Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3/4
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence, Gunplay and Action Throughout
Another year, another superhero movie. The genre has seen entries for as long as there have been movies, but they've never been bigger than they have been in the last decade and a half. Despite what can only be described as "oversaturation" (and that's not coming close to covering how many there are), the genre is still going strong. Anything Marvel is cinema gold, especially after "The Avengers" became the third biggest blockbuster in history two years ago. Still, as tired as I am of the genre, the second "Captain America" movie is at least entertaining.
Despite being frozen for the better part of a century, Steve Rogers (Evans) is adjusting to his new period in history. He's a mega hero and one of S.H.I.E.L.D's poster boys (he even has his own museum exhibit. But an attack on a battleship has caused him to question his alliance with the organization, and one of its leaders, Nick Fury (Jackson). His suspicions arise after Fury is murdered by a nasty assassin known as The Winter Soldier (Stan). Now he and Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) are on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D, and it's CEO, Alexander Pierce (Redford), who has set in motion a plan that could forever alter life as we know it.
The film's greatest weakness is the plot. There are lots of plotholes, and badly recorded dialogue makes some scenes confusing. In general, it's easy to piece together, and it's kinda fun. Still, it suffers from a lack of ambition. The story deals with the line between freedom and safety, and as topical as the question is in today's world, it's been asked before. Many times in fact, and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" doesn't bring anything new to the table.
Where the film really shines is in the action scenes. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have accomplished what is really a lost art to all those who are not named Christopher Nolan or James Cameron: create action scenes that are actually exciting. Through tight editing, careful staging, and a great score, the Russos have fashioned a number of sequences that raise the adrenaline to acceptable levels...and they rarely shake the camera! These guys know what they're doing, and they'll be back (they're already attached to direct the sequel).
The acting is good, but no one really has enough meat to their roles to allow them to really shine. Chris Evans, who said that he will retire from acting once his contracts are up in order to concentrate on directing, is effective as the idealistic Captain America. Evans does not have great range, but he does solid work. Scarlett Johansson gets more than a glorified cameo (in what I believe is a first for the Marvel canon) and does solid work. She's good, but has been better in other roles. Samuel L. Jackson s back as Nick Fury, and Anthony Mackie joins the team as Sam Wilson, the Captain's sidekick. Robert Redford, in a very surprising change of pace, plays a villain, and he does a solid, if unspectacular job. Sebastian Stan is definitely malevolent as The Winter Soldier, which is all the more impressive because he doesn't have much dialogue.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is like that. It's good, but doesn't have the guts to try for greatness.
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence, Gunplay and Action Throughout
Another year, another superhero movie. The genre has seen entries for as long as there have been movies, but they've never been bigger than they have been in the last decade and a half. Despite what can only be described as "oversaturation" (and that's not coming close to covering how many there are), the genre is still going strong. Anything Marvel is cinema gold, especially after "The Avengers" became the third biggest blockbuster in history two years ago. Still, as tired as I am of the genre, the second "Captain America" movie is at least entertaining.
Despite being frozen for the better part of a century, Steve Rogers (Evans) is adjusting to his new period in history. He's a mega hero and one of S.H.I.E.L.D's poster boys (he even has his own museum exhibit. But an attack on a battleship has caused him to question his alliance with the organization, and one of its leaders, Nick Fury (Jackson). His suspicions arise after Fury is murdered by a nasty assassin known as The Winter Soldier (Stan). Now he and Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) are on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D, and it's CEO, Alexander Pierce (Redford), who has set in motion a plan that could forever alter life as we know it.
The film's greatest weakness is the plot. There are lots of plotholes, and badly recorded dialogue makes some scenes confusing. In general, it's easy to piece together, and it's kinda fun. Still, it suffers from a lack of ambition. The story deals with the line between freedom and safety, and as topical as the question is in today's world, it's been asked before. Many times in fact, and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" doesn't bring anything new to the table.
Where the film really shines is in the action scenes. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have accomplished what is really a lost art to all those who are not named Christopher Nolan or James Cameron: create action scenes that are actually exciting. Through tight editing, careful staging, and a great score, the Russos have fashioned a number of sequences that raise the adrenaline to acceptable levels...and they rarely shake the camera! These guys know what they're doing, and they'll be back (they're already attached to direct the sequel).
The acting is good, but no one really has enough meat to their roles to allow them to really shine. Chris Evans, who said that he will retire from acting once his contracts are up in order to concentrate on directing, is effective as the idealistic Captain America. Evans does not have great range, but he does solid work. Scarlett Johansson gets more than a glorified cameo (in what I believe is a first for the Marvel canon) and does solid work. She's good, but has been better in other roles. Samuel L. Jackson s back as Nick Fury, and Anthony Mackie joins the team as Sam Wilson, the Captain's sidekick. Robert Redford, in a very surprising change of pace, plays a villain, and he does a solid, if unspectacular job. Sebastian Stan is definitely malevolent as The Winter Soldier, which is all the more impressive because he doesn't have much dialogue.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is like that. It's good, but doesn't have the guts to try for greatness.
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