Captain America: The Winter Soldier is not only a great sequel but perhaps the best standalone Marvel Studios film to date. I wasn't overly fond of the Captain's first feature, so my expectations weren't too high going into this one, but coming out I have to say The Winter Soldier isn't only a great superhero movie, but I'd even venture to say it may even be superior to The Avengers.

At the start of the film Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) is still accumulating to modern life after having been frozen since WWII, and is working under the orders of Nick Fury and SHIELD. Already having doubts about SHIELD's motives and methods Rogers suddenly finds himself at the center of a conflict festering at the heart of SHIELD and must fight alongside other agents to stop a villainous plot to establish a new world order. Along the way he'll have to face a dark figure which may be connected to his past and decide what freedom truly stands for.

As a standalone feature The Winter Soldier is arguably the smartest Marvel Studios film to date. While still providing the fantastical set-pieces, humor, and over the top action spectacles one would expect from a Marvel film The Winter Soldier's antagonist is grounded in real-world fears, and possibilities. For this reason I felt more invested in the film's action than any other Marvel film to date. While movies like The Avengers and the first Iron Man were fun superhero romps The Winter Soldier actually feels like it is addressing real-world concerns regarding government secrecy and drone warfare in a way which made me feel invested in the characters, and the stakes they were up against.

The decision to make it an internal, spy-movie type struggle subdued the annoying question of: "Where the hell are rest of the Avengers?!" which constantly itched at me during Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Then there's Rogers himself who truly defines himself as a superhero in this film. In his first outing and The Avengers Captain America always seemed like a wet blanket, coming across as a giant flag draped Boy Scout. While he was likable enough he never warranted in-depth analysis. That all changes in The Winter Soldier. Here Rogers' reflects on his past, question his own values and whether or not he can uphold them in this cloak and dagger modern world. His character-arc is well-told, and by the film's end credits the Captain had risen to become one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Winter Soldier is the first standalone Marvel movie since the original Iron Man I've felt actually stood proud on its own two feet. While Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World had me saying "Can't wait to see the next Avengers" The Winter Soldier had me leaving the theater saying: "I can't wait to see the next Captain America movie!" For this reason I am giving my full recommendation for Captain America: The Winter Soldier!