Captain America: The Winter Soldier review – elite Marvel film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier delivers superior Marvel Studios effort
Captain America: The Winter Soldier emerges as the best Marvel Studios film to date. It’s a fascinating superhero hybrid. Winter Soldier features the humor and wall to wall action of Marvel’s The Avengers. Beyond that, it features a plot that is both a throwback to a 70s spy thriller. Winter Soldier also has a contemporary feel with a modern commentary on government privacy invasions. It’s got it all.
Marvel Studios films have stayed on the side of over-the-top comic book sized action. Winter Soldier marks a far more sophisticated turn with darker, mature themes. Yet it retains every bit of the larger than life spirit of its predecessors.
After the battle of New York, Captain America (Chris Evans) is slowly acclimating to modern society. He joins his fellow Avenger, Black Widow (a sultry Scarlett Johansson, Her), in working with intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Leading global peacekeeping missions is right up Cap’s alley. Still, he’s concerned Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has been too secretive.
With few friends and even less confidants, Cap strikes up a friendship with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, Gangster Squad). Wilson is a former soldier who can relate to difficulties adjusting to normal life.
Mackie is easily one of the best additions to the Avengers’ franchise. Mackie’s enthusiasm is evident even before he assumes his superhero identity. His role in Marvel Studios films should definitely expand beyond Captain America movies. Avengers Director Joss Whedon should rewrite whatever is necessary to work Mackie into The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
An assassination attempt on Fury leads to Cap being considered a person of interest by interim S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford in all of his cool and commanding glory). On the run, Cap and Black Widow get off the grid. Escape won’t be easy though. Pierce has S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in pursuit. Further complicating matters, the mysterious Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is gunning for them as well.
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the team behind Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor: The Dark World, handle the script. They pen in essence a super heroic take on The Bourne Identity. It’s filled with secrets, betrayals and conspiracies at every turn. It’s not all dark though. There’s still a good amount of laughs and tons of Easter Eggs for comic fans.
Perhaps better than anyone that’s worked on the character before, directors Anthony and Joe Russo get what makes Captain America special. He’s a soldier that can handle his own against anyone. Winter Soldier’s version of Cap is even more impressive than the one battling aliens in Avengers. The fight scenes are brilliantly staged and fully convey Cap as an elite class fighter.
There’s less emphasis on CGI so the action feels more immediate and less the handiwork of a computer team. The Russos go a bit more ‘old-school’ with their filmmaking techniques, which is appreciated.
Per the norm for a Marvel Studios movie, the acting is solid across the board. Jackson and Redford are pitch perfect as always. Evans fully establishes himself as a cornerstone of the MCU. His performance is more nuanced than what we’ve seen in most comic book movies. Evans’ chemistry with Johansson and Mackie is excellent. The Evans/Mackie pairing flowed so naturally it didn’t seem like their first time working together.
Status quo for the Avengers universe changes dramatically as a result of the film. To an extent, this is the MCU’s first cliffhanger. The mid-credits scene, directed by Whedon teases The Avengers: Age of Ultron. There’s another end credits scene with stronger ties to this film though.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Marvel Studios’ answer to The Dark Knight. This is tremendously entertaining and likely the superhero blockbuster to beat. Not just for 2014, but possibly many years to come.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal/Marvel
Great review. I went to see it last thursday, walked out of the theatre, bought another ticket, and watched the next screening too…
It had everything i wanted in a cap sequel and more, and the nods to Agents Of SHIELD were nice too.
I am looking forward to Kevin Fiege’s promised “One Marvel Movie every quarter” if they can keep up this quality.
The bar has definitely been raised.
Thanks man. I definitely think this is going to be one that people are gonna want to watch more than once in theaters.
Totally. It’s been a week since i saw it and i want to see it again. The last time i was like this was Avengers.
High praise if you say this Marvel answer to the dark knight. that was the last movie I saw twice in a theater.
Mean every word of it too! ;-)
So you say it’s best film in the MCU Jeff, that is indeed very high praise from you considering “The Avengers” was your best film of 2012. What that tells me is whatever film comes out this year, it’s going to have to be really special to top this. I really do hope ‘Winter Soldier’ is as great as you and many others have said so it raises the bar and not allow Marvel to get lazy or lackadaisical with future films. It sounds like this won’t be an easy film for Marvel to top, but if anyone can I believe Whedon can with AOU. Can’t wait to see this tomorrow.
Winter Soldier has a better story Fred. I don’t see anything knocking it from the perch until “Avengers 2,” but if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be awhile.
Well I’m excited as hell to see it, tomorrow afternoon baby lol. It seems like it has a great story and I’m sure there’s enough twists in this film to cause a massive tornado haha.
Can’t wait to hear your take on it!
Oh you will indeed hear my take my take on it my friend.
I saw it last night Jeff. you are right, It raised the game, thrilled, and keep Cap relevant in this modern time. First off anthony mackie brought the combo regular/utimate/new falcon to life and made him respectable. He is so much more to the story than say what rhodie was to iron man. I do like the still youthful touch that evans plays this role. Its more obvious than ever he should continue the role. And your girl… scarlett… man! First off she really shines, very humorous, great at the action, and well SEXAY! lol sorry couldnt help myself. I cant put it up there with the dark knight but this is how you take a campy character and add weight to his story. I do want him to keep the dark blue uni though. I guess thats more of the us agent right? One thing.. frank grillo I believe makes a good henchmen/goon
So you liked it, huh? ;-)
Yeah Mackie feels more like a friend helping his boy out instead of feeling like a government agent/obligatory sidekick.
Evans was so, so good and yeah Scarlett brought sexy back big time.
I wasn’t necessarily saying it was “Dark Knight,” Winter Soldier is good, but he lacks the villain presence of Joker and Two-Face, but it’s the closest Marvel will come to that darker storytelling perspective.
Of course Sam Jackson… I wish they could let him do his signature language. I just subb it in my head. His truck is not to be messed with
I’m actually fine without it. Kids have so many lousy movie options it’d be lame for them not to be able to see it for the sake of a couple of unnecessarily tacked on curse words.