Well I am going to make this one short and sweet since this film has been out for a minute. Not that it will matter in the grand scheme of things, because I am assuming by now anyone who wants to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier will already have done so. But heck,

… so I will talk about it, especially for that one person out there who cares what my thoughts concerning are.

For me, this second entry into the Captain America oeuvre was probably the most cinematic of any comic book adaptation. I know that is a large statement but let me list why I feel this way:

• Great character development: I really felt connected to the stories that people that told them. I especially liked the touch of Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) being “reunited” with the love he lost to time. Even though there was one scene, this plot point reverberated throughout most of the film.
• Properly executed dramatic tension: Of course I felt like I knew where the story was going and that certain “developments” were not as they appeared, but still, as everything unfolded I felt vested in the outcome.
• Cast: Everyone did an admirable job in the performance area, with a special shout out to Robert Redford, was effective as someone playing against type. The one disappointment: not enough Anthony Mackie.
• Speaking of Redford…: I do not think it is an accident that Redford chose this project to affiliate himself with, given the major theme involved (questions of surveillance and national security). Captain America: The Winter Soldier is in some way a throwback to that Watergate-era level of heightened paranoia.
• The sense of time/place/nostalgia: It was really cool to see Rogers readjust to life in a modern America. His notepad charting all the seminal political, social, and cultural events that took place during the mid-late 20th century was a nice contemporary history lesson.
• The now over-discussed movie references: I caught some of them while screening and had to look up a couple of others post.
• Jenny Agutter kicking butt and taking names: Sure there is a twist to this scene, but it was cool to see a recipient of an OBE (look it up) in fine, fighting form.
• Nice setup …: … for what I am assuming is the concluding chapter of Captain America (as embodied in the form of Steve Rogers, perhaps?), the setup is quite nice. The ending (not the post credits one) clearly shows that this is but an intermission to a play that has not yet concluded. It will be interesting to see how this story is possibly woven into the next installment of Avengers.

Well that is me done. How about you? Did you like Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Share your comments below.