Marvel Mania: MCU Phase 2- Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo


Plot Summary: Working under S.H.I.E.L.D. after the events in New York, Steve Rogers is informed by Director Nick Fury about Project Insight: three Helicarriers linked to spy satellites, designed to eliminate potential threats. When Fury is ambushed by a mystery assassin known as the Winter Soldier, he escapes to Rogers' apartment and hands him a flash drive with important data regarding Project Insight. Fury also tells Rogers not to trust anyone, as he fears S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised by Hydra. When Rogers is summoned by senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official Alexander Pierce to explain Fury's motives, Rogers refuses to give up any information and is branded a fugitive by Pierce. Enlisting the help of Agent Natasha Romanoff and former USAF pararescueman Sam Wilson, Rogers must uncover the mysteries surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, the Winter Soldier, and Project Insight.


With only a few movies to go before Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was crucial for the momentum of the MCU to be at the highest quality. So when Marvel announced Captain America: The Winter Soldier, fans had some serious high hopes for this film to deliver. Adapted from one of the most popular Captain America storylines, fans were really hoping for something spectacular now that Captain America would have an entire film devoted to him in our modern time. The film was received with universal acclaim, considered one of the absolute best movies in the MCU, along with Iron Man and The Avengers. Admittedly, this was the film in Phase 2 I was most excited for (other than Age of Ultron) because of the inclusion of the Winter Soldier storyline, but there was much more besides the stuff with the Winter Solider that made this film an absolute thrill to watch.

Chris Evans returns as the heroic Steve Rogers. The thing about Evans that works as Rogers is that he has to play him as a man who is courageous and honorable. He has specific loyalties towards specific ideals and will go at any lengths to protect those ideals, such as freedom and honor. One of the things I love about Captain America in this movie is how much his fighting ability has improved. You can imagine he trains hard in his spare time and is trying to be up to date on more than just pop culture references. He's probably studying the greatest forms of combat over the decades to become a supreme fighting machine. He's even able to take it to Georges St. Pierre, who plays the villainous Batroc the Leaper, in one scene. This next part only has some minor spoilers, hence why I won't mark it in all bold caps (that and the fact that the spoilers are really freaking obvious). Sebastian Stan plays the Winter Soldier, who is later revealed to be a brainwashed Bucky Barnes. For most of the film, the Winter Soldier's identity is made a secret, so a lot of the first impressions are based on his fights with Captain America. Those fight scenes were wonderfully choreographed and showed a chemistry that was natural for rivals (or best friends) to have with each other. Once his identity is revealed, Stan has an opportunity to play a confused and conflicted character, and it adds a lot of drama to the climax on whether or not he will remember who he is.

One of Cap's allies in the film is Natasha Romanoff, played once again by Scarlett Johansson. As far as characters in the MCU go, Black Widow was one of the characters to receive the most scrutiny from moviegoers, pointing out her involvement as being the token girl character. However, Johansson really had an opportunity to silence skeptics and show Black Widow could hang with the major characters. She is an expert in combat and interrogation, making her an excellent agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., but also shows that Rogers may only want to trust her to an extent. She shows her value though, and we even get to see some layers of her character peeled back and an actual partnership develops between her and Captain America, instead of a forced relationship. A new character addition is Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie. Wilson (also known as Falcon) is a comrade that Rogers befriends over a talk about modern pop culture he should catch up on (Wilson suggests Marvin Gaye), and becomes one of the only people in the film Rogers fully trusts. You see a bond established between them over shared war stories, and he proves to be a useful asset once he busts out his armored wings to fly. Those scenes with his flight are absolutely exhilarating, and Mackie fit like a glove with the rest of the main cast (particularly his chemistry with Evans and Johansson). I'm really excited to explore more with Falcon as the MCU progresses, and I'd love to see him join the Avengers in combat down the road.

And then we get to some great performances from two veteran actors in this film. Naturally, we get to continue watching Samuel L. Jackson deliver as Nick Fury, in easily Fury's most involved film role. It's always awesome to see Jackson be as BA as possible, and Fury has one of the MCU's biggest highlights when he is in an action-packed car chase in order to escape the assailants who have ambushed him. Rounding out this terrific cast is screen legend Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce. Does Redford fully assume the role and transform himself into a unique character? Probably not, but I don't think that's a bad thing here. What you see is what you get. The MCU had the privilege of casting one of the most iconic actors of all-time, THE Robert Redford, to be a villain in a Marvel film. The best thing Redford did when playing Pierce was making him both dignified and deceptive all at once, a combination that really makes Pierce a character you can't trust.

I'm very comfortable with calling Captain America: The Winter Soldier a game changer. This film completely altered how moviegoers could look at a film about a superhero, in the same regard that The Dark Knight did. Whereas The Dark Knight created a darker and edgier tone for the comic book film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier took a film about a superhero and presented a narrative that reflected a spy thriller. Our hero was constantly on the run, his loyalties were tested by both his allies and his enemies, and problems were solved with technology and strategy more than fists and superpowers. Not every superhero film can be like that either, so it makes this film really stand out and feel unique. Add this to the historical tone that was set in Captain America: The First Avenger, and the epic tone that is sure to be associated with Captain America: Civil War, and you have the makings of a very diverse and entertaining franchise of superhero films for the super-soldier.

After a film like this, the mid-credits and post-credits scenes should hopefully deliver in tons of quality. Also, *SPOILERS*...

In the mid-credits scene, we are introduced to Baron von Strucker, played by Thomas Kretschmann, who is in possession of Loki's scepter, and has proclaimed the "age of miracles" has begun. Cut to two prison cells containing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. WOW! With the debut of two fan favorite Avengers' characters, a major game changer was thrown into the mix of storylines heading into Age of Ultron. Then we get to the post-credits scene, which showed the Winter Soldier at the Captain America Smithsonian exhibit looking at Bucky's memorial. It was a small tease, but it assured audiences the Winter Soldier (or Bucky...?) would be back down the road.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Like Iron Man and The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of those films from Marvel that changed the landscape of the superhero genre. This film cemented Captain America as my favorite franchise within the MCU. Definitely check this film out as a standalone and before Age of Ultron. Add this superhero spy thriller to your DVD collection, and here's hoping Captain America: Civil War can keep the momentum of the franchise going strong.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier and movie images are copyrighted by Marvel Studios