by Zach Stubblefield ‘15

“Captain America: Winter Soldier” kicks off the blockbuster season with a bang. And a boom and a pow for that matter. The action in this movie never lets up.

It’s great to see Captain America (Chris Evans) is more than just a super macho war machine with a shield. He is actually a multifaceted character with depth and does not just blindly follow orders like you would expect from someone who is called the perfect soldier. Instead, he evaluates the orders given to him and decides on them based on his own personal beliefs. This gives the audience excellent insight into Captain America’s psyche.

The fights are always dynamic. By adding a variety of superheroes to the fray, it is hard for anyone to get bored. Whether it be The Falcon’s (Anthony Mackie’s) aerial assaults, one of Black Widow’s (Scarlett Johansson’s) numerous gadgets, or Captain America’s shield, the fight scenes always have something interesting going on. When one starts to get tired of one form of fighting it cuts to another hero who has a whole different style of fighting to keep the viewer hooked. While all the fighting styles are great, Captain America and his shield are still able to remain the stars of the show.

Captain America’s shield is not the only thing that makes him stand out. Since he was frozen for 70 years, the world has grown without him. Watching his struggles with coming to terms with that was really insightful. Scenes like Captain America embracing his old, withered lover, and him visiting his own World War II exhibit really struck a chord with the audience. It humanizes him and reminds us that even though he has super powers he still experiences emotional agony like we do.

As great as the action and character development is throughout, the overall story leaves much to be desired. It tries too hard to weave a web of political intrigue and betrayals, and while that certainly can be great, they are not meant for superhero movies. When I see a super hero movie I expect scene after scene of bigger and bigger explosions, not constant cutbacks to a lackluster main villain scheming with his rich friends. While there is certainly a place for complex plots in movies, I believe a superhero movie is not the place for them. It appears underdeveloped and a little too earnest for a movie based off of a comic book character.

Aside from a couple minor hiccups “Captain America: Winter Soldier” is an excellent film for anyone who is a fan of the superhero genre. Marvel has outdone itself again with another hit and judging by the post credit teaser trailers this certainly will not be the last time we see Captain America on the big screen.