The Winter Soldier Captain America: The Winter Soldier - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS!

[Quasimod0]

Man we need a no discussion poll!

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Man we need a no discussion poll!

Spider-Fan said he'd make one when it releases in the US.

 

[Tim_Riggins]

Without spoiling anything, what did everyone think of the mid credits scene featuring those two characters?

IMO, the best one of any Marvel movie.

Spoiler

Quicksilver looks fantastic, the speed effect especially, Scarlet looks great too, cool smashing move ^^

 

[BatsDC]

Without spoiling anything, what did everyone think of the mid credits scene featuring those two characters?

'Twas great. They look fantastic and sinister, and it actually felt more like a scene teasing the film rather than a quick idea of what it will be. I'd say it was their best one yet.

 

[Uncle Radiation]

Without spoiling anything, what did everyone think of the mid credits scene featuring those two characters?

Well, it actually introduced three new characters, didn't it?

 

[Joeyjojo72]

Fantabulous. Thanks guys.

And Uncle, thank you so much for spoiling that for me. Bravo.

 

[Uncle Radiation]

Fantabulous. Thanks guys.

And Uncle, thank you so much for spoiling that for me. Bravo.

Spoiling what?

Has it spoiled the film for you knowing that there is another character introduced? Really-?

Since you already know about two of the characters revealed in the credit scene, haven't I actually given you another surprise to look forward to?

 

[Bullseye1]

Why are people reading this thread when it states spoilers in the title?

 

[Moridin]

Saw it earlier. Still digesting, but my initial reaction is it's a really f****** solid movie all the way through. A couple a surprisingly emotional moments. Cool appearance [BLACKOUT]Zola[/BLACKOUT], cool namedrop with [BLACKOUT]Strange[/BLACKOUT]. Great action albeit a little too shaky at times, great characters, BIG consequences.

Struck me more like IM3 in that it's actually left me thinking about it hours (days for IM3) after leaving the theatre, rather than forgetting it pretty quickly like Dark World.

I'll need to see it again.

Fantabulous. Thanks guys.

And Uncle, thank you so much for spoiling that for me. Bravo.

You're in the SPOILER THREAD, guy, read at your own risk.

 

[Uncle Radiation]

cool namedrop with [BLACKOUT]Strange[/BLACKOUT].

How dare you reveal there's a name drop-! You've just ruined it for me. Bravo.

Seriously though, that part was great, as was the other one you mentioned which I completely forgot about. I love the way the monitors are set up to look like [BLACKOUT]Zola's comicbook appearence[/BLACKOUT]. It's a completely sensible and effective way to translate the character to the screen.

 

[Drz]

Why do we have to wait for a week to vote on a poll?

 

[Joeyjojo72]

Harrumph.

 

[Keyser Soze]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is a film I was expecting to write a great review for. In the reviews I've written recently for the other Phase 2 Marvel Studios movies, I've talked much of the upward trend in quality seen in these films since THE AVENGERS, and everything I'd seen in the trailers and heard from word of mouth led me to believe this would continue that trend. Anything less than a great movie would have been a disappointment. So I'm pleased to report that THE WINTER SOLDIER actually surpassed my high expectations, offering a truly astonishing cinematic experience that's easily the best solo movie to come from Marvel Studios, and second only to THE AVENGERS in their overall output.

As well as being the best superhero film since THE AVENGERS, THE WINTER SOLDIER is also arguably the Phase 2 film that feels most like a follow-up to the smash hit crossover. While IRON MAN 3 followed up on how that film's events affected Tony Stark, and THOR: THE DARK WORLD explored the impact on the relationship between Thor and Loki, THE WINTER SOLDIER has the most amount of AVENGERS players in the mix, and takes a look at the wider world post-AVENGERS, as well as acting as a surprisingly pivotal link between that and next year's sequel, AGE OF ULTRON. After seeing this film, the need to see AGE OF ULTRON will be less about simple anticipation about seeing the gang get back together and more about unbearable anxiety over finding out just where the hell they go from here and where all the balls tossed in the air are going to land. The fact that the film achieves this while also leaving us salivating at the prospect of no less than 4 solo movies with how it leaves its characters - it doesn't even matter that 3 of them will likely never happen - is testament to the impressive plotting and characterisation on display.

