Captain America: The Winter Soldier Non-Spoiler Movie Review

Chris Evans is back as the Star-Spangled Avenger (albeit not quite as star-spangled in this movie as he was in the first Cap movie or Avengers since he wears a blue “stealth” suit and civilian clothes in most of this one) in the latest Marvel cinematic event to hit theaters with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The movie is action-packed from beginning to end with a number of events that will have a major impact on the Marvel cinematic universe on both big screen and small screen. Although I enjoyed the story as it played out, I have to admit that anyone familiar with the Cap’s comics can guess every plot point before it happens. Not a whole lot of unforeseeable plot twists for the die-hard comic book fans. The same cannot be said for those not so familiar with the comics. The mystery of the Winter Soldier’s identity and (more importantly) who is pulling the strings will probably leave the casual moviegoers guessing for most the movie.

The basic plot of the movie goes something like this. Picking up after the events of the Avengers movie and right after the events of the April 1 episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. title “End of the Beginning”, we find Steve Rogers AKA Captain America trying to settle back into life after decades on ice and Avenger-filled days stopping an alien invasion of New York City. Rogers has chosen Washington, DC as home and decided to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. on a more regular basis. The movie opens with a fun scene showing Rogers jogging around the city where he encounters Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a soldier who has seen his share of combat but now works with the disabled at the VA Hospital. In the scene, we see Rogers running past Wilson a number of times while they circle the monuments. Rogers, who can run much faster than a normal human, manages to lap Wilson a number of times. As a frequent runner in DC, it’s funny to see Rogers call “on your left” every time he laps Wilson who by the end has tired himself out trying to keep up.

The action quickly picks up as Rogers is called for a rescue mission reuniting him with Avengers teammate Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). For those who watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., look for a bit of a tie-in during this mission.

Back in DC, S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to launch a new fleet of upgraded helicarriers able to target potential threats via a series of spy satellites. Of course, the helicarriers are being developed to ensure national security. Before launch of the new ships (apparently built under the Potomac river), some questions arise about how secure the program really is. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) goes to his long-time friend and high ranking official Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) to ask for a delay in the launch while he investigates. From there, all hell breaks loose to set in motion a chain of events that takes Captain America down a road that will force his past and present to collide head on.

The political thriller is one of Marvel Studio’s best movies to date. I won’t say it was better than Avengers or even the first Iron Man movie, but it definitely ranks up there with them. The fight scenes in this one are great, and we get to see Cap use his shield in action more than ever which I liked. One minor gripe I had with the movie - as someone who lives in the Washington DC area and is familiar with much of the geography depicted in the film, the final big battle scene seemed a bit of a stretch in the reality department. I won’t give anything away other than to say that body of water just isn’t that big.

Overall I felt this was a great Marvel movie with tons of action and good character interaction. As I mentioned before for you die-hard comic fans, you probably will be able to guess what happens before it happens, but the action and fight sequences should still keep you plenty entertained and the movie will have a major impact on the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. I tend to view these movies as one piece of an overall puzzle and unlike Iron Man 3 or even Thor: The Dark World, this one seems to be a big piece.

Speaking of puzzle pieces, be sure to stay through the end of the credits for not one but two additional important scenes.

Grade: A-