Captain America The Winter Soldier Non-Spoiler Review: Best Small Team Movie, Best Chris Evans Performance

Many are describing Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Marvel Studios best solo superhero movie ever. However, that's not really an accurate description. Don't get me wrong, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the best movies that Marvel Studios has ever made. It's just not really a solo superhero movie. From beginning to end, Captain America is surrounded by other characters, who play a major role in the film. Captain America: The Winter Soldier falls in between a Marvel solo superhero film like Iron Man and a full-blown team movie like The Avengers. Perhaps, the best way to describe Captain America: The Winter Soldier is as a small team movie. And as a small team movie, it's the best small team movie that Marvel Studios has ever made. Where does it fall into the grand scheme of all of Marvel Studios' films? It's definitely right up there with the first Iron Man and The Avengers. It's difficult to say if it's better or worse than those two films, because it's a different kind of movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier has some of the fun feel of The Avengers, but it's also a darker movie, where the tone gets more serious at times. Despite the fact that there was huge destruction in New York City in The Avengers, there was the sense that once things got cleaned up that life would go back to normal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the destruction isn't as high in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there is ultimately more of a sense that things have just changed forever. In many ways, the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier are going to have much more serious and longer lasting effects on the Marvel Cinematic Universe than The Avengers. The supporting cast really shines in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Robert Redford is just as phenomenal as one would expect. When a legendary actor gets cast in a superhero movie, there is always the fear that he plays his character over-the-top in a silly way or he's just there for a paycheck. Neither is the case for Redford. Its' obvious that Redford takes the role seriously, and he turns Alexander Pierce into one of the most complex and believable characters in the film. Samuel L. Jackson is just as solid as ever as Nick Fury, but he plays a larger role than he has in any past Marvel films. The same can be said of Scarlett Johannson, as she seems to be really getting the hang of the Black Widow role. Antony Mackie has a strong debut as The Falcon, and his onscreen chemistry with Chris Evans is great. It's evident that Mackie really enjoys playing The Falcon. However, the biggest accolades have to go to Chris Evans. While there's been a lot of buzz over if he will retire from acting, fans will certainly hope he doesn't after seeing Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Evans gives by far his best performance as Steve Rogers/Captain America. Evans makes Steve Rogers very relatable and believable to audiences. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have crafted a solid film, which entertains and excites from beginning to end. Unlike with The Avengers where the film was virtually non-stop action, there are moments in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where the pace slows. However, those moments are necessary to fill in details and move the plot forward. With all the various characters in the film and the time-spanning history of Captain America, it had to be challenging to craft a film that both pleases comic book fans, while remaining understandable to general audiences. The Russo brothers succeeded on both fronts, and it's easy to see the reason why Marvel Studios has reportedly already signed them for another Captain America film.