CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

After first stepping onto our screens in stellar first installment 'The First Avenger' (2011) before being relegated to nothing more than a redundant excuse for puns in ‘The Avengers’ (2012), Captain America as realised by Chris Evans returns. However, unlike his fellow Avengers, all of whose second and third outings have been less than impressive, his latest film, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ is one of those rare jewels - a sequel as good, if not better, than the already impressive first. In a time when superhero films have begun to oversaturate our screens, Marvel Studios have given us something fresh, exciting and worthy of celebration.

Still coming to grips with the 21st century, Steve Rogers A.K.A. Captain America (Chris Evans) is forced to go on the run when S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is attacked and the blame is placed on him. With Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in tow, Rogers tries to uncover a conspiracy that pits him against an old enemy and introduces him to a mysterious new foe: the equally superhuman Winter Soldier.

‘The First Avenger’ totally embraced its 1940s setting and created a wonderful film full of wit and energy and colour. For ‘The Winter Soldier’ however, directors Anthony and Joe Russo have looked to the classic spy thrillers of the 70s to create something just as unique, a tightly-constructed thriller that relies on narrative twists and turns and beautifully executed action sequences, rather than the operatic superhero tropes we would expect. The Russos are better known for their television comedy work on ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Community’, but they exert a tight directorial hand over very different material here, demonstrating a great confidence with the bigger canvas and complex tone. It helps that they have a great screenplay to work with from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Where the complex narrative could have fallen into cliché or taken easier ways out of situations, the screenplay circumnavigates them with genuine surprises, as well as furthering the development of the characters and offering a surprisingly emotional third act that pushes Captain America further than he has before. Chris Evans is given more to play with here than he was in ‘The Avengers’ and takes full advantage of that, refusing to let his All-American good looks do the work. In the hands of a lesser actor, Steve Rogers wouldn't be as wonderful a character as he is. Johansson is also surprisingly great as Black Widow, particularly with her palatable on-screen chemistry with Evans. Jackson is also finally given something to do in this film as opposed to just standing there and looking surly, and Anthony Mackie is a terrific addition to the cast.