But it's premature to jump to the end! This movie does so much right I don't even know where to begin in gushing about it! Let's talk about the directors, the Russo Brothers. In my previous review of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, I talked about Joe Johnston's workmanlike direction, where he doesn't really do anything wrong, particularly, but a lot of it just feels like run-of-the-mil pointing the camera. Not so, here. The Russos bring to life some breathtaking set-pieces. The action here is spectacular: fast, hard-hitting, and surprisingly brutal: this is not one for the kiddies, there's enough of a body count to make those upset by MAN OF STEEL blanche, with some kills so blunt and brutal they even made me flinch. But more than the impressive action, the Russos manage suspense: much has been of the elevator fight sequence, but what truly elevates it for me is that the fight itself is the payoff to some masterful build-up, tension and stakes steadily rising so much you could have heard a pin drop in the cinema before the first punch is thrown. Add in not one but two sequences of wildly destructive car-based carnage (including the slowest car chase ever through a bottlenecked traffic jam that proves far more heart-poundingly suspenseful than it sounds), and the Russo Brothers have more than justified their early invitation to come back for part 3 in 2016. Not bad for guys I previously knew best for directing episodes of COMMUNITY.

But just as much credit should go to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They're returning from the first film, and you might recall me hailing them then as the unsung heroes of that project, and they outdo themselves this time round. I was tantalised by reports that this film would pay homage to the 1960s/70s conspiracy thrillers like THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and THE PARALLAX VIEW that I have such admiration for, but you can't help but get that cynical feeling that it may only be lip service that was paid.... like the imagery of the hero being chased by shady men in suits makes a "conspiracy thriller." Not so. This taps right into the qualities that make the best conspiracy thrillers work so well, that idea of taking the world we live in now, and with just a slight turn or a single whispered suggestion creating a nightmarish but eerily plausible picture of how the world COULD be, or even how the world MIGHT be. The conspiracy as presented here is chilling in its sheer scope and nihilistic bleakness, quite brave for a comic book summer blockbuster. This really does feel like an intelligent, adult film that just happens to have badass fighters in costumes popping up on occasion, even tapping into current political hot button issues like the question of freedom VS security, the ethics of drone strikes and even the complex morality of a case like Edward Snowden. But it's never bogged down in them, zipping along the plot at a whirlwind pace so there's always some exciting new development around the corner. And there's a wealth of Easter eggs, both from the wider MCU and from the comics. There feels like a real love for the comics here, with nods not just to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's "The Winter Soldier" story, but to another acclaimed comic from recent years... though to say which one would be spoiling!

And the cast are incredible too. I've heard people talk about Captain America's mythos being at a handicap as he took until the end of his first movie to enter the present day and so has less of an established status quo, but after this film I'd say there's a strong argument to be made for Captain America having the strongest ensemble of characters of any of the solo franchises. Chris Evans himself continues to be quietly excellent in the title role. Steve Rogers doesn't change or have an arc as such, he remains as utterly honest and decent as ever. But that's what's so compelling, as here we take that old school World War II goodness and put it in a world of black ops and "compartmentalization," and seeing Steve Rogers wrestle with that makes for compelling viewing. Elsewhere, the moments where we see him revisiting the years he missed (and the people that lived on in his absence) are bittersweet and poignant. And he gets to show off his powers in more impressive ways here, showing it's not just about strength and speed, but about observation, and about being able to take enormous punishment and keep on going.... clever ways of showing how the Super-Soldier Serum acts to externally enhance the internal qualities Steve Rogers has always had.

Black Widow didn't have too much to do with Captain America in THE AVENGERS, but here she makes a magnificent foil for him, Scarlett Johansson giving Black Widow a worldly, cynical quality that makes for a prickly interplay with the idealistic Cap. Scarlett really goes from strength to strength in this role, with the initial misstep of IRON MAN 2 now a distant memory. Nick Fury has mostly been a facilitator of other characters in the MCU, but here he gets right in the mix with his own emotional arc and narrative journey, and Samuel L Jackson really engages with the material, developing beyond the shouty badass he can play in his sleep and demonstrating someone beginning to wrestle with long-buried doubts. Robert Redford: great too, providing charm, quiet authority, and the gravitas that comes with being Robert Redford. And Anthony Mackie is just so likeable as The Falcon. It's a character I've never particularly warmed to in the comics, but Mackie really finds the humanity of the character, and quickly establishes a believable friendship with Captain America. This isn't a film that really dives into comedy as much as many other Marvel Studio films have, but the best one-liners come courtesy of a charismatic Mackie. I'm a fan of Falcon now.

