Hey all! Well, with a wonderful, but quick, trip home to see the parents this weekend (and to work on taxes), I know the normal “Friday Spotlight” was a no-show, but fear not…it will return next week. However, one thing that IS happening….film review! The Marvel Studios/Disney combo has truly been a juggernaut, and the string 0f movies tied to the anchor that is “The Avengers” franchise (or franchise-to-be, once “Age of Ultron” hits 2015) have all been an absolute joy to watch as some of the Marvel universe’s favorite characters have been brought to life. And of course, among these storied heroes, is the patriotic, man-out-of-time himself, Captain America, whose second solo venture is a TOTAL gem. And therefore we have…”Captain America: The Winter Soldier”.
Directed by the tandem of Anthony and Joe Russo, “The Winter Soldier” initially finds our intrepid hero, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), running laps around the reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., playfully spouting the warning “On your left!” as he passes a fellow runner multiple times until finally the other gives up, exhausted. Steve ultimately chats with the other runner, who turns out to be a fellow soldier Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who shows there’s a lot more to his skill than initially shown later on in the story, before receiving a message there is a mission to fulfill, concluding his conversation as a slick, black sports car drives up to reveal his ride, Natasha Romanoff, aka: The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) whom likewise has some fun by asking the boys directions to the Smithsonian because she needs to pick up a fossil, much to Steve’s forced laughter at a joke at his expense. Soon, the two are on a plane to be a part of a raid on a ship taken hostage by pirates and their leader Georges Batroc (Georges St. Pierre), but things are made dicey when it’s revealed the ship is actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. vessel utilized for satellite-related projects and intelligence gathering. While the raid is successful overall, it becomes clear there were other parameters to the whole operation that Steve was not aware of, and only finds out about right in the heart of the mission. Once back Stateside, Steve goes directly to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion, and confronts Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) about the lack of shared information and obviously shows that he still hasn’t quite adjusted to the world he lives in now and the way things are done by Fury. Fury chooses to show Steve what master plan is at work, and this does little to ease Steve’s mind about things. And the situation does not improve any further when a possible security threat causes Fury to turn to a high-ranking government official, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), whom we see has his own ideas and agendas in play, and it would seem not to the potential benefit of Fury or S.H.I.E.L.D. This is compounded even MORE when attempts are made to take out Fury, and that the ultimate assailant behind the attack is a legendary assassin know only as The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), someone Natasha indicates she is familiar with. As more and more secrets, lies, AND hard truths are revealed, blame is assigned, alliances are tested, the past comes roaring back for Steve, trust is lost AND earned, and it is a race to find out who is REALLY behind the initiative that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been wanting to put in place. And as always, everything is NOT as it seems! Throw in appearances by Fury’s trusted right hand, Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), our beloved Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), an elderly Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell), Dr. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), and a neighbor at Steve’s apartment complex, Kate (Emily VanCamp), who also turns out to be more than just a pretty face, and the whole build up to the inevitable conclusion keeps you hooked. And of course, how could it be a TRUE Marvel Studios film without the cameo by Stan “The Man” Lee.
Now as you can tell, I once again have to condense the recap of this amazing film, only because to TRULY delve into any more details WOULD ruin MULTIPLE aspects of the overall story being shown to us, and I just will NOT do that to you, readers! Now while I know there was some hubbub about certain spoilers that were actually revealed in the trailers for this movie, yeah, STILL won’t get into the nitty gritty of it because it is something to be seen for yourself. The film was excellent for me. The action sequences were spectacular, albeit in typical but ALWAYS entertaining super-hero fashion, and watching Rogers fight is just such an adrenaline rush! His deft use of both his hand-to-hand and shield throwing moves catapults those moments to amazing effect, and Evans I think must completely relish this character. And then there’s the OTHER side of Rogers, which also shows that his all-American attitude sticks with him, and comes out in good effect as well, and I thought this movie was a great chance to really show the struggle Rogers is having at coping with the new realities he now has to live with. And again, Evans really portrays this character well in ALL the facets that are needed. Johansson is back as The Black Widow, and the banter between her and Steve is quite entertaining as well, since often some of it comes at the most strange moments. I LOVE Johansson’s take on this character! She just brings that fiery bravado and confidence that The Black Widow needs to have, while still being able to show she DOES have a heart and IS loyal to those closest to her, as we know from previous films and hints that have been dropped that her past is nothing rosy. Jackson and Smulders are always solid for Fury and Hill. Redford is also one of those actors who is SO good at playing convincing authority figures, and his presence elevated the film for me. And then we have The Winter Soldier, who was just awesome and rendered to near-perfection is this film, down to the mask and metal arm. And it LOOKS real! He has always been a favorite of mine from the comics, so to see him come to life in this story was just excellent! And as with pretty much all the Marvel Studio films to date, there is that classic mixture of action, pathos, drama, AND humor that brings everything together so well. And as usual, the ending makes you just WANT the next film…NOW!! And make sure you stay through the WHOLE credits, as we get TWO extra scenes this time, and both are QUITE awesome when put into context of upcoming films!
So, a shorter overall review as to NOT give away anything, but this IS a film to see, especially for fans already following the Marvel Studio films as a whole. Great building on to the original film, and this is the beauty of a second installment, because with the origin storyline done, we can simply get treated to Cap doing what he does best! And, as always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Permalink