Oh Marvel, how I love thee...let me count the ways. I start by saying that Captain America isn't my favorite Avenger. I like him, but out of Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow, the Captain is not my first choice. I enjoyed the first film and it was quite a bit more “human” than any other Marvel film. However, this film has completely changed my mind. To say that it was amazing does not even come close to describe my feelings about it. As the set up goes - Thor, The Dark World, and Iron Man 3 are all leading up to Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, with Captain America : The Winter Soldier setting it up the best!
Captain America ( Chris Evans) aka Steve, picks up right where we left off, with him attempting to find a place in an ever advancing world. Where he would choose a simpler life, he is forced to find satisfaction in the one that he is in. Being an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D, he continues to complete missions that are assigned by Director Fury ( Samuel L Jackson) alongside The Black Widow/ Natasha (Scarlett Johansson). When the Captain's world is turned upside down with revelations that things are not what they appear to be, he is forced to make a stand. He fights enemies that he thought were friends and faces on old enemy.
Along with returning faces, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Haley Atwell, we get new characters in Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Anthony Mackel as Sam Wilson, aka Falcon. And of course we can't forget our beloved Stan Lee who makes his appearance; I'm not telling where so be on the look out - it's funny as always! Everyone brings their A-game to the film with superb acting. It is 136 minutes of non-stop action and pure enjoyment. Quite a bit of hand to hand combat occurs with the fighting scenes that are beautifully choreographed - fighting that only Captain America can do with his shield at his side. The film also has quite a bit of comedy which has become a staple of the Marvel films as well. There's everything from one liners to Natasha attempting to set Steve up on a date.
Not giving much away, because even if you are not a fan of Marvel (which you should be ashamed if you aren't :-) ) if you like movies it is worth every penny. You will not be bored and you will find yourself wanting more. Make sure that you stay til the end, because as is true with every Marvel film you don't want to miss the surprise scenes, and yes there are multiple. At the end I dare you to not want to join S.H.E.I.L.D yourself, or at least go home and watch all the other Marvel films. It's a great movie, one of the best so far this year! Can't wait for Avengers: Age of Ultron: 2015 can't come soon enough!!!!
My Rating: (my first 5 star rating!)
Rated: for some violence and fighting