Chris Evans reprises his role as WWII era super soldier Steve Rogers from 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger and 2012's monster hit The Avengers) and as with the other "Phase 2" post Avengers Marvel films (2013's Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World) our hero is having trouble adjusting to his new role as not only America's protector, but as the leader of the planet's last line of defense.
Cap is still working for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D. along with his fellow Avenger Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and his new friend from the VA, aerial ace Sam Wilson, (Anthony Mackie) but he's having trouble accepting the world in 2014 and its differences from when he was frozen stopping Red Skull and HYDRA's nuclear plot back in 1944. Just about everyone he knows from then is gone (or is pushing 90) and he's having adjustment issues to say the very least. Black Widow sees him as a good friend if not brother and is helping him out, but Cap misses his girlfriend from 70 years ago, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and he still visits her, when she remembers who he is.
Back in the 40's, Cap knew who the bad guys were and it was pretty clear that America was the champion of freedom. These days, not so much as World Security Council Secretary Alexander Pierce (played brilliantly by Robert Redford) must struggle to keep Earth safe at any cost against mounting evidence that the agency itself may have been compromised by traitors. (If you've been keeping up with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show on ABC, Agent Coulson and his crew connect the aftermath of Thor: The Dark World to this movie's events rather niftily.)
And things get even more complicated when the titular Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) shows up, complete with bionic arm and a past that forces Cap to make some hard and complex decisions about who the good guys are, if there are still any. As with the rest of the "Phase 2" Marvel movies, this is a much darker film with pretty intense action scenes. We know Cap is a good guy, but we're really not sure about anybody else, and that line between hero and good soldier following necessary orders gets a shield flung through it on more than one occasion.
In the end, I thought the first Captain America film was under-appreciated and very well done, and this film follows in its footsteps and then some, it's as good as Iron Man 3 if not better. As always, stick around for the end credit scenes and look for Marvel comic creator Stan Lee in a cameo.
Up next, Guardians of the Galaxy in August...
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