Movie Review: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)

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Movie: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 16 minutes

Cap is back! Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is now in modern times and is struggling with things like the internet, new technological advances, and most of all, how he perceives his government. He is being targeted by a new villain by the name of the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who is another enhanced human much like himself. In addition, he has been framed as a traitor to his country by dirty agents within S.H.I.E.L.D.. With the help of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and a new friend, Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon (Anthony Mackie), they must clear Cap's name, expose the crooked agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government, and save the world all in a weeks work.

I personally liked this movie better than the first. The first movie was a little slower and more story driven since it was more of an origin tale, but this movie really picks up the pace as far as action, special effects, and excitement. The CGI and special effects are especially awesome in this movie, and it features some really intense "boom" scenes. New additions Robert Redford and Anthony Mackie really feel like they belong, and old time Avengers stars like Samuel L. Jackson make this movie thrilling.

It's not just another mindless action movie, either. As with all the movies in the Avengers series, "Captain America 2" has a very solid story that contributes and enhances the Avengers as a whole. Its themes revolve around current hot-button issues like the NSA and spying on the phone calls and emails of United States citizens, as well as bringing back the old-school fear of "Big Brother is watching you." We see Steve Rogers struggle with his 1940's "trust your government" patriotism versus the modern ideal of government overreach and loss of civil liberties in the name of security. He believes that he may have contributed to turning America into very thing he was fighting against all those decades ago. This is the ultimate spring/summer popcorn movie with lots of social and political commentary, and we loved every minute of it.

The movie also features a cameo by one of BigJ's favorite MMA fighters, Georges St. Pierre, who is basically there to showcase his bitchin' fighting skills.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!!!
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For our "Iron Man" review, click here.

For our "The Incredible Hulk" review, click here.

For our "Iron Man 2" review, click here.

For our "Thor" review, click here. 

For our "Captain America: The First Avenger" review, click here.

For our "The Avengers" review, click here.

For our "Iron Man 3" review, click here.

For our "Thor: The Dark World" review, click here.

For our "Guardians of the Galaxy" review, click here.