Stands on its own with merit

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2014)

Spring is the best season for movies. The romantic comedies and popcorn loving, super hero action flicks flood the theaters. Many times they succeed at the box office. The question for the millions of viewers that flock to these movies though is whether if they are any good--or rather are they worth the price of admission. "Captain America 2: The Winter's Soldier" is without a doubt a fun, enjoyable movie that takes us deeper into the character of Captain America. It also introduces us to new villains and threats that the hero must overcome. Rather than the cut and dry plot line used in the first "Captain America," this one is a mostly well thought out flick.
As Captain America achieves greatness in stopping terrorists and more or less bringing world peace, he faces a new challenge that is more subtle and sophisticated. This grows more dire as the head of the organization S.H.I.E.L.D is killed and Captain America himself becomes a target of the organization that he once thought was a friend. Forming an alliance with Black Widow from The Avengers, both seek out the reasoning for this betrayal and who has compromised the organization. Adding additional problems, both are tracked by the deadliest assassinÂ…The Winter's Soldier. The movie makes twists and turns, creating a feeling in the viewer that anything can happen to these characters. They are vulnerable and are pitted against odds that would put Iron Man and Thor in a world of hurt.
While the film writers of the Marvel Comics Universe do a good job in making an interesting story, they once again have the tenacity of giving us some information and then throwing more questions at the audience. Without giving anything away, more factors are unresolved than completed. This grows very annoying. The biggest problem though is the lack of connection to the other Marvel Comics characters. I understand that each Marvel Super hero requires their own storyline, but that does not mean disregarding the whereabouts of the other characters. I half anticipated Hawkeye and The Hulk to appear as supporting heroes. But no, Captain America and Black Widow are left alone to fight these problems. This is something that I feel needs to be addressed in further Marvel Universe movies. It is unfair to the hero and the lovers of the comics.
That all aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the Marvel Comics Universe. Chris Evans is once again effective as the main protagonist and Scarlett Johansen is sexier than ever as Black Widow. The presence of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is always an amusement and adding Anthony Mackie as Falcon is a smart plus. Robert Redford takes the mantle as the main villain, which almost seems out of character given his past work. He is more comical than evil. In one scene, where he is disturbed by his housekeeper, he casually tells her that she should have knocked before entering and then kills her. Though intended to be an example of sadism, the delivery of the scene is tongue and cheek. From his deadpan, condescending tone, it is hard to take him seriously. Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, however, stands as a menacing, calculated bad-ass. He slaughters anyone who gets in his way without a blink of an eye. He is the Terminator meets Darth Vader. His character is much more plausible than Redford.
The choreography of the fight scenes are very impressive and do not feel unrealistic or dull. The hand-held camera adds to the chaos of the action, but it grows a bit overburdening on occasion. In the back of my mind, I couldn't wonder if this was an attempt to conceal Chris Evans's stunt doubles. The visual effects are very well done, removing the obvious hints of actors running around on a green screen. Henry Jackman's score is adrenaline pumping and epic. His mentor Hans Zimmer would be proud. "Captain America 2" may not hold up to the grandeur of The Avengers, but it stands on its own as a decent part of the super hero franchise.