Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, is readjusting to life in the modern era after being awoken from a frozen fate in World War II. Things become complicated however when a conspiracy threatens to turn the world upside-down and Rogers' moral ethnics collide with the reality of the present day. With the assassin Black Widow, director Nick Fury, and a military pilot known as the Falcon, Captain America will save the world and discover that things are not what they seem, particularly when a mysterious enemy known as The Winter Soldier shows up...
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the ninth entry in the series under the "Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)" banner. For those who don't know, the MCU is a series with Marvel movies based off the characters that Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures own. The movies are divided into "phases" that detail a major development of all the characters and their trials & tribulations. Phase 1 of the MCU consists of the following:
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers
As of now we are in Phase 2, which contains the following:
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 2015)
I freaking love the MCU movies. When I first watched Iron Man I had no idea it would become part of something much bigger. Iron Man and The Avengers are some of favorite superhero movies ever, with great action, good stories, hilarious comedic banter, and the idea that these movies really act like the comics they are based off of and being part of a larger picture. As such, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. After watching it, I think I may have a new addition to my favorites list.
For the sake of those who did not watch it yet, I'll just say my brief thoughts on them to provide context. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was VERY good. The characters were good, with newcomers getting their time to shine and returnees having a very believable evolution from past movies. The action was fast-paced and sucked you in. But the strongest point in the movie for me is the story. It really gets you invested, and may even get you at the edge of your seat as you watch the movie and discover how deep this story goes not only for Captain America, but possibly all the other MCU movies to date. See it and see what you can get out of it for yourself. There are a few problems I have with the movie, but they are so miniscule they do not detract at all.
AND STAY UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE MOVIE. IT'S BEEN NINE OF THESE MOVIES AND SOME PEOPLE STILL DON'T GET THAT THERE ARE STILL MORE SCENES AFTER THE CREDITS?
Ahem. OK, now here be spoilers. In order to discuss why I feel this movie to be one of the best, and possibly THE best MCU movie so far, spoilers need to happen. Those who already watched it are free to continue and see another person's interpretation of the movie.
Other returning characters include Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), and we can see how their characters have been changed from the past movies too. In particular it's nice to see Nick Fury get in some of the action too. In past movies he was usually relegated to an advisory role to the other heroes, but in this movie we get to see him get his share of fighting bad guys too. Black Widow also compliments Cap very well and provides a few bits of humor in the movie too. In The Avengers we got to see hints of a more human Black Widow compared to her introduction in Iron Man 2, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier expounds on that.
The MCU's rendition of the its heroic roster was expanded with the introduction of Sam Wilson, AKA The Falcon (Anthony Mackie). He and Cap become quick friends because they both had military experiences, and much like War Machine in Iron Man, becomes a good supporting hero. His look is changed from his bright red and white getup in the comic books for a more black look, and while I do question that decision, he is actually utilized pretty well and doesn't feel like he was plastered on.
We have two villains in the movie: Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Pierce is portrayed as the head of the SHIELD organization and has a plan, while the Winter Soldier is portrayed as Pierce's muscle to enact his nefarious deeds. Both compliment each other well, though of course the titular villain is the one who gets the most attention. Those who were disappointed by the lack of Cap and the Red Skull fighting in the last movie will be happy to find that Cap and the Winter Soldier duke it out by the climax. It gets especially more interesting when we find out that the Winter Soldier is none other than Bucky Barnes, Cap's friend and fellow soldier in the previous movie. That connect strengths Cap's character as he is once again forced into a moral quandary of doing whatever it takes to win while saving his old friend. And that's one thing good I can say about this movie: The villains. MCU's adaptations of comic book villains have been either hits (Iron Monger, Abomination, Loki, Red Skull) or misses (Whiplash, The Mandarin, Malekith), but I'm happy to say that Pierce and the Winter Soldier definitely fall under the former. Here's hoping that the Winter Soldier will come back in future films.
The action is also pretty good. The shaky cam was abused a little too much, but when we saw Cap in action, he definitely kicked a ton of ass. It is this movie that can cement Captain America as being a major force to be reckoned with. In the past we've seen Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk do their bits, but they've always had some sort of advantage to them with Iron Man's suits, Thor's hammer and Hulk's...everything. But aside from using his iconic shield, Captain America in this movie is 100% martial arts and melee fighting. It's a nice refresher after the zaniness of the past, and can make you love Captain America even more. Let me put it this way, if you didn't like Captain America before, you would definitely like him after watching this.