And then there's The Winter Soldier. If I had a criticism, it's that for a movie named after him, I felt like he could have been in the film more. Don't get me wrong, he's brilliant in it, a badass who tears a streak through the second half of the film and is an electrifying presence in the climax. But in that first half, it feels like he's kept largely in the periphery, seemingly to preserve a later "surprise revelation" about his identity which is of course no mystery to anyone remotely familiar with the comics or even anyone who has been following the film's marketing with any attentiveness. As such, it almost feels like he gets a whole movie's worth of development crammed into about half an hour's worth of screentime. But I suppose being left wanting more is a good problem to have, and when he IS on-screen, he's a show-stealer. I can see this being a Marvel bad boy to make the fangirls swoon much like Loki has been doing since 2012.

One thing that's quite difficult to talk about, and it's something that I'm not sure all fans will like, is the nature of the villain in the film. Because the Big Bad isn't really a familiar, costumed supervillain from the comics, but rather an abstract idea. Yes, there are personifications of that idea, but it feels the true climactic battle with the highest stakes is a moral and philosophical one. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I for one loved the boldness of it.

I've probably rambled enough... and even now I don't think I've covered everything. There's just so much awesome crammed into this movie! Streets ahead of THE FIRST AVENGER, which I greatly enjoyed. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is the first Marvel movie since THE AVENGERS that left me wanting to watch it again as soon as it finished, and I'll likely be arranging another cinema visit before too long. A triumph on every level... I can't imagine a more rewarding mainstream blockbuster coming out this year. The gauntlet has truly been dropped for the other superhero movies lined up for the months ahead!

 

[MiffaLadd_]

I've been wrestling the urge all day but it's time to admit that I simply have no motivation for going to university tomorrow when I could be watching this instead. I'm like a kid at Christmas for the second night running. I've never been more confident that a second viewing won't put a dampener on a film, especially when watching them almost back to back.

 

[Saitou Hajime]

It's times like this that I curse my lack of eloquence and mental organization to form proper reviews, because DAMN, was this movie THE ****. The CHUD reviewer nailed it when he called this film the child of a threesome between TFA, TDK, and a 70s political thriller. My fortitude in resisting spoilers paid off big time because when that twist at the end of the first act dropped and we saw how deep the rabbit hole ([blackout]F'IN ARNIM ZOLA, BABY[/blackout]), I was FLOORED. The action in this movie is some of the best you'll see in any movie, much less a superhero one; it's like if Gareth Evans did a PG superhero movie. Everyone from Evans to the Council ([blackout]HOLY ****, JENNY AGUTTER[/blackout]) gets to shine. The bad guys are actually competent and threatening, and the Big Bad just broke Marvel's curse of mediocre villains and joins Loki in the all-time greats. DAMN, I need to see this one again

 

[Drz]

My review on Captain America: The Winter Soldier!

Marvel Studio’s Captain America: the Winter Soldier is a sequel to both Captain America: the First Avenger & Marvel’s the Avengers. The story sets Captain America (Chris Evans) on the path of the righteous man, beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. In the world post-9/11 & other acts of terrorism, with the NSA spying on the common people & national offices, are we living in the world George Orwell predicted? That’s the question of the day when director of SHIELD Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) & Senior Leader of SHIELD Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) plan to launch massive Helicarriers, linked with spy satellites & designed to eliminate potential threats before they even begin.

Where the First Avenger was a colorful superhero movie set in the 2nd World War, The Winter Soldier is a spy thriller of harsher & darker tune. Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo, the duo give us over two hours of Marvel’s finest with intense action, high drama & excellent world building with twists and turns in regards to S.H.I.E.L.D, The Winter Soldier, etc. The movie also in Marvel fashion comes up with great quips, hilarious jokes & Nick Fury gets a god damn Pulp Fiction nod.

