Early on, we see Captain America and Black Widow (with a contingent of other agents) preparing to drop to a ship and reclaim it from pirates. Black Widow is trying to get the Cap set up on a date, an ongoing bit that helps to keep the both of them feeling more real. They do quite a bit of humanizing of the both of them. Steve Rogers (It's okay to call him by his uncostumed name, right?) is trying to get caught up on the culture of the past 70 years - he has a notebook of movies to watch and music to listen to. And it looks like he's seen Star Wars.
We see Captain America demonstrating not just the ability to fight, but knowing when to fight and what to fight for. There's a fight scene in an elevator that is just awesome. I always like when action scenes provide something new, and enclosed spaces like that are not the most common type of scene. That's not the biggest scene, and not the most edge-of-the-seat, but it's fairly memorable.
We see the Falcon smoothly added to the mix. He's as good a man as the Cap, though in a different way. He's got more confidence, I think, but it's confidence from a longer life and some measure of inner peace. He's got the character, and I think the two of them interact well.
We see other familiar faces on the movie, from people in the first movie to characters that have made an appearance on Agents of SHIELD. Speaking of which, this movie will be sending shockwaves that will be felt on the series very, very soon.
Nick Fury gets to show off some of his own abilities, and exactly why he is in charge. Every great movie has a car chase scene! This one looks for a moment like it ends with a lightsaber. You'll see what I mean.
What's a little discomforting is how close to the real world the superhero movies are getting. It makes some sense; superheroes are a pretty wild concept. If you want them to be gritty and/or realistic, you've got to ground them in the world of fears and moral quandaries that people actually think about and deal with. There's plenty of grounding in reality here, and maybe that makes the issues it raises hit home harder.
I do like that superhero movies increasingly have more regular people having to stand up alongside the hero. Spiderman 2 had people pulling Spiderman onto the train, and keeping his secret. (Plus, Aunt May chastising Doc Ock with her umbrella). The Dark Knight has the people on the ships. Captain America 2 has a moment when people have to decide who to trust.
Memorable moments of Captain America 2: (Spoilers)
The Falcon needs his wings. They are in an underground bunker surrounded by tons of steel and security. Too easy a job for them to even show the scene. Will it be on DVD extras? It will be a while before we find out.
"On your left!"
Stan Lee's cameo.
Joss Whedon is known for not protecting even the most beloved characters from death. (Admittedly, he's not as bloodthirsty as RR Martin.) This means there are several scenes that have me very nervous. Who will survive?
And, as always, stay after the credits!
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