A big step forward after the cheap-looking and uninteresting "Captain America: The First Avenger". The generic conspiracy thriller plot and setting are far from being original but are quite refreshing in the MCU franchise. It's probably the first Marvel movie with an actual plot. After tons of movies with superpowers and incredible creatures that look all the same, the ones that digress a little in style are the most rewarding to me. This movie manages to do that without being as divisive as "Iron Man 3" or "Thor: Ragnarok" probably thanks to the use of conventional characters like Cap and friends. The quality of the action sequences, which had been a big problem in the previous film, is remarkable here and the pacing is fairly good too (I wouldn't have minded if it were much shorter though). We also get some old fashioned shooting and car chases. I will never be a Cap fan but Black Widow definitely helped me enjoy this movie more, and the two characters' chemistry kind of worked. On the other side, Falcon did not blend in as well, unfortunately. Was he necessary?