MCU Rewind #9 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Review
Release date (US): April 4th, 2014
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rating: PG-13
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emil VanCamp, Anthony Mackie
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 9.3/10
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 9.3/10
Expectations/Background: I knew what I was expecting when going into this movie. I have seen this countless times, and for a reason. This was the first MCU movie I saw in theaters, and truly loved. LOVED. The first time I walked out of the theater for this movie, I knew that this movie was something special. And I've seen it countless times after that, and I knew that when entering this rewatch, I would love this movie. We need say no more.
The Movie: What I realize after watching this movie again is how brilliant and how deep this movie is. Perhaps not deep in a way that it's philosophical, but deep in a way that the plot is so subversive and it takes beloved characters and completely flips them on their heads. It takes everything you think you know about Steve Rogers and subverts it. This film is brilliant.
Positives: There are so many great things about this movie, and I think the best place to start is the beginning. From the get-go, the dialogue is sharp, and you can tell. From the very beginning, with "on your left", you feel this sense of ease as you watch familiar characters interact with new favorites. The Russos, as well as Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus (the writers) do such a great job developing their characters and giving them great lines to say ("air conditioning is fully operational").
Also from the first few minutes, you notice how much sharper the action. In Captain America: The First Avenger, while it's not something that necessarily stands out and bothers you, the action isn't the best, especially with the slow-motion montage in the middle. Right away, you see how the Russos are able to take a simple circular shield and use it in so many different ways. Cap is more skilled, versatile, and agile in this film, and there's a heavier focus on the martial arts as you see with his fight with Batroc the Leaper.
Let's talk about a weak point in the previous films that is a huge strength of this one; the story. The story in this film is brilliant, and to this day, may be the best through-line of any MCU film to date. The way the Russos go about this spy-espionage type of story, trying to constantly take your expectations and flip it on your head is masterful. From the beginning, they have you on your toes as you ask yourself, "Who can you trust?" That's the mark of great storytelling, when you're not sure, as an audience member, who you're supposed to trust.
Supporting cast members are also amazing. I wasn't so high on Emily VanCamp's Agent 13, but she was fine. Anthony Mackie is one of the best new foils to Steve's character, and is an awesome addition to the Avengers. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is also amazing as well, adding new layers to a character that we have grown to love. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders are great as well. And Sebastian Stan and Robert Redford are brilliant.
And what I love most about this film is that it has consistency and it has heart. From the beginning, this is a story about Steve Rogers and his journey to discover what his place in the world really is, as the layers underneath his feet begin to crumble. His allegiance to SHIELD is put into question as he realizes HYDRA has compromised it. His best friend returns from the dead, but as the mercenary the Winter Soldier. I love the interaction between Steve and Sam where there standing on a bridge and Sam tells him straight up, "He's not there anymore. This is the type of person you fight.", but Steve responds with, "I can still bring him back." That's who Steve is at his core, and even though everything in this movie was taken away from him, he is still so purely Steve Rogers.
There is real raw emotion too. I remember this was the first MCU film that I felt something truly emotional at the end. I love how the Russos always use lines said by characters in the past to their advantage. When Bucky is beating up Steve, you see that Bucky is so conflicted between his mission and his heart, and Steve, being Steve, lets Bucky beat him up. When he calls back to, "I'm with you til the end of the line," that was the crux of the film. Outside all the espionage and all the thriller aspects of the film, this is the story about Steve trying to get his friend back, and that line encapsulates it so perfectly and so wonderfully.
Side note - while the score isn't as "memorable" per se, like a Star Wars score might be, I do enjoy the music quite a bit. It really embodies what the "spy theme" is of the film when Steve is doing battle. It has a tense, fast-paced feel, and while it's not quite memorable, it integrates itself into the film in a great way.
Negatives: No film is perfect, and this film has a few things that I was a little puzzled at. These aren't quite major complaints, but rather "nit-picks", as I don't think there are many things inherently "wrong" with this film.
One of the things I don't quite like about this film, and I understand that this may be by design, so this might be a personal preference, is the color scheme of the film. The Russos, as is their trademark, like to use gray and dark colors that are rather bland. And when you watch the film, there really isn't any color ever. Everything seemed to be going through a gray filter, and the film lacks vibrancy.
