With Captain America – The Winter Solder, Marvel steps away from its mega-moneymaking formula of witty dialog and action, action, and more action and moves into a darker direction based on suspense and political intrigue. Surprise, the movie still is a mega-moneymaker. That is mostly because Marvel retained an engaging cast (Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson), top- notch action sequences, and brought Captain America into today's world where moral ambiguities predominate the absolutist approach to good vs. evil.

This film will be enjoyed by anyone who has enjoyed prior Marvel offerings but should probably only be seen if you are familiar with Captain America's back-story through the comics or the first movie, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).