characters in our reality and deals with issues that we do as a society in the real world.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is more like a political thriller than anything else. The film revolves around conspiracy, treason and high tension suspense, and the action is admirable. This is easily the best hand to hand combat we have seen in any Marvel film. In many ways, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is reminiscent of a Bruce Lee film the way fighting is choreographed.
Captain America played by Chris Evans gives us another great performance as a man trying to find his place in a new world. His chemistry with Black Widow played by Scarlet Johansen is razor sharp and they have a genuine brother-sister feel.
The Winter Soldier himself, played by Sebastian Stan, is a bad ass. He is easily the best villain we have had next to Loki. He proposes a severe physical threat to Capt., and carries a dark, intimidating mysticism with his presence.
The addition of Falcon played by Anthony Mackey is welcomed, charming, and exciting. I find him reminiscent of Rhodes from Iron Man.
For a film so heavy in plot it really delivers with its character depth. This film is probably the most serious next to The Incredible Hulk, but humor can be found in a few places.
All in all, you are absolutely crazy if you don’t see this movie. Even if you aren’t a comic book film fan, you need to see this film. There are two after credit scenes, so make sure you stay long enough for both.
