I have noticed in recent years how Marvel is really stepping up their game when it comes to their movies. Not only are they making a whole bunch of them, but people also seem to really love them. I am a guy who really likes a good Marvel movie. You might remember that I did a review of “Guardians of the Galaxy” around september of 2014 and gave it a really good score. But that isn’t the only Marvel movie I like a lot, I love a bunch other ones as well such as “Iron Man” and “The incredible Hulk”. And those are only some of the Marvel/Disney studio movies, there are also the Sony/Fox movies. But that isn’t relevant in this case. Today we are taking a look at the 2014 film set within Marvel’s “Phase 2”. So what did I think of it? Let’s find out!
Ladies and gentlemen… “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”.
This movie as you may know is the sequel to 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” but also follows 2012’s “The Avengers” (Sidenote: If you want me to review those two movies, you just tell me). We see Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) living in our modern times. But one day the organization S.H.I.E.L.D (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforment and Logistic Division) whom he works for starts chasing him down. And at the same time he has to keep his eye out for this mysterious new threat “The Winter Soldier” (Not saying who it is if you don’t actually know sice the twist is kinda cool, also roll credits). I am not going to say more about this plot because it is filled with twist after twist after twist… and it works. The Plot of this movie is excellent with some really clever writing and really cool twists like I mentioned earlier. Rarely have I seen a superhero movie with a plot this clever, suspenseful and politically aware. I loved seeing it unfold.
The characters in this movie are all great. They really showed that these people are more than characters, they are really people. Steve Rogers/Captain America is a surprisingly relatable character with some great dialogue and is portrayed excellently by Chris Evans. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is a really well-written, badass and infinitely sexy character. She really worked and I liked how she was portrayed in this movie. She has gone from sexy badass to sexy badass person. And yes, Johansson portrayes her perfectly. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is also really great. The biggest reason I liked him in previous movies is becuase of Samuel L. Jackson’s charisma and talent. But here he actually gets some depth to the character and he actually gets some stuff to do. Do I even have to mention that Jackson’s performance is good? I mean, come on… it’s Samuel L. Jackson. But by far, my favorite character in this movie has to be the one of Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Not only did he provide some great comic relief, but he was also pretty deep and you could really believe him as a character. Plus, I love his wingsuit… it’s badass. It was also nice seeing Robert Redford in this movie. His character was really good and fit the movie. The performance was of course great since you know, it is Robert Redford.
The score by Henry Jackman reminds me a lot of two things. Firstly there are tracks which are typical superhero movie songs. Not bad ones at all, but you recognize the style… big and epic. Then we have the tracks which reminds me of the “Metal Gear Solid” games. I don’t know why they do that, but I don’t mind! Which is fitting considering that this movie (never mentioned it before which I actually should’ve… oops) is not only a badass action movie, but also a sort of spy-espionage-thriller. But I don’t mind getting a little “Metal Gear” in my Marvel. It just hightens it. But the soundtrack was great.
This movie is very well-directed. The shots are great and the camera work in general is great. I also have ot mention that the action in this movie is pretty fucking great. Not only is there pretty minimal CGI within the action, but you can also notice a lot of great stunt work and close quarters combat in this movie. Sure there is a bit of shaky-cam in this movie, but it doesn’t ruin it. It gives the movie a pretty stylish feeling, kind of like the “Bourne” trilogy which likes this movie happens to be an action franchise with some espionage stuff in it. I also found the political things in this movie really intriguing and really gave the movie an edge over most superhero movies. Another thing I liked about this movie gives off the feeling of Captain America actually being able to die. This movie puts the characters in peril and makes it so much more suspenseful… they might die. And that makes the action so much better since you know they really are in danger. Good job, writers!
This movie was really well-received when it came out. It has an 89% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On Metacritic it has a score of 70/100. And on imdb it has a 7,8/10.
“Captain America: The Winter Solder” got a great plot with some great twists, great characters, great music, political intrigue, spy-thriller elements and some of the best action in recent years from a Hollywood movie. So now it is time for my final score. *Gets thrown envelope* Woaw, thanks Cap! My final score for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a 9,76/10 which as you should know by know gets it (say it with me)… the “SEAL OF APPROVAL!”
Review of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is completed.
Since this movie was so good I am really curious to see how the Russo brothers handles “Captain America: Civil War”.
TheMarckoguy 