By Zach Schanzenbach
Senior Staff Writer

Rating: 4/5 Paws

Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 were decent, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier is just what you’d hope for from a Marvel Studios film, and maybe even then some.

This latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes some of the world’s favorite plots in the film industry and rolls them into two epic hours of Marvel goodness. The main plot is reminiscent of the original Mission Impossible, while the twists remind me of Salt. At the center of all this action is, of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. member and World War II hero Captain America, a.k.a, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

One of the film’s main premises is the super soldier’s struggle with what appears to be a lack of integrity in this strange world around him. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) seems to be lying to him habitually. Tension increases when Fury shows Rogers three new helicarriers like the one in Avengers that will launch into the sky and work to eliminate threats before they can happen.  Rogers response is simple but true: “We [fought] so that people could be free.  This isn’t freedom.  This is fear.”

This struggle with the morality of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not limited to the between-action scenes either.  The development has clear implications in the action as it is revealed that the terrorist organization HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.

The subtitle character, the Winter Soldier, is the strong, silent type: donning a mask for most of the movie. His identity is revealed shortly before the climax and the twist is surprising.  Although the captain manages to whip all his standard foes into shape, the Winter Soldier is the only character who stands a solid chance against him.

Other characters include Natasha Romanoff with the alias of the Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen), returning from The Avengers to once again play a major role, along with S.H.I.E.L.D.  agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). Newcomer Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie), proves to be the antithesis of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ambiguous morality, thereby landing him the role of Captain America’s new sidekick. Then there’s Sharon Carter or Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D., secretly assigned to protect Rogers. She seems to be on his side throughout the film, being the first general SHIELD agent to actively rebel against HYDRA’s regime. Rumor has it, she’ll have a bigger role in the future.

Well-crafted action sequences, a strong atmosphere of conflict within and without, and a film that takes the best of action flicks and rolls them into one makes Captain America: The Winter Soldier more than worth your time. If you were disappointed with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World because you thought they were lackluster compared to their predecessors, then I’m certain you’ll enjoy this film much more.  On the other hand, I’ve heard people say that this film is better than The Avengers.

Do I agree?  Well, I don’t disagree…or agree.  Oh, never mind.

See you in the Age of Ultron.

To read the full review, visit the Cougar Chronicle’s website, or got to Zach’s blog “The Reluctant Critic.”