By: Taylor Hourigan
This article contains spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The next installment in the Captain America franchise has turned the entire world of Marvel on its head. The movie, which stars Chris Evans as the title character, Steve Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America, begins normally enough: Steve and Natasha, A.K.A. the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), are on a rescue mission to save agents who are being held hostage by pirates. But when Natasha goes M.I.A. to recover information, Steve realizes he doesn’t know as much about S.H.I.E.L.D. as he thinks he does.
Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is being attacked by assailants dressed as cops. After narrowly escaping with his life, he shows up at Steve’s apartment and gives him a mysterious flash drive just before being shot to death. When Steve pursues the shooter, he comes face-to-face with a stranger in a mask who disappears into the night.
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., the new director orders agents to attack and confine Steve. After escaping an attack in the elevator, Steve meets up with Natasha again and they team up with Sam Wilson, A.K.A. the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) in order to find out what’s on the mysterious flash drive and unmask the shadowed stranger.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a worthy successor to its prequel. Although the movie is action-packed, it also features an intricate plot with humorous dialogue that ensnares its viewer and leaves them constantly asking questions and wanting for answers. A shocking twist in the middle of the movie leaves Steve–and the viewers–unsure of who to trust and if everything that has been set up in the last Marvel movies has been a lie. And the mysterious assassin’s identity breaks not only Steve’s heart, but the hearts of the audience as well. The Marvel-famous after credits scenes set up an ominous tone for the next movie: Avengers: Age of Ultron, and introduces two well-loved characters that could potentially set up a X-Men/Avengers crossover.
Rating: 4.75/5 stars