The combat choreography is so brutally good to look at, clear shots of close combat & stunts, good use of editing with sound effects ranging from kicks, hits, the soundtrack and even tuning down the sound level for intensity, the gun shootouts are also done using real modern weaponry, not something out-of-place like HYDRA in First Avenger with their sci-fi weaponry. The car chase sequences are quite badass, especially with the Winter Soldier coming to wreck things apart. However the 3rd act CGI extravaganza, while fortunately a bare minimum in this movie, is pretty much the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) doing his best Iron Man impression with a flight-exoskeleton, added with explosions & the ultimate battle against terrorists in the name of Freedom!

Chris Evans embodies the best aspects of Captain America, once again transforming into the Sentinel of Liberty. Quiet, thoughtful, kind & loving that is the public side of Steven Rogers who is also utterly passionate about fighting for a good cause, and that’s what I love about the character. He will waive the American flag and kiss babies in social events, but when it comes down to it, he will assault an enemy base & eliminate all the terrorists to ensure safety. Scarlet Johansson returns as the ex-KBG agent Natasha Romanoff, she definitely gets more development squeezed out of her character, but it’s still a bare minimum at the end of the day. Samuel L. Jackson is the Boss, every single scene he is in, he steals it & you can’t get any more boss than this BAMF.

The Winter Soldier himself is like the Shark in Jaws, when you hear the enchanting theme song Henry Jackman made for the Winter Soldier, your anticipation starts to build up, because when that theme starts to play, the death toll rises. Captain America’s & the Winter Soldier’s backstory are like the other sides of the same coin and make for a satisfying conclusion.

The director duo of Anthony & Joe Russo, with the screen writers of the First Avengers & the Winter Soldier: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely have me hooked for more, I am already anticipating with vivid excitement for Captain America 3, because the world these people have created for Captain America is going to be so exciting to explore.

 

[TJByrum]

Spoiler

Does TWS defeat Cap at the end of the film?

 

[Saitou Hajime]

Spoiler

Does TWS defeat Cap at the end of the film?

Spoiler

Well, Cap sort of bests Winter Soldier when they actually fight, but really the former just stops fighting and just lets the latter whale on him to knock him into his sense, which sorta works.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I think one of the things I love most about this film is how much it expands the Captain America mythos and builds up a rich supporting cast. While the last film ended with Captain America in the present and all the other characters lost to a bygone era, this film becomes an ensemble piece with Captain America joined by the likes of Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Falcon, Sharon Carter, a rich, diverse cast...

Spoiler

And he also has a burgeoning rogues gallery too:

The Winter Soldier - Seen starting to recover his past self, but it seems like the next film will pick up with Cap on the hunt for him.

Arnim Zola - I don't believe for a second that the bombing of the bunker finished him off. He's the ghost in the machine now... I'm sure he'll resurface.

Crossbones - We see he's survived, but has been badly burnt: the masked Crossbones we know and love seems to have been born, and he'll have vengeance in mind.

Baron Von Strucker - It is said that HYDRA still exists as a threat, and it would appear that threat will be embodied by Baron Von Strucker, who we got a brief but suitably sinister glimpse at here. Should he survive Age of Ultron he could be another formidable foil for Captain America.

Add onto that whatever new threat emerges in the third film, and they're almost spoilt for choice with what bad guys to include.

 

[Vartha]

told you all you'd love it

 

[MahvelBaby!]

IMO, the best one of any Marvel movie.

Spoiler

Quicksilver looks fantastic, the speed effect especially, Scarlet looks great too, cool smashing move ^^

Is it same type of effect being used in xm dofp?

 

[Moridin]

I think one of the things I love most about this film is how much it expands the Captain America mythos and builds up a rich supporting cast. While the last film ended with Captain America in the present and all the other characters lost to a bygone era, this film becomes an ensemble piece with Captain America joined by the likes of Black Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Falcon, Sharon Carter, a rich, diverse cast...

Spoiler

And he also has a burgeoning rogues gallery too:

The Winter Soldier - Seen starting to recover his past self, but it seems like the next film will pick up with Cap on the hunt for him.

Arnim Zola - I don't believe for a second that the bombing of the bunker finished him off. He's the ghost in the machine now... I'm sure he'll resurface.

Crossbones - We see he's survived, but has been badly burnt: the masked Crossbones we know and love seems to have been born, and he'll have vengeance in mind.

