Marvel's most impressive movie to date

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2016)

This movie is ultimately just a setup movie for the rest of the MCU, however that does not stop it from being a very well made and entertaining movie. Personally I was feeling tired of Captain America himself, but watching this movie again I found that he was actually a more likable, well written character. The Russo brothers did a very good job of taking an already well established character and making something much better of him - expanding his character and in doing so shaping him into a character who you will be excited to see in future movies. However the supporting cast of characters was a mixed bag. Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson both reprised their roles and if you liked them in previous movies, you'll like them here. I didn't feel we learnt much about their characters and by the end of the movie it felt like Scarlett Johansson's character was in the same place she started. However all three of the actors mentioned above gave great performances, and having seen the rest of the MCU movies I think the performances in general were some of the best in a MCU movie. The problem came in the new editions to the cast - I was disappointed to see Robert Redford given quite a bland character, who is an instant edition to the already crowded canvas of forgettable Marvel villains. The Winter Soldier himself felt like a kind of supporting villain without much of a role in the movie - definitely not a big enough role to name the movie after him. Although the final edition was perhaps the best character in the movie: Falcon. This was a surprisingly well written character wonderfully played by Anthony Mackie, who took a fairly large role in the film and was generally one of the most memorable aspects of this movie.
This is the first MCU movie to be directed by the Russo brothers and by far the best directed MCU movie to date. Marvel has noticeably struggled with finding suitable and good directors to put any auteur in their movies, with previous directors such as Shane Black and Alan Taylor failing miserably. However here is a movie which not only found suitable directors but benefited greatly from them. The Russo brothers did a stunning job of portraying the tension and suspense both throughout the movie and in their juxtaposition of the the conflicting ideologies of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Steve Rogers. The Russo brothers shined in many other places, from their creation of highly emotionally resonate scenes to some of the best action in a MCU movie to date. The entire movie felt very well dealt with and made; the plot was stronger than most superhero movies and well thought out, and it did a very good job of setting up future MCU movies, in particular Captain America Civil War. In a world already crowded by an overload of superhero movies, this one is sure to stick out.