Captain America: The Winter Soldier

RATING: A+

Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) seems like a relatively less powerful hero in the Avengers series--but that's mainly because he's been fighting alongside guys like Hulk and Thor and his hammer. But that's part of the good thing about his stand-alone movies--we can get reminded that he's pretty cool himself. It seems like an early scene where an enemy challenges Steve with "I thought you were more than just a shield" and Steve responds by beating him with his shield strapped to his back is directed at the audience.

Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, has adjusted better than you'd expect to waking up 75 years in the future after being frozen for that long. But there is one thing that has bothered him for a while, and that is the secrecy of SHIELD. While working with Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) on a mission, he discovers that she was given a "different" mission that Steve would've been uncomfortable doing.

And then he finds out some of SHIELD's more secret stuff, courtesy of Nick Fury. He discovers that they are soon to launch three helicarriers that will use spy satellites to, in fashion similar to Minority Report or Person of Interest, predict crimes *before* they occur and eliminates the threat. Steve's response? "I thought the punishment usually came after the crime."

But when weird things start happening to Nick Fury, he begins to get suspicious about the project as well. For starters, he is unable to gain access to his own system. Then, while out for a drive, he is attacked by feds... and then is almost killed by an evil agent in a mask called the "Winter Soldier."

So, he recruits Steve Rogers (who also recruits Sam Wilson the "Falcon") and Natasha... both of whom are fugitives now... to put away the threat of the Winter Soldier and find out why senior leader Alexander Pierce seems to be leading an uprising against them, and just how SHIELD has managed to get compromised.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise has been amazingly consistent at not disappointing. The Winter Soldier is no exception. You have to think that at some point they'll finally lose it, especially with these obscure heroes they're pulling out of the dark corner of a box and the increasingly complex plot. But it won't be that soon, and it's certainly not in this movie, which is arguably the best of the movies focusing on one hero.

Things quickly get very interesting and intense, due in part to the identity of the Winter Soldier (if you read the comics, you already know it) and how it affects Captain America--and also eventually the uncovering of a massive conspiracy. I won't go too much into details, but it starts to feel sort of realistic as a villain wishes to restore "order" to the world--by eliminating "threats" to itself and others, using a method that completely demolishes the security of humanity, whom it feels is ready to sacrifice their security for their safety.

Now, there are multiple differences, but some of this is rather creepy to due to the parallels with the situation in America right now (security/privacy arguments). The US is not exactly dealing out punishment before the crime yet, but at some point someone's going to probably figure that out (whether it's America or not). A scenario like the one shown here or in Minority Report is a pretty frightening one.

Aside from the plot, the movie is pretty well-made in general. The action sequences are brilliant. The movie keeps you on your toes quite a bit. With maybe a couple exceptions, the movie almost never lets up--whether it's dishing out action or humor or political/social commentary. For a movie that runs 136 minutes, it's pretty doggone relentless.

Anthony and Joe Russo have done a brilliant job for this film, and I'm quite glad to see that we'll be getting them back for Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an action/adventure film of the highest order, and especially if you've been keeping up with this Avengers series, it is absolutely not one to be missed.