Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Redford.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay, and action throughout.
It's no secret to those who know me that I am a BIG fan of comic book movies. I never got into the actual comics themselves, but I familiarize myself with these characters through my own research and from my experiences watching all the cartoons as a child. What Marvel Studios has done with their cinematic universe is something I would have never thought possible. Phase 1 consisted of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, all leading up to their big team-up in The Avengers. Phase 2 officially began with Iron Man 3, which disappointed me immensely. Thor: The Dark World brought some fun action, and it's always great to see Loki again, but I had yet to see anything as good as the Phase 1 films. Luckily, Phase 2 has found its Holy Grail in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is now one of SHIELD's top agents. He is now leading special op teams to eliminate threats all over the world. At his side is Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. Cap's orders are to save lives while Natasha always seems to have her own set of morally questionable orders from SHIELD head Nick Fury. Rogers has difficulty adjusting to the modern world where things are no longer black and white, but riddled with gray. When the mysterious assassin, known as the Winter Soldier, leads an attack on SHIELD, Rogers must evaluate whom he can trust as it is evident that SHIELD has been compromised, and stop the Winter Soldier before more people die.
It's hard to write the premise for the film without heading into some major spoiler territory. For those of you who are familiar with the comics, there won't be too many surprises, but if you're not familiar with these new characters, then it's best you go in knowing as little as possible. Regardless of your familiarity with the source material, the film is still packed with plenty of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. This is a knockout action thriller masquerading as a superhero movie. The summer movie season does not technically start until May, but who are we kidding? This is the first big movie blockbuster of the year, and it has set the standard for the rest of the summer ridiculously high.
The action is some of the best you'll see from the genre. Marvel typically has its heroes pitted against supernatural and fantastical beings, while The Winter Soldier has two human men (with super strength) go head to head, and the results are fantastic. When Captain America and the Winter Soldier have their first battle on the streets of D.C., I just about passed out from fanboy excitement. Alright, that was a bit hyperbolic, but its a fantastic fight sequence that is more gritty than anything we've seen from Marvel. Everything is exciting in this movie, and the stakes are incredibly high, which once again makes you wonder why Iron Man and The Hulk do not show up to help out a bit, but I think we all recognize that that will only happen in The Avengers films.
The movie may be about ten minutes too long, but there are so many thrilling sequences that you're not going to be complaining too much. It has the perfect blend of levity and intense, smart thrills. I have seen the film twice now, and I feel fairly confident in placing this one as my second favorite Marvel Studios film behind The Avengers. Yes, it's that good! And I just have to say it...the Winter Soldier is freaking badass!!!
RATING: A
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