In “Captain America: The First Avenger” there wasn’t a battle with Captain America saving the world in present day like all other Marvel movies. Because The Captain wasn’t saving the world in present day, there was an ache for a Captain America fix that fans didn’t get until “The Avengers.” “The First Avenger” lacked a sense of an actual story line; it was a setup for the other Marvel movies to come.

While Captain America: The First Avenger was sub-par and quickly outshown by blockbuster The Avengers, “The Winter Soldier” is just as good as “The Avengers” and does not disappoint.  

The movie starts out with Steve Rogers [Chris Evans] running laps around the Reflecting Pool in Washington and passing ex-paratrooper Sam Wilson [Anthony Mackie] AKA Falcon multiple times and always saying, “On your left!” The humor in the opening scene sets up comedic relief that appears throughout the whole movie. Falcon ends up helping The Captain and becomes his sidekick.

Unlike “The First Avenger” and “The Avengers,” The Captain has a personality in “The Winter Soldier.” In “The Avengers,” there isn’t time to develop a lot of personality for any of the heroes because they are thrown together at the beginning of the movie and have to automatically start working together to keep Loki from taking control.

In “The First Avenger,” The Captain has all of his friends and a large support team to help him defeat Hydra. In “The Winter Soldier,” it’s interesting to see how The Captain feels about S.H.I.E.L.D. and how their views differ. This element presents an internal conflict that goes along with the external conflict of who The Captain can really trust in S.H.I.E.L.D. This conflict is sparked when S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury [Samuel L. Jackson] is attacked and tells The Captain that the enemy could be anyone.

Along with an engaging plot that keeps the audience guessing, there are scenes that will produce tears, but most scenes are action-packed with large explosions, car chases, and shield-throwing. The explosions make the action scenes pop and blow viewers away. The car chases make the audience grip their arm rests and hold on for dear life as if they are in the car trying to escape.

From scene to scene, the plot twists and keeps the audience constantly guessing and wanting more.

And then there’s the character of the Winter Soldier. Without spoiling anything, the first time he comes on screen you get an inkling of a feeling knowing that he has a major role and very complex story, but you can’t quite figure out exactly what it is until it is revealed.

Avenger Natasha Romanoff [Scarlett Johansson] AKA Black Widow and Falcon help The Captain fight the evil that wreaks havoc on Washington D.C.. They become The Captain’s team that helps him save the world from an unjust fate.

From beginning to end, this movie is breathtaking and immersive. The plot does a great job of walking the line between being complex and overly complicated. It’s not as elaborate as “The Great Gatsby,” but not as simple as “Frozen.” There are references and symbolism that only people who know the comic books will understand, but they don’t take away from the overall movie experience.

Overall, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is very well-rounded with character development, plot, and visual effects. All the work that is put into a movie to make it happen and be successful was definitely thought out and carried thorough 100 percent. It should be on the top of your list to see and a great warm-up to the summer blockbuster season.