With the Avengers movie completely opening up the superhero world, it was tough to see how the individual superhero characters would continue in their own films without the support of their friends.
Iron Man 3 proved to be a well made comedic sequel and the more recent Thor: The Dark World opened up the possibilities even more. Now comes the second Captain America film which a lot of people weren't too sure about after the first instalment (although I personally loved it).
After watching the film I can honestly say that it has proven itself to be a real big contender in one of the best Marvel films to date!
The story itself picks up after the events laid out in Avengers Assemble where our Cap is still trying to adjust to the modern world after being Cryogenically frozen for decades. He's still taking up missions given to him by Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D with the help of Black Widow.
After asking too many questions about one of his missions, he realises he is getting deep into the secrets of the organisation that he works for.
Without spoiling too much, the Cap ends up going on the run with Black Widow to uncover the truth about S.H.I.E.L.D's ulterior motives whilst trying to fight off a new enemy, the equally strong and dangerous Winter Soldier.
Something this film manages to get completely right is the story.
Whilst this is obviously a Captain America movie, we get back story to some of our regular characters including Nick Fury, Black Widow and even newcomer Falcon.
We start to care for these characters more and realise how vulnerable they are when things go wrong.
And boy do they go wrong!
The characters and their motivations are really what drive the story forward.
While there are some great action scenes, it's really the characters which push things forward and give a real sense of danger.
The direction is nice and sleek with minimal use of CGI, which after such eye candy in Avengers, Iron Man and Thor....isn't such a bad thing.
What's really surprising is the directing duo (Anthony and Joe Russo) don't actually have much experience in action films.
Their previous efforts knock up such titles as You Me and Dupree and episodes of the TV show Arrested Development. So it's a real surprise how well they have managed to create an action film that is credible in its actions as much as its characters.
Towards the end of the film you might wonder what questions it will answer as it seems to open up a whole can of new ones, but you need to have faith that the guys at Marvel know what they are doing and with the help of the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, will really help to deliver a story in the bigger picture.
Definitely a film everyone needs to see, especially as it is adding a lot more to the Marvel Mythos.
Rating: 8/10
BARRY MOWATT