There are also a few things that bothered me plot-wise; for example, when Nick Fury is down underneath the car, they didn't establish the technology that he could cut through the ground and escape through a tunnel, but apparently he could. That I can get by - what did bother me was that Bucky didn't even remotely try to go after him. Another thing that rather bothered me was putting the file device in a vending machine. HYDRA could have easily gotten their hands on it, but even worse, a random person could have as well. That, to me, was never the best place to hide the film's biggest secret, but that's something you can bypass very easily.
And what sets this apart from other films like Civil War, is that there isn't really "THE SCENE". When you watch this movie, it's such a great movie through and through, and you're completely hooked throughout the film. But when you look at the film from a critical standpoint, there isn't that "one scene" where you go, "this is what defines this movie".
But then again, maybe this movie doesn't need one.
The Villain(s): Many people don't talk of Robert Redford's Alexander Pierce when talking about the best Marvel villains. But to me, he is one of the best, not because he is the most powerful, but because of how subtle his performance is. This is the first time they went out and got a major, major actor to play one of their characters (Subsequently, Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Michael Douglas, Cate Blanchett) and it pays off. The subtleness that he plays the character with is superb, and there isn't that one moment where he "goes insane". Bucky/the Winer Soldier works for what he's given, which isn't much. His role really is reduced to looking as evil as possible, and for the most part, he achieves that. And Frank Grillo's Brock Rumlow does his part too, just being there to oppose Steve and set up his role in future films.
Positives: There are so many great things about this movie, and I think the best place to start is the beginning. From the get-go, the dialogue is sharp, and you can tell. From the very beginning, with "on your left", you feel this sense of ease as you watch familiar characters interact with new favorites. The Russos, as well as Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus (the writers) do such a great job developing their characters and giving them great lines to say ("air conditioning is fully operational").
Also from the first few minutes, you notice how much sharper the action. In Captain America: The First Avenger, while it's not something that necessarily stands out and bothers you, the action isn't the best, especially with the slow-motion montage in the middle. Right away, you see how the Russos are able to take a simple circular shield and use it in so many different ways. Cap is more skilled, versatile, and agile in this film, and there's a heavier focus on the martial arts as you see with his fight with Batroc the Leaper.
Let's talk about a weak point in the previous films that is a huge strength of this one; the story. The story in this film is brilliant, and to this day, may be the best through-line of any MCU film to date. The way the Russos go about this spy-espionage type of story, trying to constantly take your expectations and flip it on your head is masterful. From the beginning, they have you on your toes as you ask yourself, "Who can you trust?" That's the mark of great storytelling, when you're not sure, as an audience member, who you're supposed to trust.
Supporting cast members are also amazing. I wasn't so high on Emily VanCamp's Agent 13, but she was fine. Anthony Mackie is one of the best new foils to Steve's character, and is an awesome addition to the Avengers. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is also amazing as well, adding new layers to a character that we have grown to love. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders are great as well. And Sebastian Stan and Robert Redford are brilliant.
And what I love most about this film is that it has consistency and it has heart. From the beginning, this is a story about Steve Rogers and his journey to discover what his place in the world really is, as the layers underneath his feet begin to crumble. His allegiance to SHIELD is put into question as he realizes HYDRA has compromised it. His best friend returns from the dead, but as the mercenary the Winter Soldier. I love the interaction between Steve and Sam where there standing on a bridge and Sam tells him straight up, "He's not there anymore. This is the type of person you fight.", but Steve responds with, "I can still bring him back." That's who Steve is at his core, and even though everything in this movie was taken away from him, he is still so purely Steve Rogers.
There is real raw emotion too. I remember this was the first MCU film that I felt something truly emotional at the end. I love how the Russos always use lines said by characters in the past to their advantage. When Bucky is beating up Steve, you see that Bucky is so conflicted between his mission and his heart, and Steve, being Steve, lets Bucky beat him up. When he calls back to, "I'm with you til the end of the line," that was the crux of the film. Outside all the espionage and all the thriller aspects of the film, this is the story about Steve trying to get his friend back, and that line encapsulates it so perfectly and so wonderfully.
Side note - while the score isn't as "memorable" per se, like a Star Wars score might be, I do enjoy the music quite a bit. It really embodies what the "spy theme" is of the film when Steve is doing battle. It has a tense, fast-paced feel, and while it's not quite memorable, it integrates itself into the film in a great way.
