No one was surprised over how well the new Captain America film launched. After pulling in an estimated $96.2 million on its’ opening weekend, the sequel to the 2011 film, set a record for the best opening in April.

What may come as a pleasant surprise in “Captain America: Winter Solider” is the strength of the plot. A major problem amongst most sequels is that they tend to buckle over and weaken in the area concerning their story. They may be the “#1 Movie In America!” but don’t hold up to the hype. This film, however, has a truly captivating plot that will have viewers hooked within minutes. It surpassed my expectations even. Not having read a single Marvel comic in my life, but a massive fan of the films, I was anxious to see if Disney and Marvel could uphold the magic that made all their other superhero movies great. Unlike the first Thor movie, I was far from disappointed.

As I’ve said, I’ve never read a Marvel comic book in my life, so going into each sequel requires me to retain information from the first movie of whichever franchise the sequel falls under. This isn’t entirely true with the new Captain America. The plot can stand strong on its’ own. Viewers don’t even have to see the first installment or the Avengers to understand what’s going on, but may be incredibly confused as to a few key aspects that the whole franchise crutches upon. Under this light, a rundown of “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) and “The Avengers” (2012) seems appropriate.

In the first movie, Steve Rogers was skinny, underweight, and out of shape—his career in the United States’ WWII military was cut out for failure. However, Rogers’ brains and determination resulted in him being chosen as a test subject for Project Rebirth, the experiment that made him Captain America. From thereafter he is assigned many missions to take down the power-hungry, underground Nazi organization, Hydra. Following the death of his childhood friend, Bucky Barnes, and after Captain America crashes a plane of Hydra’s potential weapons of mass destruction into the Arctic, he is presumed dead.

Captain awakens 70 years later where S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury assigns him and the Avengers with the task of defending earth from Loki and his dark army. They succeed, and all the avengers attempt to live normal lives.

Now, fast forward to the new movie.

It has been months since the events of Marvel’s “The Avengers,” and Steve Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America (Chris Evans) is trying to adapt to live a normal life in Washington, D.C.; but with great power comes great responsibility. Captain is sent along with Natasha Romanov, A.K.A. The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), to retrieve compromised information about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s new defense project. After the mission is successful, tensions arise as the mysterious Winter Soldier is tasked with ridding the world of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Captain America himself to allow a new cataclysmic plot to be put into action.

I’ve claimed this once, and I’ll do it once more; Disney and Marvel triumph again with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” It promises beautiful cinematography with explosive visual effects, and a compelling story that keeps fans on the edge of their seats for the entire ride. There are no slow parts; the movie is a thrilling, action-packed adventure that makes one question what they thought they knew about the Marvel universe.

Critics and viewers alike are raving about the movie with critical ratings of 89% and viewer ratings of 95% on the review site, Rotten Tomatoes. True fans are saying “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is among the best superhero movies ever made, and even tops “The Avengers”.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the spring blockbuster that moviegoers have been waiting for. It is a must see, not only for all Marvel fans, but everybody else. Viewers will be left awestruck, with their jaws on the floor as this movie takes them on a thrilling ride.