Captain America: The Winter Soldier review

Title: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Rating: PG-13

 




The Verdict: Politically relevant, suspenseful, and boasting frenetic action and an excellent cast, Captain America's newest adventure is one of Marvel's best yet.

8.5 out of 10.0

 When The Avengers was released into theaters on May 4th, 2012 it shattered box office records worldwide, earned the praise of critics and audiences alike, and solidified Marvel's position as the studio to beat when it came to superhero films. After such a triumph, could Marvel manage to replicate the success of The Avengers in future films? Iron Man 3 was hardly a worthy successor, and Thor: The Dark World was entertaining, but carried little resonance or impact upon the Marvel universe. Captain America: The Winter Soldier however, truly lives up to the standard set by The Avengers.


 After the cataclysmic events in New York City with the Avengers, The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, (Chris Evans), aka Captain America, battling villains under the watchful eye of SHIELD, while attempting to adjust to life in the modern world. But after an attempt is made on SHIELD director Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) life, Steve becomes caught in a web of intrigue that (as usual) threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson,) Steve struggles to expose the vast conspiracy, but soon comes face to face with a formidable and mysterious enemy: the Winter Soldier.


 Captain America: The Winter Soldier is, at heart, an action film, and the fight sequences are unsurprisingly thrilling and brilliantly executed. Never does the film resort to simply blowing stuff up for the sake of blowing stuff up. From car chases to helicarrier battles, every action scene in The Winter Soldier is intense, purposeful, and wonderfully entertaining. 

 Fight scenes aside, one must give credit to Captain America himself for some of the film's success. Chris Evans turns in his best performance yet as the shield-wielding Steve Rogers, perfectly capturing Cap's longing for the world he has left behind, and his dedication to defending the world he finds himself in now. As entertaining as the lead character is, it's his redheaded sidekick who threatens to steal the show. Scarlett Johansson infuses the enigmatic Black Widow with sarcasm, emotion, and a fantastic sense of humor; much of the film's fun comes from her lively performance. While he isn't revealed until a ways into the film, Sebastian Stan brings a surprising amount of depth and emotion to the titular Winter Soldier, making him far more than just a generic comic book villain. Anthony Mackie brings some much needed diversity to the Marvel universe as the Falcon, who assists the Captain and Black Widow on their mission, and Cobie Smulders and Emily VanCamp are excellent as Agents Maria Hill and Sharon Carter, respectively. Indeed, the only problem with Smulders and VanCamp's performances is the fact that the film sorely underuses both their characters. Neither actress receives the screen time they or their characters deserve. Additionally, both Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson are unsurprisingly stellar as SHIELD commanders Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury.

 But apart from the thrilling chases and talented cast, what really makes The Winter Soldier enjoyable is its relevance to the world we're living in today. There's multiple debates regarding our national security, a major plot point involves the government monitoring the public, and Black Widow even pulls an Edward Snowden by releasing classified documents onto the World Wide Web. While Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World were certainly enjoyable, the planet earth featured in those films feels wildly different from the one we find ourselves in. The Winter Soldier on the other hand, embraces the world as it is, both the good and the bad, and because of that, truly manages to connect with the audience. It asks serious questions about our freedoms, and the actions our government takes to protect those freedoms. It presents us with a startlingly real picture of the world around us, and not just through the questions that it asks. Captain America: The Winter Soldier shows us that regardless of the actions of governments, politicians, or comic book-inspired terrorist groups, there will always be those that stand up for what is right. And these days, that's treated as an old-fashioned idea. We're not as grateful for the freedoms we enjoy as we once were. America and the ideals she represents are not respected as they should be. But The Winter Soldier is the kind of film that makes you proud to be an American. It makes you respect that "old-fashioned" idea of heroism. It makes you want to run outside, grab a shield, and fight for what you believe in. And that's a good thing.