Captain America: the Winter Soldier

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  Rating: 4.00 / 5.00

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  (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
  

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  Movie Info
  • Director:Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Joss Whedon
  • Genres:Action, Drama
  • Rating:PG-13
  • Release Date:6 April 2014
  • Screenwriter:Christopher Markus, Ed Brubaker, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Stephen McFeely
  • Starring:Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlet Johansson
• 

  Captain America: the Winter Soldier

Captain America: the Winter Soldier Film Review

What Worked?

In a sea of superhero movies, it seems that the popularity of the genre might be declining soon. How many times can you watch a movie about the world in grave danger, and a superhero saving the day? Well, if you can take that tired story line and inject quality acting, political commentary, and hard-hitting action into the mix, it becomes new again. That’s exactly what Directors Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, and Joss Whedon concocted with Captain America: the Winter Soldier, starring Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Redford.

The Russos and Whedon team up to deliver a quality superhero film that moves at a hungry pace, and manages to be layered as well. The script is as solid as the Captain’s shield, with political plot twists, punchy one-liners, plenty of tension, and even some projection on the identities we choose to have versus society’s Internet-crazed version of our identities. Captain America: the Winter Soldier plays out like a cunning spy-thriller with a super-hero twist, and it works very well on all fronts. The action is also very noteworthy, and despite a few Bourne-like moments, it’s inventive and you can feel every hit with the quality sound mixing. I also need to note the elevator fight scene because it was amazing (there I’ve noted it). Overall, this is a film that can stand on its own, and isn’t just a long preview for the Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Chris Evans embodies Steve Rogers, and delivers the patriotism with an old school punch that stuns, making you see stars and stripes. Evans is still the right man for the job, and he still walks, talks and looks the part. Evans shines in many moments throughout the film: his intense fight scenes, his delivery of a simple but stirring speech, and even his touching scene with Peggy. It’s easy to root for Steve Rogers because he bleeds red, white, and blue in the ideal way, and he’s a “do-right” man; the super powers are just icing on top. Scarlet Johansson is back as Black Widow, and she’s just as cunning as ever, yet this time she gets to delve a little more into Natasha Romanoff’s reason for redemption from her dark past. The interaction between Rogers and Romanoff is often humorous, like when they share a kiss to blend in with the crowd, and some of the best moments in the film come from when they share the screen.

The rest of the cast does a worthy job as well. Samuel L. Jackson gets more action in the role of Nick Fury, especially with his big chase scene that is creatively chaotic. He’s also at the center of the mystery of the film as well, along with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce. Redford shows the world that he’s still got it; in fact, he’s never lost it (except for in All is Lost). Has Redford ever phoned anything in? The Winter Soldier, aka Bucky, doesn’t have much to say, but he’s a lethal, metal-armed badass that makes a great nemesis for the Captain. There’s also Anthony Mackie, as Falcon, who just rocks in the role.

Captain America: the Winter Soldier makes a statement that these Marvel films aren’t hitting a cookie-cutter pace just yet. Throughout all the themes and layers in the film, there’s one that still shines the brightest: Steve Rogers shows us, once again, that fighting for what’s right is always worth everything you’ve got.

P.S. Stick around after the movies for bonus scene.

Potential Drawbacks:

There are so many superhero movies that are coming out, and so many that have been made that this film might be a nuisance to those that are tired of spending money on superhero movies. At it’s core, it still follows the same story of most super hero films, so that could deter some people after the credits roll.

The film’s run time may be a factor for some, as it overstays its welcome by about 15 minutes or so. The threat itself in the film, the three flying ships, seemed to Bond-ish and not very threatening. There’s also the case that some of the plot “twists” were phoned in, like Bucky being the Winter Soldier, Nick Fury not dying, and Alexander Pierce being the main villain. No surprises there.

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