Now that's more like it.

Rating: 8/10 (20 September 2014)

We're done with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2: The Dark World, now Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings us Captain America: The Winter Solder. From Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of You, Me, and Dupree- no, you didn't read that wrong- comes the follow-up to the 2011 superhero flick Captain America: The First Avenger. Taking place 2 years after the events from The Avengers, we find Steve Rogers working with S.H.I.E.L.D while simultaneously trying to adapt to the new world. But all isn't what it seems as Steve, with the help of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the new-edition to the team Sam Wilson AKA Falcon (Anthony Mackie), begins to unravel a conspiracy in SHIELD and tries to uncover the truth behind the deadly assassin known as the Winter Soldier. There have been many superhero movies in the past 9 years or so. We've seen comic book material be adapted to the screen in a multitude of different ways. We've seen it done dark and gritty like in The Dark Knight, we've seen it done light and witty like in Iron Man, and then we saw whatever the hell Green Lantern was doing. If there is anything we've learned from all of this, it's that Hollywood hasn't completely nailed down a sustainable formula for how to make a great comic book movie. Both ways certainly have their flaws; many people don't like the constant comedy in the Marvel movies, and many people don't like the feeling of sadness and depression one gets from watching a DC movie- very hard to pick. Sarcasm aside, I find myself leaning towards Marvel. While I'm all for trying something new and I do think that The Dark Knight is the best comic book movie to date, it's also the only film using that formula that I really cared for. Batman Begins was fine, but The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel never sat right with me. Rises was probably one of the messiest and worst written superhero films I've seen, and Man of Steel was DOA by using a tone that didn't mesh well with the source material- in my opinion. So naturally, I went into this movie fully aware that it could be great or it could be a disappointment; especially seeing as how comic book movies seem to be hit-or-miss of late. I'm thrilled to say, it was great. In fact, it very well may be one of the best superhero movies ever made, and that IS saying a lot. There's so much that this film did well, like the action. The action scenes in this film were extremely well-choreographed and even better, they were timed perfectly. They were spread apart well so that each fight scene was included to move the plot forward, not to just have cool stuff on screen. It's just like what George Lucas once said, "Special effects are just a tool, a means of telling a story. People have a tendency to confuse them as an end to themselves. A Special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." I of all people understand the irony of George Lucas saying this, but regardless, it's still true. The Russo brothers as well as the screenwriters have a grasp on this concept; something Zack Snyder needs. While the action was excellent, what really made this movie shine was the plot. The Dark Knight was so ground-breaking because it took it's comic book source material and turned it into a crime thriller. Captain America 2 is just as ground-breaking, for it decided to deviate from the past Marvel movies and effectively make a 70's-ish political spy thriller. At the beginning of this review I made a point of saying that there is a clear difference in tone when it comes to DC and Marvel. DC is dark and realistic, and Marvel is more fantastical and light. This was probably the first film in the MCU that began to cross that line. It brilliantly took the realism and seriousness in plot from DC, while also maintaining the witty humor in dialogue and fun from Marvel. A perfect combination for a near-perfect film. In the end, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is undoubtedly one the best comic book movies today, if not one of the best action movies today. It has a great plot and great characters. The lead villain is terrifying and actually poses as a good threat to not just Cap but everyone. There's great action while also delivering a thought-provoking and surprisingly heartfelt story. It may not reach the levels of epicness proudly owned by The Dark Knight and The Avengers, but it comes pretty darn close; and it gives me hope that we are on track to reach that level once again.