You know how everyone says that sequels are rarely as good as the original? Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes that idea and rips it to shreds. Where the first film had promise but ultimately failed to deliver a truly great movie experience, The Winter Soldier exceeds expectations sets a high standard for every Marvel film that will follow.

Where to begin? Let's start with the story. I'll make sure to avoid too much detail so that you can experience the story spoiler-free. The directors, Joe and Anthony Russo of Community and Arrested Development fame, really understand what needs to come first in a film: characters and story. This is no simple mindless action film to tide comic book lovers over. This is a character-driven political espionage thriller that, in Joe Russo's words, is "masquerading as a big superhero movie". The film examines the price of freedom, the use of fear as a weapon, and asks the viewer to question the ethical nature of preemptive actions.

With regards to characters, we get the most character-centered Marvel film since the first Iron Man. Captain America (Chris Evans) himself feels more fleshed out this time around. We see that while he is adjusting well to living in the modern era, he feels direction-less. He finds a kindred spirit in Sam Wilson(Anthony Mackie), a fellow veteran. While on the job with SHIELD, Cap tends to find himself at odds with the values of Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson). Carrying over with a story arc that began in The Avengers, Cap feels that SHIELD is over-extending its reach into fighting evil and states that it is now violating every individual's right to freedom.

What follows is an unrelenting and thrilling story involving corruption within the government. After Fury discovers that there may be dark conspiracy looming around him, he is attacked by the Winter Soldier(Sebastian Stan), and everything becomes complicated for our heroes. The rest of the story is very exciting to see unfold, so I won't discuss the story any further.

Special recognition should be given to the directors and the stunt coordinators. The action scenes here are by far the best in a Marvel film to date. While watching the movie, I was reminded of the Bourne films. There's no fantasy violence here, just bone-crunching martial arts action.

The performances were surprising as well. Chris Evans feels much more confident as Captain America than he has in any other Marvel film. He brings much-needed moral fiber and a hopeful demeanor to what is ostensibly a dark, realistic political thriller. Scarlett Johansson gets a very intriguing plot line where she's forced to re-examine her values. She's easily the strongest female protagonist Marvel has right now, and it's great to see her further developed. Perhaps the most shocking character development comes in the form of Nick Fury. In most of his previous appearances, he's simply given orders and hasn't done much or been given a meaningful character arc. However, he makes some difficult and surprising decisions over the course of the movie and feels like a real person. Robert Redford's character brings the kind of intelligence and gravitas that the actor is so well-known for. His role in the film is incredibly important and his actions will surely entertain movie-goers and comic book fans. Anthony Mackie's performance is fantastic and brings a certain warmth to the screen that's a joy to watch.

Let's not forget to talk about the Winter Soldier himself. Sebastian Stan somehow makes you feel for a cold, emotionless killer, despite having fewer lines than many of the other characters. His back story is tragic and interesting, and his scenes with Captain America are emotionally-charged and painful to watch. Oh, and he's essentially the Predator of the Marvel villains.

Overall, the actors all deal flawlessly with each other.

Joe and Anthony Russo are possibly the best directors that Marvel has hired thus far. What they've given us is a polished, sharp script and an effective, thrilling film. They smartly avoid constantly referencing the rest of the Marvel universe. The references that are included make sense within the context of previous and upcoming films. They should also be lauded with praise for using relatively little CGI in the film. Most of the movie was filmed on physical sets, so as not to distract the audience with computer imagery.

Oh, and as with every Marvel movie, stay after the credits. Trust me, the easter eggs here are much better than the sorry Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World after-credits scenes. Unlike those films, Cap 2's post-credits stinger introduces characters and concepts that will be very important in upcoming Marvel movies.