Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers (Captain America to you and me) is still adjusting to his new life, having lost everything after being frozen in the ice... or so he thought. The past finally catches up with him in the second installment of this superhero's films. Some old faces come back to haunt him, some only memories, some aged and dying and some scientifically preserved. After Nick Fury is shot and killed, the Captain doesn't know who to trust, and he must battle with himself and with the people he thought were his friends to find out the truth.

Captain America's second outing alone lives up rather well to the first film. This time he's teamed up with shield agent Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow) to fight evil. The only issue is, they have no idea who it is that they're fighting. A dark secret is hidden away in SHIELD, and all of it links perfectly back into the Steve's past. This is the part that I love best; the flashbacks in time, the museum with all of the old outfits and all the memories captured inside. It really brings back the feel of the first film, which was definitely a sort of love letter to the 1940's.

The plot is fast-paced and really intriguing, with a nice scene between Rogers and a new face (known as Falcon later on, all you Marvel buffs) early on to ease you in, and then a shooting to leave you horrified. Steve and Natasha become fugitives, but despite this, they're determined to stop the threat to the earth that Nick Fury was trying to unearth before he died. Plenty of explosions, lots of fighting scenes and action sequences and a couple of mysteries to be answered make this film a really exciting watch. I loved it , and so did the boyfriend.

One issue that probably needs to be addressed here is the end credits. You know the little scenes? Well, things are getting a lot more complex, and I have a problem with this. While everything will add up in the end, it feels like Marvel are holding too many threads. We have multiple story-lines for each superhero, and issues for each one that have in no way been resolved. Does anyone remember the red-faced bloke at the end of the Thor credits? Well, no, and I honestly thought that he would come back in sooner, maybe into Thor 2 instead of giving him a whole new enemy to fight, which then stems off with this collector man at the end. There, two things already, and now there's yet another bad guy with his hands on an Asgardian weapon. It is getting very complex and quite difficult to remember, and I do wonder how this will all tie in.

Anyway, that is a small qualm, and surely it will all be resolved sooner or later. Apart from that, the film is really enjoyable, perfect for Marvel Studios fans and action lovers, and also a great carry-on from the first film. 9 out of 10. (Oh and also, the amount of naked muscly torsos on display are a lovely addition. Keep it coming, Marvel.)

Avengers: Assemble (The Avengers) (2012)

This film is based on Marvels comic: The Avengers, and sees our more well-known heroes - The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) team up with The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to fight against and intergalactic invasion. At the forefront of this plan is Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's adopted brother, who we last saw falling into space after the Bifrost was destroyed (luckily Odin was able to send Thor back to earth for this film).

Unfortunately as I have not read the comic books, I have absolutely no idea if the film is in any way relevant to the comics, but I hope so. There's nothing better than seeing a good film adaptation of something you already love.

The most impressive part of this film is that way that the plot ties in nicely with the other films, particularly with Thor (2011) and Captain America (2011) (and so I've been told, Iron Man 2) - the most recent ones to join the Marvel film collection. But this story has been building for a while now, ever since we first saw a S.H.I.E.L.D. worker and Nick Fury back in Iron Man (2008). We've seen enticing clips of Mr Fury ever since and have been dying to know what it all culminates into. Speaking of the Marvel collection, I also think that the references given to them are very good, and the combination of the characters is actually nicely realistic. After all, you can't have too many ego's in one room without someone having a clash.

Another good thing about the film is the way that it is not all action. Mind games are afoot, and the characters display a nice wittiness - something you don't see in the likes of the recent Batman movies. Iron Man s a particularly good source of laughter. I love his utter frankness. But I have to say that everyone has their moment.

Of course, the action is great. the special effects are faultless as far as I could see. The 3D was realistic and didn't ruin it for me - something that can happen if the fighting is too dense or if the shots are too fast in my case. But I really do admire the acting. After all, they do have a stellar cast with many accomplishments and credits to their names. The story gripped me enough, but I think it was the acting that really brought it to life and made me care. I don't even know who to credit as the best.

One bad note that i feel should be addressed: the actual story. In its most basic sense, it comprises of one of the most generic plots. The aliens are invading earth and the earth people need to defend it. BORING. But shove a group very skilled and super-powered people into the mix (and a couple of Gods) and you've got a hit. The film manages to carry off the storyline with a lot of back story.. not just your typical invasion after all.

This film deserves a 9 out of 10. I still prefer Captain America.