Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Recommended For: Ages 13 to Adult

Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout)

For Steve Rogers, awakening after decades of suspended animation involves more than catching up on pop culture; it also means that this old school idealist must face a world of subtler threats and difficult moral complexities. That comes clear when Director Nick Fury is killed by the mysterious assassin, the Winter Soldier, but not before warning Rogers that SHIELD has been subverted by its enemies. When Rogers acts on Fury's warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organization. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow and his new friend, The Falcon. However, the battle will be costly for the Sentinel of Liberty, with Rogers finding enemies where he least expects them while learning that the Winter Soldier looks disturbingly familiar.

I think this was the best Marvel movie yet. After seeing this, I can't wait for Avengers: Age of Ultron to come out. And it was awesome. Captain America (Steve Rogers) hasn't changed in the least, which was a huge relief. He still has the beliefs and standards of the 1940s. And he's still all about freedom. Which is cool. Because freedom is cool.

Technical: 5/5
I think it's safe to say all the Marvel movies are incredibly cool when it comes to the technical stuff. I mean, wow. Some of the special effects are astounding (especially the explosions). And the acting was great as well. Everything was very well done.

Setting: 5/5
This movie is set in modern-day, as far as I can tell, and mainly takes part in Washington, D.C. For all I could tell, it seemed accurate, although I doubt you could really find the Captain America display in the Smithsonian. But it would be cool if you did.

Plot: 5/5
Ah, the plot. This was the best part (besides Captain America himself). I loved how you never could be sure who was on the good side and who was on the bad side (or who was really dead). And I loved how the writers didn't shy away from making Steve human with feelings and how they didn't shy away from wounding him. And the Winter Soldier...How dare they? How dare they be so mean? Those who have seen the movie will know what I mean. There was a good mix of action and character time. And the ever-standing values of truth, honor, justice, friendship, and sacrifice that are always present when Steve is on-screen (and should be present all the other times as well).

Character Development: 5/5
The characters are the best part of this movie: mainly, Steve. Seriously, I would have watched the movie just for more about Captain America if it had had no plot at all. And the other characters were good as well, namely the Black Widow, the Falcon, Peggy, the Winter Soldier, and Nick Fury. I can never figure Nick Fury out. I don't especially like him, but he is well-developed.

All in all, this movie is awesome and totally worth your time. Even though a ton of cars get destroyed in this movie, there wasn't as much full-scale destruction as in most superhero movies (except to the bad guy's stuff) which was a relief. Parents with younger children should probably watch it first before showing in to younger or sensitive children, but that is my only caution. This movie was great.