Directed by brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo, best known for their work in television comedy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a film that spins an interesting future for the Avengers cast of superheroes but struggles to tell a compelling story in its own right. Wrestling to find his place in the new world, Steven Rodgers must battle a new threat in the form of the Winter Soldier, a ruthlessly efficient assassin with a mechanised arm. To make matters worse he’s also uncovered a conspiracy at the heart of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I really loved that there was a true feeling of character to Steve in this one, or rather him trying to find his character in this brand new world. Everything is heightened and technology has improved, and you really felt for him as he has to struggle to maintain character yet decide what is right in this new world. Even The actors get plenty of room to breathe, Samuel L Jackson gives his best performance as Nick Fury yet, helped massively by the witty screenplay that gives him many a zinger to play off. Scarlett Johansson fares similarly, settling into Black Widow extremely comfortably at this stage. Chris Evans’ uniformed boy-scout actually sticks well here. New additions to the already amazing cast are also great, from Anthony Mackie’s likeable Falcon to Sebastian Stan taking on a whole new character in the form of the infamous Winter Soldier. Seemingly not given much to do to begin with, he leaves the lasting impression on you; from his cold stare to his swaggering manner, he’s the coolest thing about this movie.
Finally, a solo film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe got the villain right. Actually, let me rephrase that. An MCU film brought a totally kick-ass, shockingly cool bad guy to a Captain America movie. For all the faults of The First Avenger it did hold a personality and even turned an overly serious character into a relatable hero. Naturally, given the move to the present day, a shift in tone was needed but in doing so not only have Marvel quickly turned Captain America into the dullest Avenger but criminally side-lined him in his own film and turned it into a S.H.I.E.L.D movie. Not only that but it is far more interesting for what it means for future films in the Marvel universe than it is as a standalone experience. I think Captain America: The Winter Soldier has possibly become one of my favourite Marvel films to date. There was a great balance of political intrigue and mind-blowing action, with enough room to explore and develop our beloved characters further. You can tell a lot of effort went into creating a great story with lots of emotion, by people who really understand and love the characters involved.
One common complaint about Captain America: The First Avenger was the lack of humour or comic relief. This didn’t particularly stand out to me when watching the first movie, but you can tell the writers have taken this on board for the sequel and have created a good balance of humour, which is used well to relieve the tense moments when necessary but does not take away from any emotional impact.
An essential thing you’ll have to do to fully enjoy this film is having a willingness to accept the predictable unpredictability of the script. It is a bit of an uneven narrative. It handles the darker aspects rather well and actually succeeds in creating a bonkers but fantastic, Bond-esque threat that actually feels palpable and as if there really are things at stake. But on the other hand it handles the intrigue poorly, abandoning opportunities for truly fooling its audience and instead opting for one cliché too many times.
The production offers intense action, well-rendered characters, and exciting visuals. Thrilling and sometimes almost brutal, the Russo’s show soaring action set pieces created to rattle bones. Every punch is firmly felt, and every leap flies. The pacing is swift but yields to moments of intrigue that elevate the entire experience.
The film’s action scenes are well-choreographed and are pleasing to watch but the final big battle somewhat damaged the whole experience, it was too long and the excessive CGI use ruined the good atmosphere of the film for me but overall the action sequences fit in well with the film and the pace. Henry Jackman’s vigorous score successfully captures the spirit of the film and makes it definitely makes it more fun to watch.
This is the movie I always believed Marvel was capable of, the one that would nail the tone and the atmosphere and find a perfect balance of everything needed to tell a great story had finally arrived, and it was directed by the Russo brothers, a couple of comedy guys who seemingly had no business crafting something so cool.
This movie is such a unique piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because I don’t think they will ever get a chance to tell another story with this much of a real world feel to it. I would highly recommend checking out Cap’s second solo movie again, if you are in the mood for an action movie done right.
Entertaining and spectacularly full of action, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is riveting. Combining the narrative stuff of political thrillers with the gripping set pieces of great action cinema, the film is fast, fully-developed, and appealing. Crafted with skill and polish, it is a grand superhero effort.
Film Reviews by Chloe 