But the biggest strength of this movie is the story, and it really delivered and got me at the edge of my seat. As this is the spoiler portion of the movie I can give a basic rundown: SHIELD is becoming more weaponized supposedly to help protect the people and new world order. But after a supposed assassination of Nick Fury, Cap and Black Widow go on the run and discover a conspiracy that SHIELD is not all that it seems. In particular, Hydra, the WWII organization from the first movie, resurfaced and infiltrated SHIELD. We discover that Hydra had a hand in various world events in the intervening movies and may have been behind more than few "incidents" (Howard Stark's car accident in Iron Man may not have been an accident after all). By the end of the movie, Pierce is dead, SHIELD is disbanded, Fury goes underground to hunt down other Hydra remnants, and Cap and Falcon leave to hunt for the Winter Soldier. The movie works well both as a followup to Captain America and as an entry in the wider MCU, so those looking for either of them will be satisfied. Unlike Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, you actually felt like the characters went through a major and warranted upheaval that changed them for the better.
To cap off a great story, we have two post-credit scenes: One to tease the next installment for the specific hero, the other to tease future installments for other heroes in the MCU. We know that the Winter Soldier will return, and that Hydra has obtained Loki's scepter from The Avengers. And just in time for The Avengers: Age of Ultron coming next year, we have a sneak peak of two upcoming heroes: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I am so hyped.
Aside from the shaky cam abuse, one minor problem I have, which is more of a nitpick anyway, is the under-utilization of the character of Agent 13. This is mostly because, in the comic books, she has much more to do with Cap and the two in fact end up in a relationship. Doesn't affect much for me but I was hoping she would be used more. But that's what sequels are for.
Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was an excellent movie. I can see why Marvel was so delighted with the final product that they greenlit a third Captain America movie. Good action, strong characters, good villains, and excellent story make for a fun ride. Discounting the Avengers, I daresay it's the best movie in the MCU so far. It makes you want to continue watching and yearning for more. A high recommendation for movie-goers and comic book fans.
4.9/5
Trailer thoughts:
The Expendables 3: I haven't watched the first two, but I hear people like them so I can see why they'd be excited for a third one. The gimmick of an all star cast of old school and new school action stars is still fun.
Son of God: Looks to be another flick about the life of Jesus, from the beginning of His three years of teaching to His Passion and Crucifixion. Likely won't watch it in theaters. Besides, Jesus Christ Superstar is so ingrained in my brain I can't help but think of it.
Noah: As said previously, I like the angle they are taking here with humanity not just readily accepting its death by the Flood. Unfortunately it just looks bland, gritty, and doesn't exactly scream "biblical". The setting doesn't make it timeless and makes you think of something more generic instead of the story of Noah. Emma Watson is in it so that's a plus, but it's a definite cinematic pass for me.
22 Jump Street: I haven't seen the first one, but I will admit this does look hilarious. I will watch it, but not in the cinema.
Heaven is for Real: I've been seeing this trailer a lot lately, so I won't comment much here.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Oy vey. Every time I see a new trailer I get less and less interested. It's not that the movie looks bad. On the contrary, it looks pretty entertaining. But I've already washed my hands of Spider-Man movies after the Toby McGuire trilogy. I'm so not interested in this reboot at all, and just makes me yearn for Sony to sell the rights to Spider-Man back to Marvel & Paramount so that Spider-Man can join the MCU. Not going to watch in the cinema, and likely won't watch on TV unless I'm bored.
Planes: Fire & Rescue: It's so obvious that the only reason they are making this is to sell more toys. The story looks to be a retread of the first movie and is so uninspired, but it will make a mint with collectible toys, so it'll still be a monetary success. It's a pet peeve of mine because while making a media product to sell merchandise is to be expected, you can at least make the movie entertaining. Heck that's what the MCU movies do. They make good stories AND make money at the same time. Planes: Fire & Rescue does not look like it will do that.
Maleficent: Nothing much to say again, except that I'll be watching this to see how Angelina Jolie portrays one of the best Disney villains ever.
Guardians of the Galaxy: NOW we're talking. When they first announced this upcoming entry in the MCU I was puzzled. Compared to the other MCU movies so far, this one looks to be completely different. But the trailer on the Internet and later as seen in the cinema got me hooked. But I believe this is the make it/break it movie for Marvel. If this movie manages to be successful, it proves that Marvel can adapt any of its properties from the comics and nobody would question it. And it all rides on the success of a movie featuring a bald alien man, a green alien woman, a tree alien thing, and a gun-toting raccoon alien thing. After Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this is my second most anticipated movie of the year. Just five months...Just five months...Just five months...Just five months...
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