Negatives: No film is perfect, and this film has a few things that I was a little puzzled at. These aren't quite major complaints, but rather "nit-picks", as I don't think there are many things inherently "wrong" with this film.
One of the things I don't quite like about this film, and I understand that this may be by design, so this might be a personal preference, is the color scheme of the film. The Russos, as is their trademark, like to use gray and dark colors that are rather bland. And when you watch the film, there really isn't any color ever. Everything seemed to be going through a gray filter, and the film lacks vibrancy.
There are also a few things that bothered me plot-wise; for example, when Nick Fury is down underneath the car, they didn't establish the technology that he could cut through the ground and escape through a tunnel, but apparently he could. That I can get by - what did bother me was that Bucky didn't even remotely try to go after him. Another thing that rather bothered me was putting the file device in a vending machine. HYDRA could have easily gotten their hands on it, but even worse, a random person could have as well. That, to me, was never the best place to hide the film's biggest secret, but that's something you can bypass very easily.
And what sets this apart from other films like Civil War, is that there isn't really "THE SCENE". When you watch this movie, it's such a great movie through and through, and you're completely hooked throughout the film. But when you look at the film from a critical standpoint, there isn't that "one scene" where you go, "this is what defines this movie".
But then again, maybe this movie doesn't need one.
The Villain(s): Many people don't talk of Robert Redford's Alexander Pierce when talking about the best Marvel villains. But to me, he is one of the best, not because he is the most powerful, but because of how subtle his performance is. This is the first time they went out and got a major, major actor to play one of their characters (Subsequently, Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Michael Douglas, Cate Blanchett) and it pays off. The subtleness that he plays the character with is superb, and there isn't that one moment where he "goes insane". Bucky/the Winer Soldier works for what he's given, which isn't much. His role really is reduced to looking as evil as possible, and for the most part, he achieves that. And Frank Grillo's Brock Rumlow does his part too, just being there to oppose Steve and set up his role in future films.
The Verdict: This was the first MCU movie that I knew was a slam dunk. This was everything you wanted out of an MCU film and a sequel - it took developed characters, taking your expectations and completely destroying them as Steve Rogers has his world turned upside down. The action is amazing, the heart is evident, and the storyline is awesome. For what The Avengers did to the genre, The Winter Soldier did as well, showing a different side of the superhero movie that we had never seen before. Letter Grade: A. Number Score: 9.4/10
Should I Skip?: Simply for the quality of this film, not you should not. This is a film that is definitely worth seeing before continuing through the MCU as it establishes Cap as the hero we have come to love.
TLDR: Captain America and Black Widow are running missions for SHIELD when a mysterious assassin "kills" Nick Fury. On the run, they discover that HYDRA has slowly been taking over SHIELD over the years. Steve also discovers that this assassin is his long lost friend, Bucky Barnes. HYDRA/SHIELD plans to kill off anyone who would be a threat to them, but Steve, Natasha, a new ally Falcon, and Nick, who was revealed to be alive, take down this plot. Steve confronts Bucky, who eventually saves his life and disappears. Steve and Sam go off and try to find him, leaving the door open for the future of the MCU.
9-10: Nearly Perfect
Should I Skip?: Simply for the quality of this film, not you should not. This is a film that is definitely worth seeing before continuing through the MCU as it establishes Cap as the hero we have come to love.
TLDR: Captain America and Black Widow are running missions for SHIELD when a mysterious assassin "kills" Nick Fury. On the run, they discover that HYDRA has slowly been taking over SHIELD over the years. Steve also discovers that this assassin is his long lost friend, Bucky Barnes. HYDRA/SHIELD plans to kill off anyone who would be a threat to them, but Steve, Natasha, a new ally Falcon, and Nick, who was revealed to be alive, take down this plot. Steve confronts Bucky, who eventually saves his life and disappears. Steve and Sam go off and try to find him, leaving the door open for the future of the MCU.
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.
A- to A+: Amazing
B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed
C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed
D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws
F: A Failure of a Film
8-9: Very Good
7-8: Good
6-7: Okay
5-6: Average/Mediocre
4-5: Apparently Flawed
3-4: Heavily Flawed
2-3: A complete and utter mess
0-2: A Failure of a Film
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