Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Darker & grittier

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I really enjoyed Captain America 2. Marvel films aren't supposed to be super deep...they set a light-hearted tone, and they're just so much fun to watch, gasp at the plot twists, and root for your favorite superhero. Basically, they're a fun way to spend a couple hours of your day. But Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a departure from the Marvel snark of the past. It's a dark story, with a depressing moral: Don't trust anyone. Ever. Everyone can and will betray you in the end.

Cap discovers that Nick Fury is going rogue, trying to keep information secret from S.H.I.E.L.D. and also building gigantic heliplanes in the S.H.I.E.L.D. basement to basically assassinate people before they even commit a crime, Minority Report-style. Also trying to assassinate people: This dude with long hair and a Bane-like mask known as "The Winter Soldier" runs around shooting/punching/destroying cars and generally being obnoxious. When Nick Fury entrusts Cap with an important piece of data, S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on the Captain and Black Widow, chasing them down wherever they go. Our heroes must figure out what's so important about the data, and figure out why their own company is trying to kill them.

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The thing I missed most about this film was the traditional Marvel humor. There were some good one-liners, but nothing really funny (besides the first scene). It gave a darker feel to the film and set a more serious tone. Maybe I was just missing Tony Stark's snark, and I get that Cap isn't really in the mood for joking in this film, but I wish that it had been funnier.

Despite the lack of humor, the movie is a fun ride, taking audiences from Washington, D.C. to New Jersey, to Apple stores and museums. Wherever our heroes go, trouble is sure to find them...but somehow, the Cap manages to get himself out right in the nick of time. (And I mean....right in the nick of time.) Sometimes it's a little unbelievable how perfect his timing is, but hey, if it wasn't perfect, he'd be dead, and there would be no movie.

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The action was grittier and faster. A lot of the fights were hand-to-hand combat that seemed straight out of a Jason Bourne movie, which was fun and intense to watch. It was cool to get a better look at exactly how Cap uses his shield...I don't remember him throwing it often in previous films, but he's got a great throwing arm in this one. Black Widow is as deadly as usual (and I so appreciate a film that has girls doing proper hand-to-hand combat). The new addition to the team, Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon) was the much-needed comic relief of the film, as well as being pretty kick-butt himself.

My biggest question left unanswered is...where were the other Avengers? If S.H.I.E.L.D. is going crazy and wants superheroes dead, then wouldn't they theoretically be attacking the others too? There are hints to Tony Stark in one sequence, but how about the other Avengers, especially Hawkeye, who is more an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. then the others? However, I think every standalone Marvel film will have this question to answer. If the world is going to end, why aren't the other Avengers concerned?

Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a really good addition to the Marvel franchise, as well as working as a standalone film. There's superheroes, and cool gadgets, and awesome action sequences, and new villains and heroes and love interests and basically anything you could ask for in a Marvel film. It's a great way to pleasantly spend a few hours of your time.