Written by Brennan
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Plot synopsis: Two years after the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers lives in Washington, D.C., continues to work for the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., and struggles to adapt to contemporary society. After a typical mission saving hostages from Algerian pirates, Steve learns that the agency is hiding things from him.
Superhero-movie mania continues with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, sequel to 2010’s Captain America: The First Avenger. It has received wide acclaim from critics (88% of reviews are positive according to Rottentomatoes) and it is sure to be a huge hit at the box office. My thoughts on the movie can be summarized in two words: yeah ok.
It is easily the best big action movie so far this year. That’s not saying a whole lot (looking at you, Robocop and 300: Rise of an Empire), but Captain America: The Winter Soldier is definitely a very well-crafted action movie and will continue Marvel’s dominance. At this point I think that Marvel knows exactly what they are doing. Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger had problems, the former’s being that it was played a little too seriously and too straight and the latter’s being that it turned into a schlocky mess with Nazis with space lasers. Marvel recognized these problems and corrected them in the sequels; Thor: The Dark World went off the rails into silliness and craziness (as a movie about a Norse sky god with a magic hammer should) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier has a much more grounded story about corruption and politics, which is more fitting for Cap’s character. It was a smart move and a definite improvement from the first movie, but the movie still has some problems that keep it from reaching the heights of 2012’s The Avengers.
This movie feels more like a CIA spy thriller than a superhero movie. The majority of the movie is very down to earth with double crossings, car chase sequences, escaping from buildings, hand-to-hand combat, and other elements that have more in common with The Bourne Identity and The Dark Knight than with the bombastic, skyscraper-destroying action of The Avengers. This keeps things at Cap’s level, at least until later in the movie when things start to get a little crazy, but for the most part it’s kept under control. This keeps things tense and thrilling as the story retains a level of plausibility. In this way, it’s a much better written and much better executed movie than Captain America: The First Avenger. Unfortunately, what this sequel makes up for in story it loses in characterization and fun. Captain America is reduced to “distressed action man” who is simply on the run and punches things when he can. His character doesn’t really develop or do anything interesting. Probably my biggest complaint about the movie is the lack of fun and interesting characters. I kept hoping that Tony Stark would make an appearance for some witty dialogue and to make fun of Captain’s 1940’s mentality, but that would have ruined the story as Iron Man could just do everything for Captain. So what we are left with is a bewildered and anxious Captain America, the boring super spy Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson, a generic army veteran sidekick played by Anthony Mackie, and a grumpy Nick Fury played by Samuel L. Jackson. Yawn. The only redeeming character was Robert Redford as a senior leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. He seemed to have some fun messing with other characters.
Other pros:
- - The major theme of the movie is the rise of modern day fascism, which worked very well since Captain America’s original foes were the Nazis 70 years earlier. The theme could have been explored further, but it was interesting to see Captain America’s black-and-white worldview contrasting to the modern ideas of sacrificing freedom, surveillance, data collection, pre-emptive strikes, and drones.
- - The action is limited and effective. Marvel seems to have found that perfect medium between plot development and dialogue and action scenes. Too much action makes for a boring and numbing experience *cough* Man of Steel *cough*.
- - Anthony Mackie’s character Sam Wilson/Falcon, while a pretty boring character, is a VA counselor helping veterans with PTSD. This is a small element and not very important to the story, but it was another nice touch. I like it when movies choose to bring social issues to light like that.
Other cons:
- - The plot and “twists” were completely predictable. The twists didn’t even feel like twists; I think everyone in the theater knew exactly what was going to happen, and we were just waiting for when they would happen. I understand that it’s just a superhero action movie, and that I shouldn’t expect a complex and sophisticated plot with nuanced political messages and deep themes of morality, but can’t we at least have something that feels new and fresh? I swear Hollywood has like eight basic stories that they repackage for every action movie.
- - The quick cutting style of the fight scenes. Here is a great video that explains the how to effectively shoot a fighting scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YuJtOgeLpw&list=PLB6N1J-D-TR4SJRgtNUreuzTvZfbS6gCG. In my opinion, Captain America: The Winter Soldier does not do this very well.
- - A CG grandma face? Why?? Just cast a freaking old lady!! I’m sure there are thousands of cheap extras in Hollywood who would play a grandma for two minutes. That way I can actually focus on the dialogue and characters instead of just looking at how horrible the CG looks. Whatever.
Review Summary:
A very competent if predictable superhero action movie. While it doesn’t reach the heights of The Avengers, it is a definite improvement on the first Captain America movie and is better than most Hollywood movies of the same genre. I would recommend this movie to pretty much everyone. It’s exciting and well-made with some good themes.
Rating:
2 and a half wrinkly Robert Redford faces out of 4 wrinkly Robert Redford faces
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Did you like this review? Click here for more reviews by Brennan
