Movie Review: Captain America - The Winter Soldier
Steve Rogers isn't the most relatable character in the world. He's kind of like Marvel's Superman. He can come off as white bread and a little too much like a Boy Scout. He's super strong so it's hard to find adversaries that can really stand up to him. His "Aw Shucks" demeanor can sometimes come off as cloying, but Steve as Captain America is pretty big in the Marvel Universe, so Marvel Studios had to come up with a way to make him relatable to modern day movie goers and they seemed to find the right formula with the first film and that carried through to The Avengers. Now Cap is back in his second solo big screen adventure. Did this film meet or exceed expectations? Read on to find out.
Spoiler alert. It really did. This is the third film in Marvel Studios' "Phase Two" series of films. The previous films, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, had a really self contained vibe. There were some mentions of what had transpired, but for the most part they focused on the core cast of characters for those films and they were pretty successful, Iron Man 3 maybe moreso. This film is different. It is very much a "mythology" film and what happens in the movie will mean big changes for Marvel's interconnected cinematic universe and this film makes me even more excited for Avengers: Age of Ultron, something I didn't think was possible.
It's hard to really describe the plot of the film without giving away massive spoilers. So, here it is in broad strokes. Cap is still adjusting to the modern world. He's isolated himself and it's hard for him to open up to people, especially since most of the people he knew are dead. He keeps himself busy running ops for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D., all the while having major issues with the gray area that the spy organization seems to be working in at all times. After an assassination attempt on someone close to him, Cap finds himself on the wrong side of the law and he works to untangle himself from the web of corruption he's found himself tangled in, while also trying to evade a mythical Soviet assassin who goes by the name of the Winter Soldier. To say more, would be telling and to rob you of the gasp inducing reveals and action that the film has to offer.
One of the many things this film does well is that it beefs up Cap's supporting cast. Since the first film took place 70 years ago, they are basically starting from scratch and the film does a great job of surrounding Cap with other characters that play off him well. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) aka The Falcon is a known commodity to most Cap fans. He was introduced by Marvel in the Seventies as a foil and partner for the Star Spangled Avenger and was one of the first African American heroes in comics. The Sam Wilson of the film is a Iraq war vet who councils PTSD affected veterans at the VA and connects with Steve, in a real way. They connect outside of super heroing and avenging. Steve is surrounded by people with agendas and people he can't trust one hundred percent. There is none of that with Sam. What you see is what you get and you can see that Cap finds that refreshing. Mackie is a great addition to the cast and his chemistry with Chris Evans is pretty phenomenal. If the third film is just Cap and The Falcon, I'm perfectly fine with all of that.
Scarlet Johanson's Black Widow plays a big role in this film and she continues being super cool and awesome. After this film and The Avengers, I am convinced that people would go see a solo Black Widow film. Johansson hits all the right notes. Like Mackie, the Widow's interactions with Cap are some of the highlights of the film. While there are some slight flirtatious moments, Cap and Widow's relationship is more of a brother and sister one and I think that is really cool. This film also sheds some more light on Widow's relationship and close ties to Nick Fury and the end of the flim leaves her in a really interesting place, which Joss Whedon has said he is going to pick up on in the second Avengers film.
There really isn't a bad performance in the film. I have to single out Robert Redford's Alexander Pierce and Sebastion Stan's Winter Soldier. First off, Robert Freakin' Redford is in a Marvel movie. Let's all take a minute and absorb that. He's not in it for a minute, he is a major player and the guy shows why he is a legend. He commands every scene he's in and he does it effortlessly. He still has so much charm and charisma, it's no wonder that he can still carry a movie where he is the only person in the film. He's also 77. Are you kidding me? Stan is the villain of the title and like others have said, he is a villain that is fearsome. There are things that he does that are so cold and effed up, that you are legitimately frightened of him. One thing that Marvel movies have floundered at is memorable villains that actually present a real challenge to the heroes. Seriously, name another Marvel movie villain besides Loki. It's no surprise that Stan was signed to multiple movies. I'm excited to see where he goes from here.
I'd be remiss if I didn't give a slow clap to the film's star, Chris Evans. I'll admit that I was skeptical when I heard he was cast as Captain America, but he has rid me of any of my initial doubts. Evans is steely, handsome, affable, naive all in the course of one scene and he is able to covey the earnestness that is such an ingrained part of who Cap is, but it never comes off as cheesy or too much. I feel like when it comes to the trifecta of Marvel movie leading men, he kind of gets lost in the shuffle and I'm hoping that this film rights that wrong.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have made a movie that is a lot of different things. It's an action movie. It's a '70's style political thriller. It's a superhero movie. It's a sequel. It's all these things, but the film never feels schizophrenic or disjointed. There is a great flow to the movie. The stakes are high and you are invested. You care about these characters. When the film ends, you wish the next one was coming out sooner so you can find out what happens next.
I could probably go on for a lot longer extolling the virtues of this film, but I'll wrap it up. There is no reason why you shouldn't go see this movie. It really is for everyone. It doesn't matter if you hate superheroes, if you are a lover of quality movies than you should get your butt to a local theater and hope that it's not sold out. And if it is, I'd just buy a ticket and wait for the next showing.
Grade: A
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