CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (A)

Bottom Line: Marvel, in the midst of their ‘Phase 2’ campaign of superhero sequels (all leading up to next year’s AVENGERS follow up) has delivered an early-in-the-year, summer-sized flick that fires on all super serum-fueled cylinders.  CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is their best entry to date and one of my favorite comic book movies of all time…  In a word, it’s marvelous!  Torn between freedom and fear, it deftly balances terrifically staged fight sequences and a We-The-People, go-go America mindset with a seemingly real world, protect-the-country-at-all-costs political climate…  This spectacular follow-up crackles with excitement, dazzles with spectacle and intrigues with its layered look at a (super) man out of his element and still learning who he can trust…  The violence (shown and implied; lots of explosions, gunplay and fisticuffs) might be a bit much for younger kids to handle – but that’s your call.  My nine and seven year old boys, much to their chagrin, will have to wait a few more years to view it in its entirety…  Amongst the well-played new characters (Redford, Mackie, Grillo) you’ll find added depth to some we already know (Jackson, Stan) and love (Johansson; not ugly) – and Chris Evans, as the Boy Scout in blue, delivers a tremendous, heartfelt, get-the-job-done performance that ensures you’ll not even miss the fast talking, wisecracking mouth of IRON MAN’s Robert Downey Jr.  This is a snappy, sharp and suspenseful Jason Bourne-like ride that’s explosively action-packed, morally charged and grounded in all sorts of governmental goonery.  It’ll likely be some of the most fun you’ll have at the theater all year…  Shield yourself from the few negative reviews.  It may be their opinion – but they’re flat out wrong.

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L, Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo and Robert Redford

Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and YOU, ME AND DUPREE)

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 136 minutes

Studio description: After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, lives quietly in Washington, D.C. trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy.

Official site: www.marvel.com/captainamerica