Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Written by Anthony Sargon
America is officially cool again. I’ve never been the biggest fan of the character, and although I really enjoyed “Captain America: The First Avenger” and absolutely went bonkers over “The Avengers”, I never really bought Cap as a real badass. “The Winter Soldier” changes all of that, and ends up being the best Phase Two Marvel movie yet, and one of the best films in the entire Marvel canon.
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is still struggling to adapt to modern times. He keeps himself busy by completing assignments for S.H.I.E.L.D alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), but the work is starting to get to him. Cap isn’t all that comfortable with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s constant surveillance of pretty much anyone who breathes, and he questions whether or not working with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has actually done any real good. Things become increasingly complicated when a man with a bionic arm known as the Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan) arrives and threatens to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D, and take Cap down with it.
If you have absolutely no idea who the Winter Solider actually is, you may want to look away. Although I technically spoil it by mentioning the actor’s name (Sebastian Stan), anyone who’s seen a trailer for the film (or ever read a comic) knows that the Winter Soldier is actually Bucky Barnes, Cap’s best friend who was presumed dead in “The First Avenger”. He was found by HYDRA agents, brainwashed, and given a bionic arm. and then kept in cryosleep for over 50 years, only being awoken to take out high level targets. This creates a huge dilemma for Cap, who now needs to fight his best friend and, in a way, the only person who could possibly relate to what Cap has been through, being a man out of time. Oh yeah, HYDRA’s back, and it’s pretty awesome.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, best known for their work on “Community”, bring a lot of energy to “The Winter Soldier”. There’s never a dull moment, and when Cap’s not kicking ass, we’re treated to some great political intrigue. The film actually has something relevant and quite poignant to say about today’s security climate, which I believe is a first for any Marvel film so far. Robert Redford’s character, Alexander Pierce, is an extremely important figure in S.H.I.E.L.D. who plays a key role in making all the political stuff click, and Redford is great in the role.
Chris Evans keeps getting better and better as Cap, and he’s once again great as the earnest and old-fashioned Steve Rogers. There were a nice few callbacks to “skinny Steve”, which I found to be extremely touching given that he’s still the same person…except…you know. But the gentle, kind-hearted, “skinny” Steve is still right there, unchanged by everything that’s happened. Scarlett Johansson has been given a lot to do in this one, and she doesn’t disappoint. She continues to become an increasingly interesting character, and I hope I can one day say the same about Hawkeye. Anthony Mackie is great as Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon. He’s funny, and has great chemistry with Evans. I was a just a bit disappointed with his suit’s design; he basically just looks like a S.HI.E.L.D. agent with a pair of robot wings. It’s still cool and they get the look of the wings right, but he doesn’t look like a superhero.
Sebastian Stan is great as Bucky/the Winter Soldier, and although his tragic character is silent the majority of the time, he brings a lot of intensity to the role. He has some pretty tense scenes, and he’s honestly a total badass. I expect to see a lot of people dressed as the Winter Soldier this Halloween. I just wish there was a bit more of him; the film is a bit busy dealing with a host of new characters that I felt like we could have easily had an extra 10 minutes of Winter Solider action, but I’m nitpicking. I wish I could say more without getting into spoiler territory, but I’ll leave it at that. Like I said, the film’s action is great, and Cap’s abilities are finally put on full display. The film’s hand-to-hand fights are particularly awesome.
The Verdict:
Not only is “Captain America: The Winter Solider” one of the best Marvel movies yet, but it’s one of the best in the genre, and one of the year’s most entertaining entries. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Universe (MU) – especially the movie universe – you’re going to be on cloud nine. What happens in this flick will reverberate throughout the entire MU, both on the big and small screen. You’d be crazy to miss this. And obviously, stay until the very end of the credits, as usual.
Numerical Score: 9/10
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