Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America 2: The Return Of The First Avenger is the third film in the 'Phase Two' of Marvel's Cinematic Universe to be released in German cinemas after 'Iron Man 3' and 'Thor - The Dark World'. The plot takes place after the events of Joss Whedon's 'Avengers'. This juggling of various films and timelines alone makes it clear that the cinematic Marvel Universe is the legitimate successor to the TV series 'Lost'. If you want to grasp the whole universe, you have to pay attention to every detail, take in every movie - and in it, every scene after the credits ;) - along with it.

Captain America 2 is the darkest, most serious and most 'adult' flick of Marvel Studios to date. The subject is intentionally reminiscent of spy thrillers of the 70s. Therefore, Robert Redford was also signed for the role of Senator Alexander Pierce. Redford shone in classics of the genre such as "Three Days Of The Condor".

About the plot: The world (and this means America in particular) is a different one after the alien invasion of New York prevented by the Avengers. It is not only by chance that it resembles our post-Nine-Eleven society. Captain - Steve Rogers - America (Chris Evans) is at the beginning of the film still under the wing of the Shield intelligence chief Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Together with Natasha 'Black Widow' Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson), he pulls the coals out of the fire for the secret service in his usual super-soldier routine. But Steve Rogers is the wrong man in the wrong time, and not just because of his 70 years of cold sleep.

His statement from the Avengers "When I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost." sets the stage for Captain America 2. How far can a nation go with its need for protection and security before it disintegrates from within?

Steve Rogers quickly gets into trouble with his - proverbial museum-ripe ;) - morals from the 40s and suddenly has to decide between loyalty and justice, between lies and truth. On top of that, after an attempt on Nick Fury's life, an equal opponent stands in his way in the form of the mysterious 'Winter Soldier'.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (who are only known to a larger audience as producers and directors of the comedy series 'Community'), Cap 2 fires off spectacular action-thriller fireworks. The film surprises again and again by the skillful change of genres. In addition, the film shows its colors in some plot details and the casting of Robert Redford. The film rejects drone warfare, NSA surveillance and the persecution of whistleblowers (as did the reboot of Robo Cop) and also shows their possible consequences in comic-like exaggeration. And the nuanced acting of all the actors makes the fast-paced and visually stunning action sequences doubly fun, as they are never a means to an end but always emotionally grounded.

Conclusion: Successful cinema entertainment, which, however, is only really fun if you are already committed to the Marvel film universe.