So I Don't Have To

In an occasional feature, we present capsule reviews from correspondents who go see the movies that we don't have an interest in seeing.  Today, veteran filmgoer Phillip Blanchard chimes in on the latest super-hero flick:

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (B+) - Comic-book movies are critic-proof, but that doesn't stop critics from trying. It doesn't stop fans from writing counter-reviews, either. Critics complain that movies like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” are witless and boring. Fans say the critics are witless and boring.

Either side can have its way with this. Here we come down on the fans’ side. In between the explosions and relentless fistfights there is a plot that, admittedly heavy-handedly, is ripped from today’s headlines.

If you aren’t familiar with the “Marvel Universe” of superheroes and antiheroes, you might as well skip this unless you’re willing to watch all its predecessors, in order. If you do that, though, you should like “The Winter Soldier” if you can leave your high-mindedness at the theater door.

Look elsewhere for a plot summary. Suffice it to say that if a superhero movie can attract Robert Redford, it’s worth a look. It helps that Redford plays a bad guy, and plays it straight.