Captain America: The Winter Soldier

release year: 2014
genre: action/adventure
viewing setting: home Bluray, 12/5/14

synopsis: Attacks on key people in S.H.I.E.L.D. herald the reappearance of its old enemy HYDRA.

impressions: This one continues the theme that's run through many of the Marvel superhero movies: there are secrets, and secrets within secrets. In this case, some of the secrets are pretty damn big. Captain America faces off against a super-soldier with a metal arm, whose identity is a surprise. Nick Fury is seemingly assassinated. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been subverted and is full of enemies. And so on. The fight scenes are good, and the plots complex, and they even introduce the Falcon character, among others. Just be aware that this isn't the innocent Captain America of the 1970s comics.

acting: Chris Evans is quietly competent as the ultimate soldier. Sebastian Stan is menacing as the Winter Soldier, a brainwashed super-assassin with a metal arm. Robert Redford is a high-ranking spymaster. Scarlett Johansson, Samuel Jackson, and Cobie Smulders return in their supporting roles. Anthony Mackie debuts as the Falcon, who uses a jet-pack and wings to fly.

final word: Action-packed second outing for this character, and a key piece of the second phase of the Marvel movies.

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