After watching Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, I wasn't very optimistic about the the MCU franchise especially since I am not really a Marvel fan because of the repetitive trend with their characters. But after watching The Winter Soldier I see that Marvel has finally achieved in taking their big- name characters more seriously but still retain the stylistic humour without over doing it this time. The film is a tremendous leap forward from where the character Steve Rogers started in The First Avenger. The sequel has better action sequences, humour, and most importantly, character development.

The action is the best I have ever seen in a superhero movie since 2008's The Dark Knight. The Russo brother truly did a great job of directing the action sequences by putting restraint on the cgi when they could and have actual car chases and practical gun fight effects. Despite the film having two super-human characters, Captain America and the Winter Soldier, the hand-to-hand combat with the two is so well choreographed and feels almost real.

Another problem on the Marvel films I have had is the overuse of humour where it didn't need to be. Too many of them relied on useless comic relief that became more annoying then fun. With the Russo brothers having experience in directing comedy like Arrested Development and Community, they have better handle on the humour. While there is no comic relief in this, pretty much most of the characters, especially the dialogue between Captain America and Black Widow, deliver humour that is witty and smart while not feeling forced.

And finally the most important thing in the film is having the characters evolve. By using major political themes and issues that are relevant today, it allows us to see Captain America struggle with whether he is stilling fighting for freedom or the sacrifice of freedom for global security. And this theme is something that allows to see more depth with characters like Nick Fury and Black Widow. And at times, makes the audience, like myself, question where global security stands today.

Overall, regardless if you are or not a fan of the MCU franchise, The Winter Soldier is a great character-driven thriller with strong political themes that is definitely worth seeing.