Baron Von Strucker - It is said that HYDRA still exists as a threat, and it would appear that threat will be embodied by Baron Von Strucker, who we got a brief but suitably sinister glimpse at here. Should he survive Age of Ultron he could be another formidable foil for Captain America.

Add onto that whatever new threat emerges in the third film, and they're almost spoilt for choice with what bad guys to include.

Spoiler

Re: Zola. I'm sure he got out via the USB key.

Is it same type of effect being used in xm dofp?

I don't think we've seen DOFP Quicksilver in action yet...?

 

[MahvelBaby!]

Spoiler

Re: Zola. I'm sure he got out via the USB key.

I don't think we've seen DOFP Quicksilver in action yet...?

Slightly in that new roll call or whatever it is on cbm

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I don't think we've seen DOFP Quicksilver in action yet...?

Google around for Days of Future Past 'Roll Call' Promo

 

[T"Challa]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is a film I was expecting to write a great review for. In the reviews I've written recently for the other Phase 2 Marvel Studios movies, I've talked much of the upward trend in quality seen in these films since THE AVENGERS, and everything I'd seen in the trailers and heard from word of mouth led me to believe this would continue that trend. Anything less than a great movie would have been a disappointment. So I'm pleased to report that THE WINTER SOLDIER actually surpassed my high expectations, offering a truly astonishing cinematic experience that's easily the best solo movie to come from Marvel Studios, and second only to THE AVENGERS in their overall output.

As well as being the best superhero film since THE AVENGERS, THE WINTER SOLDIER is also arguably the Phase 2 film that feels most like a follow-up to the smash hit crossover. While IRON MAN 3 followed up on how that film's events affected Tony Stark, and THOR: THE DARK WORLD explored the impact on the relationship between Thor and Loki, THE WINTER SOLDIER has the most amount of AVENGERS players in the mix, and takes a look at the wider world post-AVENGERS, as well as acting as a surprisingly pivotal link between that and next year's sequel, AGE OF ULTRON. After seeing this film, the need to see AGE OF ULTRON will be less about simple anticipation about seeing the gang get back together and more about unbearable anxiety over finding out just where the hell they go from here and where all the balls tossed in the air are going to land. The fact that the film achieves this while also leaving us salivating at the prospect of no less than 4 solo movies with how it leaves its characters - it doesn't even matter that 3 of them will likely never happen - is testament to the impressive plotting and characterisation on display.

But it's premature to jump to the end! This movie does so much right I don't even know where to begin in gushing about it! Let's talk about the directors, the Russo Brothers. In my previous review of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, I talked about Joe Johnston's workmanlike direction, where he doesn't really do anything wrong, particularly, but a lot of it just feels like run-of-the-mil pointing the camera. Not so, here. The Russos bring to life some breathtaking set-pieces. The action here is spectacular: fast, hard-hitting, and surprisingly brutal: this is not one for the kiddies, there's enough of a body count to make those upset by MAN OF STEEL blanche, with some kills so blunt and brutal they even made me flinch. But more than the impressive action, the Russos manage suspense: much has been of the elevator fight sequence, but what truly elevates it for me is that the fight itself is the payoff to some masterful build-up, tension and stakes steadily rising so much you could have heard a pin drop in the cinema before the first punch is thrown. Add in not one but two sequences of wildly destructive car-based carnage (including the slowest car chase ever through a bottlenecked traffic jam that proves far more heart-poundingly suspenseful than it sounds), and the Russo Brothers have more than justified their early invitation to come back for part 3 in 2016. Not bad for guys I previously knew best for directing episodes of COMMUNITY.

But just as much credit should go to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They're returning from the first film, and you might recall me hailing them then as the unsung heroes of that project, and they outdo themselves this time round. I was tantalised by reports that this film would pay homage to the 1960s/70s conspiracy thrillers like THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and THE PARALLAX VIEW that I have such admiration for, but you can't help but get that cynical feeling that it may only be lip service that was paid.... like the imagery of the hero being chased by shady men in suits makes a "conspiracy thriller." Not so. This taps right into the qualities that make the best conspiracy thrillers work so well, that idea of taking the world we live in now, and with just a slight turn or a single whispered suggestion creating a nightmarish but eerily plausible picture of how the world COULD be, or even how the world MIGHT be. The conspiracy as presented here is chilling in its sheer scope and nihilistic bleakness, quite brave for a comic book summer blockbuster. This really does feel like an intelligent, adult film that just happens to have badass fighters in costumes popping up on occasion, even tapping into current political hot button issues like the question of freedom VS security, the ethics of drone strikes and even the complex morality of a case like Edward Snowden. But it's never bogged down in them, zipping along the plot at a whirlwind pace so there's always some exciting new development around the corner. And there's a wealth of Easter eggs, both from the wider MCU and from the comics. There feels like a real love for the comics here, with nods not just to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's "The Winter Soldier" story, but to another acclaimed comic from recent years... though to say which one would be spoiling!

