I think Marvel has been doing an amazing job with the universe they are building. Even the lesser movies in the series are still fun to watch. Each respective director they have chosen have done well with the material they're given. They've also done a great job with casting. Robert Downey Jr. was a no-brainer as Tony Stark. Then out of left field came Chris Evans as Captain America. I thought he nailed the part in the first movie, and he has only gotten better since then.
In Winter Soldier, Captain America (Chris Evans, Fantastic Four) has been around in the current time for a while now after having been frozen for the last 70 years. He came from a time where loyalty, honor, and truth all meant something. Now he's been thrust into a jaded, cynical world where you don't know who you can trust. That is exactly what he is trying to figure out through this film. Someone has infiltrated SHIELD and he doesn't know who he can trust anymore. I can't go into any more than that without hitting spoilers. To top things off, he also runs into a trained soviet killer with a metal arm, simply named the Winter Soldier, who seems to be just as fast an tough as he is.
CA:WS has the feel of an old 70's political thriller. And it even throws in Robert Redford (All the President's Men) as Alexander Pierce. The story at it's core is pretty grounded and intriguing, with a few of those fanciful outlandish comic book plot points thrown into the mix quite well. If you are one who finds political thrillers a little on the dry side, don't worry, there are some amazing action scenes.....and plenty of them. They managed to mix this great story with almost non-stop action.
If you've been following the Marvel universe, then you will be familiar with a lot of the actors and the characters they play. We of course have Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane) returning as Nick Fury (and if you like him, that's good, because his role keeps expanding with each film). Then there is Scarlett Johansson (Don Jon) as Black Widow (always sexy and kick-ass). There is some new blood as well, and they hold their own quite well against the seasoned pros of the series. Already mentioned is Robert Redford as Pierce. It almost seems like this role was written specifically for him, he fit it so perfectly. The newcomer that you will all want to see more of after this movie is Anthony Mackie (Pain & Gain) as Falcon. He basically is Captain America's new sidekick in this movie and the chemistry between those two actors is amazing. They play off of each other like they've been doing this for years.
The Marvel movies have all done a great job of tying in with each other, but also working as stand-alone films. This balance is one of the many things I love about these movies. And it's another thing that CA:WS does very well. It helps to see the other movies to get small references, but you can see it alone and still get 100% enjoyment out of it. I know I'm a little biased for comic movies, but I've tried, and I really can't find anything at all to criticize this movie about. The rest of the comic movies this year have their work cut out for them....and, in my opinion, the rest of the movies in general.
As a side note, there was a passing mention of Dr. Strange's name. Exciting. And for all my fellow Iowans, Iowa City gets a small shout out. Bottom line, though, go see this movie.....right now. You will not regret it.
Rating: ********** (10 out of 10)
Memorable Quote:
Black Widow: Would you like to play a game?
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