The newest addition to the Marvel universe is the sequel to Captain America’s story, ‘The Winter Soldier.’ This time around, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is working for S.H.I.E.L.D., but struggles to figure out why he is fighting. The world has changed since the 1940s and the threats are less defined, leaving Captain America’s noble fight for justice outdated. When an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) exposes an internal threat, Captain America must sort out the good guys from the bad guys and face a figure from his past, with the help of the Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson) and the Falcon (Anthony Mackie).
‘The Winter Soldier’ starts off very slowly, leaving action seeking fans a little disappointed. However, this leaves room for plenty of character development and weaving plot intricacies. The plot is considerably more complex than some of the latest Marvel flicks, introducing a political element about how far the government should be able to go to protect its citizens and how much protection the citizens will allow. While not the most original subplot, this is enough to diversify ‘The Winter Soldier’ from its previous counterparts and make for a more grown up action flick.
The film delivers all of the classic Marvel signatures: clips at the end of the movie, a Stan Lee cameo, and impressive CGI and fight scenes. The only disappointment was a lack of allusion to the other Avengers. One of my favorite aspects of ‘Iron Man 3’ was how Tony Stark dealt with the incidents in New York, the aliens and mentioned his fellow Avengers. In ‘The Winter Soldier,’ it’s almost as if these events never happened. Fans get a slight tease at ‘Avengers 2’ at the ending credits, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of references.
Overall, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ continues to add to the success of the comic book franchise. The film is more enjoyable than part two of ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Thor,’ and it appears to set the stage for the ‘Avengers’ sequel next summer. Coming in number one in the box office, it may be years before America gets over the superhero trend. But, who’s complaining?
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout.
