Captain America: The Winter Soldier — ★★★★★
WARNING: This review contains spoilers.
As was the case with Thor and Thor: The Dark World, the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger completely outdoes the nonsense and boredom of the original, thanks to the Russo brothers proving their worth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The format used in my Thor: The Dark World review seemed to function well for its purpose, so I’ll stick to that. That being said, here are the reasons why, if you haven’t seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier yet, you need to first punch yourself and then go buy a ticket.
Captain America finally kicks some serious ass
Neither Joe Johnston nor Joss Whedon really gave Cap a fighting chance in The First Avenger or The Avengers, and the super soldier seemed really weak compared to the rest of his team. Neither film truly showcased Cap’s skillset the way the Russo brothers allowed Chris Evans (and/or his stunt double) to bounce off walls and ricochet his shield around. In particular, the fights between Cap and the titular Winter Soldier are incredibly fast-paced and are more mesmerizing to watch than Superman and Zod CGI-ing around Metropolis; of course, that is due in credit to the Russo brothers opting for more practical stunts and limiting the use of CGI.
Cap and Black Widow are “just friends”
Although The Winter Soldier refrains from explicitly announcing anything between Steve and Natasha, comic book lore of old tells us they are to be — at least in certain universes. The chemistry between the two isn’t truly hinted at in The Avengers, but their relationship, despite lies and secrecy on Natasha’s part, is definitely one of a budding friendship. It’s not unexpected that Evans and Johannson would work so well together on screen, but it’s still surprising to see the Black Widow keep up with the Sentinel of Liberty, both when they’re suited up and not. Furthermore, it’s great we finally get to see some more backstory to Natasha, which is just yearning for a standalone now.
It’s one hell of a political thriller
In Marvel’s Phase 1, there was one really great standalone film towards setting up The Avengers — Iron Man. Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger were all watchable in their own rights, but none of them really stood out as exceptional films after the original Iron Man. Fast forward to post-The Avengers, and Iron Man 3 (ugh) and Thor: The Dark World still haven’t really captured the standalone secret — then comes this film. The reason for this film’s massive success is not due to fandom or having to see the next piece of the MCU, but because it’s just a great film outside of the universe it’s in. Even without Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, etc., this would be a great political thriller with the twists and turns you expect from said genre — The Winter Soldier just works.
The Winter Soldier
Leave it to Marvel Studios to respect the source material and make a great film out of it. Sebastian Stan absolutely sells the titular character, what with his dead eyes and comical shock at not knowing who Bucky is. Although the film could’ve focused more on the character, as his name is plastered in the title, Stan owned his screentime and delivers a foe worthy of Cap’s skills. The true “post”-credits scene for Captain America: The Winter Soldier shows Bucky learning about his past, but which way said information processing goes is up for grabs.
Stephen Strange
Let me make this clear: Doctor Strange isn’t actually in the film, but Sitwell’s reference of him is all it took to make myself and 80% of my theater whistle and cheer in excitement. Kevin Feige has made it abundantly clear that he is a Doctor Strange fan, but aside from casting rumors, the film hasn’t made too much headway yet; however, his name being dropped in the film officially sets him as part of the MCU, much like how any character introduced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can carry over into the films, and vice versa.
Honorary mentions:
- Frank Grillo as Rumlow AKA “Crossbones” — this got teased extremely well at the end of the film.
- Joe Russo (half of the Russo brothers) having a cameo as a doctor working on Romanoff.
- A “quick” (haha, you’ll see in a few words…) look at Scarlet Witch and…Quicksilver, lol — I’m not funny.
- Sitwell being HYDRA and, seemingly, dying — I never liked that guy, especially since it seemed the MCU was trying to set him as a replacement for Coulson.
Although the flaws (more like personal grievances) with the film didn’t take away from the overall presentation, they are flaws nonetheless:
- Falcon: I’m all for introducing characters into the MCU, especially when they’re source material and they’re done justice, but there are two problems with this character: his suit and Anthony Mackie. Mackie’s not a great actor, but he’s not awful either — he just doesn’t fit the superhero bill. Plus, where’s the red in the suit? Not even a little bit? Even Hawkeye had a little bit of purple.
- Agent 13: This was the one introduction that felt out of place and forced, particularly when Sharon was the only one to stand up against Rumlow, initially, and reluctantly at that. Furthermore, the chemistry between van Camp and Evans isn’t quite as there as it should be for the characters, unlike the case with Evans and Johannson.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a planet-sized step up from Captain America: The First Avenger in all aspects: source material, character portrayals, story, direction, cinematography, action, etc. It completely changes the way the MCU will function, with direct impacts on all future films and projects, but it retains all the marks of a great film, too — this is one Marvel film that will be watched several times over.
