You know the movie season has begun when the Marvel based comic movies begin to roll out. This year with a bang, flash, action, and intrigue Captain America: The Winter Soldier has the honor of filling the slot, and my guess filling seats based on word of mouth. Was the movie any good? I think it is easily the best Marvel movie to date.

During his appearance on The Daily Show, Samuel L. Jackson bragged this movie actually had a plot as opposed to people just punching each other, and boy does it. Playing off of society’s real world paranoia, and the newsworthy NSA surveillance, S.H.I.E.L.D. has expanded their program, moving ahead with policing the world. But, conspiracy, and corruption, begins to rear its ugly head. Captain America asks what it truly means to be free, how much freedom is worth safety, and how far will we go to stand up for our beliefs.

The story is loosely based on Marvel’s excellent Captain America run by writer Ed Brubaker, with a mix of Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Warriors. But, what it does more than any other Marvel movie so far is present a movie that’s fun for fans of action spy thrillers, but also has so many Easter eggs, I left the theater with whiplash. This movie is for the comic fans out there, as well as mass audiences, it truly is a perfect balance. I left the theater explaining to friends why I was jumping up and down in my seat a dozen times as names were being dropped or moments were hit with perfection.

The acting was decent, with everyone clearly having fun and shining with a solid script. This movies is what films are supposed to be, fun, and escapist fantasy. The few issues I had with the film didn’t factor in to my enjoyment at all, and living where much of the film takes place (even walking by filming when it was here in DC) my biggest issues was with DC geography and how it’d all work out.

The worst part of the film was the 3D which added little to the overall action and enjoyment. This isn’t a film you really need to see it.

The movie is excellent, for comic fans they’ll jump over the DVD release so they can pause and screen cap scenes and get even further secrets and nods that go by so quickly at times it was information overload. The film also bumps up the importance of the television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It’s only spring, but the summer movie blockbusters have begun. You should run to the theater to go see the film, I’ll be at one for my multiple viewings.

Direction: 9 Acting: 8 Plot: 8.5 Overall: 9