And the cast are incredible too. I've heard people talk about Captain America's mythos being at a handicap as he took until the end of his first movie to enter the present day and so has less of an established status quo, but after this film I'd say there's a strong argument to be made for Captain America having the strongest ensemble of characters of any of the solo franchises. Chris Evans himself continues to be quietly excellent in the title role. Steve Rogers doesn't change or have an arc as such, he remains as utterly honest and decent as ever. But that's what's so compelling, as here we take that old school World War II goodness and put it in a world of black ops and "compartmentalization," and seeing Steve Rogers wrestle with that makes for compelling viewing. Elsewhere, the moments where we see him revisiting the years he missed (and the people that lived on in his absence) are bittersweet and poignant. And he gets to show off his powers in more impressive ways here, showing it's not just about strength and speed, but about observation, and about being able to take enormous punishment and keep on going.... clever ways of showing how the Super-Soldier Serum acts to externally enhance the internal qualities Steve Rogers has always had.

Black Widow didn't have too much to do with Captain America in THE AVENGERS, but here she makes a magnificent foil for him, Scarlett Johansson giving Black Widow a worldly, cynical quality that makes for a prickly interplay with the idealistic Cap. Scarlett really goes from strength to strength in this role, with the initial misstep of IRON MAN 2 now a distant memory. Nick Fury has mostly been a facilitator of other characters in the MCU, but here he gets right in the mix with his own emotional arc and narrative journey, and Samuel L Jackson really engages with the material, developing beyond the shouty badass he can play in his sleep and demonstrating someone beginning to wrestle with long-buried doubts. Robert Redford: great too, providing charm, quiet authority, and the gravitas that comes with being Robert Redford. And Anthony Mackie is just so likeable as The Falcon. It's a character I've never particularly warmed to in the comics, but Mackie really finds the humanity of the character, and quickly establishes a believable friendship with Captain America. This isn't a film that really dives into comedy as much as many other Marvel Studio films have, but the best one-liners come courtesy of a charismatic Mackie. I'm a fan of Falcon now.

And then there's The Winter Soldier. If I had a criticism, it's that for a movie named after him, I felt like he could have been in the film more. Don't get me wrong, he's brilliant in it, a badass who tears a streak through the second half of the film and is an electrifying presence in the climax. But in that first half, it feels like he's kept largely in the periphery, seemingly to preserve a later "surprise revelation" about his identity which is of course no mystery to anyone remotely familiar with the comics or even anyone who has been following the film's marketing with any attentiveness. As such, it almost feels like he gets a whole movie's worth of development crammed into about half an hour's worth of screentime. But I suppose being left wanting more is a good problem to have, and when he IS on-screen, he's a show-stealer. I can see this being a Marvel bad boy to make the fangirls swoon much like Loki has been doing since 2012.

One thing that's quite difficult to talk about, and it's something that I'm not sure all fans will like, is the nature of the villain in the film. Because the Big Bad isn't really a familiar, costumed supervillain from the comics, but rather an abstract idea. Yes, there are personifications of that idea, but it feels the true climactic battle with the highest stakes is a moral and philosophical one. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I for one loved the boldness of it.

I've probably rambled enough... and even now I don't think I've covered everything. There's just so much awesome crammed into this movie! Streets ahead of THE FIRST AVENGER, which I greatly enjoyed. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is the first Marvel movie since THE AVENGERS that left me wanting to watch it again as soon as it finished, and I'll likely be arranging another cinema visit before too long. A triumph on every level... I can't imagine a more rewarding mainstream blockbuster coming out this year. The gauntlet has truly been dropped for the other superhero movies lined up for the months ahead!

terrific review my man. thanks