Winter thrills

EVANS (left) as Captain America is aided by Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

Believe it or not, the entirety of 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” is pretty much background material for Marvel Comics’ star-spangled shield-bearer.

That movie happens almost completely in the 1940s, and details how Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) receives a secret formula that turns him into a super-soldier against Nazi Germany. But in many ways, the comic book’s Captain America’s story actually begins when he is found in the ice decades later. That is why the sequel “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is the real beginning of Captain America’s modern adventures—with all the problems that come with it.

Directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, “The Winter Soldier” occurs immediately after the events of 2012’s “Marvel’s The Avengers,” with Rogers  now serving to deal with international trouble spots as an operative of the global peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division).

ROBERT Redford (left) and Samuel L. Jackson lend credible support.

But something about the group’s aggressive stance bothers Rogers. “This isn’t freedom, this is fear,” he tells S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Later on, S.H.I.E.L.D. officer Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) warns Rogers: “To build a better world sometimes means tearing the old one down—and that makes enemies.”

Rogers finds out that something is rotten in the organization and becomes a man on the run, aided only by fellow agent Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), also known as the wing-wearing Falcon. But Rogers’ attempt to uncover the truth is jarred by constant attempts made on his life by a shadowy assassin known only as the Winter Soldier.

Eye-popping

“The First Avenger” was fleshed out in bright flag-waving colors and a broader story tone. “The Winter Soldier” is definitely different, revealed in shades of gray and a more focused manner. Though it has one eye-popping action scene after another, “The Winter Soldier” is much more a spy thriller than a superhero movie, with a tension-filled plot full of twists. Though the Russos may seem a strange choice to direct this film (they have a background heavy in sitcom TV, particularly “Community”), they handle “The Winter Soldier” confidently and urgently, bringing a real-world alacrity to the proceedings. Heavily influenced by the Ed Brubaker comic book run of the same title, “The Winter Soldier” puts an emphasis on the “soldier” part with a strong military conspiracy flavor. Captain America is certainly put to the test.

ANTHONY Mackie as the Falcon is a mean flying machine. INQSnap this page to view the trailer and more photos!

While he was basically a cartoon character in “The First Avenger,” Evans turns Captain America into a real person in “The Winter Soldier,” a lonely man out of time, full of doubt and mistrust. Evans inhabits the role with greater precision. Mackie (most memorable in “The Hurt Locker”) brings a badass quality to Wilson, while Johansson does her best turn as the Black Widow so far, an argument that she deserves a movie of her own.

SEBASTIAN Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes

Jackson is still patently Jackson as über-secret agent Nick Fury. Redford’s Pierce is a great character, and the veteran actor brings gravitas to what could easily have been a cardboard cutout. It is Redford’s performance that grabs you in the end.

Layers

Marvel is clearly confident that Captain America is ready for stardom in the modern era, as the studio has already green-lit a third “Captain America” for 2016. It seems clear everyone already knew that going into this film’s production.

“The Winter Soldier” is a study in deception, with the film itself told in layers—but with really kinetic fight scenes. Warning: Watch the film up to the very end of the credits so you don’t miss anything. Don’t expect the snappy repartee and the out-of-this world sci-fi of “The Avengers.” This is spy-versus-spy combat with the highest stakes, intriguing up to the very end, changing the Marvel movie status quo forever.

With its top-notch storytelling and spectacular action, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is superior to the first film, a grim and shadowy battle for what we believe in and what we stand for. “Marvel’s The Avenger” aside, it is Marvel’s best—and most serious—movie yet.

(Distributed by Disney, Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” opens in cinemas today.)