Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review-Superhero Conspiracy Movie. Marvel Studios shakes up its formula with Captain America sequel.

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You can be forgiven for not being overly excited by a Captain America sequel. While the first film remains the most visually and tonally distinctive movie in Marvel Studio’s filmography, it paled in comparison to the more rollicking Iron Man or Avengers.

Marvel has owned Hollywood for years now. It’s characters have transitioned relatively smoothly from four-panel comics to the big screen.

But there’s been criticism too. The Marvel Studios brand has a homogenized look; breezy visuals, telegraphed third act CGI-overkill, and a tendency to not rock the boat. There’s been nothing in their arsenal akin to the elegant dark, societal barometer of Christopher Nolan’s Bat-trilogy.

And while Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks sun-dappled, it touches on the dark side of America’s defense strategy. And like The Dark Knight, shows how fighting terrorism wears down those who choose to defend our country.

Co-Directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s previous experience involved writing for comedy series Arrested Development and Community. So it is bafflingly impressive that they have created the most action packed and serious Marvel movie to date. It’s also a clear love-letter to 70’s conspiracy thrillers (there’s even a subtle homage to Marathon Man.)

Captain America aka Steve Rogers is conflicted at the start of Winter Soldier; he still feels like an anachronism, and isn’t comfortable with how S.H.I.E.L.D. operates. He confronts Nick Fury as such when he discovers that like Minority Report, the intelligence agency is developing tech that will allow them to figure out who’ll commit offenses before they can ever occur.

In Cap’s mind this reeks of fascism; This isn’t freedom, this is  fear. Evans is in top form here, standing his own against Jackson and the rest of the cast.

The film plays up the recent NSA scandal, Wikileaks, and how surveillance is becoming the norm in American life.

The problem is that Fury is unaware how in over his head he has become, which puts Roger’s own life in danger. He becomes an enemy of the state, hunted down by those he’s fought alongside.

Scarlett Johanson’s Black Widow gets plenty of screen time as Roger’s foil, and the two share witty, banter amidst fighting their internal threat. And the brunt of that threat lies within The Winter Soldier, a silent, robotic armed mercenary who’s the most intimidating villain in Marvel movies history (sure, Loki is fun, but he’s not terribly threatening).

His combat skills are more than a match for Cap, leading into beautifully choreographed beat-downs (as to the Soldier’s true identity, comic book fans know the score, but it will provide a surprising twist to the uninitiated).

Indeed, this displays the finest action ever before seen in a comic book movie, because it balances real-life stunt work with CGI bombast. There is a kinetic thrill that’s been lacking in this genre for far too long, and The Winter Soldier delivers it in spades.

But it’s the characters that make a movie, and in addition to those mentioned above, the movie adds two new compelling figures; the first is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford). It’s a clear nod to his roles in 70’s conspiracy movies like All The President’s Men and Three Days of The Condor. He’s dynamic as a bureaucrat who Rogers has deep unease over.

Anthony Mackie appears as Sam Wilson, better known in Marvel lore as winged superhero The Falcon, and he’s given a place to shine, in a role as a recovering war veteran who wants back in on the action.

The big reveal of the conspiracy is an interesting twist that alters the entire Marvel cinematic universe, even if it’s explanation is clunkily handled (via a very goofy sequence involving an old computer).

It’s thrilling and refreshing to see Marvel shake up their formula, but being this is a big-budgeted Disney movie, it still goes for overkill in the third act, and is unwilling to go the full mile of a 70’s conspiracy thriller; those usually involved tragic or unresolved endings for their protagonists. One wishes it could fully go that route, but Captain America must live to fight another day.

But this time it’s on a new playing field of uncertain terrain. A hero is only as good as his villain, or in this case as the world that he is uncomfortable with, and that’s an exciting place for a superhero movie to be.

Did you enjoy Captain America: The Winter Solider? Tell us in the comments. And stay tuned later this week, when I’ll be celebrating the Falcon in my list of 30 Most Underrated Superheroes.

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