The Avengers meet The Bourne Identity

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2014)

In an attempt to stop evil things from happening, Captain America teams up and fights the good fight. No, I'm not talking about the Howling Commandoes or the Avengers. It's Agent Hill, the Black Widow and Falcon he teams up with. One might call this a "light version" of the Avengers, but movie-wise it goes toe-to-toe with it and even stands a chance of winning.
For one; CA:TWS has a superior plot. Plotwise, the Avengers - a great movie in all respects – was basically a MacGuffin chase with a big random fight in the end. CA:TWS is a political thriller, a spy movie if you like. Choque full of intrigues. But with Super Heroes...
The characterization in this movie is pretty amazing. There is depth added to the already established characters of Cap, Fury and Widow. The relationship between Cap and Fury has obviously evolved since the last time we saw the two, as Cap is now on first name basis with Fury. On the other hand, the trust issues that are glimpsed at in The Avengers have grown to an extent of animosity. We also see Cap dealing with his new reality and seeking closure for his old one. Then, last but not least, the way Falcon is introduced is flat-out BEAUTIFUL.
As for the bad guys... it is pretty obvious to figure which is which. They do have a Deus Ex Machina on their side, namely the Winter Soldier – after which the movie was called. However, in the first two acts he remains rather side-casted; quite like Malekith in Thor: The Dark World. Towards the end, this little problem gets fixed more.
Then... o my... the cinematography. It is beautiful. The 3D works best in the quieter scenes, when you have time to take it all in. And thankfully, the movie has plenty of that. But it does not only have quieter scenes. The action scenes are equally beautiful. Although the movie is not completely free of shaky cam, it is not overused. Actually, the use of shaky cam is so fitting, you barely notice it's there. The effects are as much practical and as little digital as possible, giving the movie a feel of reality that is very rare these days.
If all of this isn't enough, the movie is superfluous in call-backs, tie-ins, references and easter eggs that give the movie so much for viewers who are familiar with the universe as established in earlier movies. Mentions of Iron Man, Bruce Banner, Stark Industries, and so forth. And also, we get the first mention of Dr. Strange.
This movie is the best phase 2 Marvel movie thus far.