(there could be spoilers)
REVIEW
This week it was confirmed that Captain America 3 would be hitting our screens in 2016, without part two being on the big screen. This is a bold statement from Marvel considering that I (and i’m sure everyone else) was disappointed by the first film. So where has this vote of confidence come from, well it could be down to the fact that this film is very good.
Well firstly I have to get something off my chest regarding the recent promotion of this film, why do we need so many exclusive clips of this film? First we had a 6 minute clip of a great action scene, followed in the last month by the first ten minutes, yes ten minutes, shown before the recent “300: Rise Of An Empire” film. Throw in the multiple trailers and it would be hard for anyone to not feel like they’ve seen the whole thing before sitting down before this film. Were Marvel worried that the audience doesn’t want to see another Captain America film? Well I would like to throw this plea out there, stop showing these extended clips!
Marvel have always thought outside the box when it comes to choosing directors and the Winter Soldier is no exception, they have chosen prolific television directors Anthony and Joe Russo. These guys have a track record in comedies but apparently were hired on the basis of their excellent action packed paintball episodes of the television show “Community”, For me this is a master stroke as the action in this film is some of the best i’ve seen in a Marvel film. Captain America. In the previous movies the shield has been used as, well a shield, but in this one its all part of his offense. The fights are fluid and well paced with Cap now able to call on a wide spread fighting styles to take down an opponent and its definitely impressive, enough so that I had a good smile on my face and found an occasional “whoa” whisper out my mouth.
As with most the films in this Marvel Universe Cap isn’t alone when action is required. In this film he calls upon the services of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and introducing Anthony Mackie as The Falcon. By now we all know what the Black Widow brings to the table, but it’s the first time we really get to see what Nick Fury is like under attack without his super buddies around, and its pretty badass.
As a character Captain America isn’t going to be the lighting up the screen with witty remarks every two minutes, Marvel have Iron Man for that, but what you do get in this film is plenty of heart. Briefly in “The Avengers” we got a feel for how Steve Rogers felt after waking from his cold sleep, its not the advancement of technology or the world thats different but the people in the world that he has the biggest issue with . This is a man that was willing to sacrifice everything to put an end to evil, but found out it changed nothing.
The Winters Soldier is the first film in the series that is more of a conspiracy thriller than a Superhero piece. This works well for the first half of the film, as its action packed and fast flowing whilst giving the audience a good amount of character building. Its inevitable then that things slow down in the second half, with alot of information being thrown at the screen whilst Cap goes undercover to find the truth. This is all before it turns into a formulaic end battle that we used to seeing from Marvel, I think this is the forth Marvel in a row that ends with some sort of battle in the sky, this please has to stop.
What about the actual Winter Soldier though? Well its not a spoiler to say that the Winter Soldier is Steve Rogers childhood friend, Bucky, who was presumed dead in the first film. We get a little exposition as to how he survived for this long, but not a great amount. The Winter Soldier is alright as an evil Captain America clone (possible future clue) but overall he is a little disappointing in terms of villainy.
All this doesn’t matter too much though as Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a very good film that tries something different, even if they don’t go the whole way and change the final act template that the company obviously pulls out on every script meeting they have.
VERDICT
A very good film that attempts a different tone from the other heroes films. A good sign as phase two of Marvels expanding superhero world, comes to an end.
RATING
Please feel free to comment below if you have any opinions regarding this review or film.
5 STARS = EXCELLENT
4 STARS = VERY GOOD
3 STARS = GOOD
2 STARS = POOR
1 STAR = TERRIBLE
Despicable Leigh And His Super Friends 