“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Review

The sequel to ‘Captain America‘ is the shot in the arm superhero movies needed. While other films of the genre struggle to write in heroes and villains for a modern audience, ‘The Winter Soldier‘ is aware of exactly what it wants to be. It ends up being the only Marvel movie out of Disney that not only has a tight and intriguing script, but has a lot to say about our world’s security and how it can get the best of our trust. And the best part is that it still manages to get away with adding in more heroes and villains to an already exciting political thriller.

Trying to find a purpose for his place as an unfrozen hero in the 21st century, Steve Rogers continues working for Nick Fury of the secretive S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Continuing to don the Captain America suit, he ends up dealing with hostage situations and taking out terrorists. However, when he discovers that Black Widow and Nick Fury have been keeping information from him on his missions, Rogers begins to have severe doubts about the level of security and trust within the organization. The upcoming deployment of three massive Helicarriers doesn’t thrill him too much either.

Steve’s doubts are rightfully justified when a high level of corruption and assassinations start taking place within S.H.I.E.L.D. Trusting no one, Steve ends up on the lamb with crucial data that reveals an insidious plot leading to the rebirth of the long-dead menacing group, Hydra. And just in case wave after wave of secret Hydra agents armed to the teeth wasn’t enough of a challenge, Captain America must also deal with the mysterious and powerful Winter Soldier. This won’t be an easy fight as the Winter Soldier can match the star-striped hero’s power and has an emotional edge when his true identity is revealed.

Who would’ve thought that Anthony and Joe Russo, the two guys behind ‘Community‘, could deliver such a bracing thrill ride. These boys don’t waste a frame or a shot. It really embodies the whole atmosphere and complex nature of a spy film while still continuing the story of a soldier soldier frozen in time. For a film that features an old talking computer and cyborg soldier, ‘The Winter Soldier’ manages to be well-grounded conspiracy thriller that takes all the correct and exciting routes you’d hope it would take. The paranoia and fear of the underground Hydra organization infiltrating SHIELD feels very real and incredibly gritty.

This is due mostly in part to the action sequences which are beyond words. With Captain America hopping and skipping around wide sets while Falcon zooms through the sky, there is quite a bit going on in these scenes. And, for the most part, they’re not just excuses for flashy CGI (though it does look pretty cool when those Helicarriers ascend). When Nick Fury is assaulted by Hydra agents early in the film, it’s an attack that is hard and fast with no punches pulled. Hydra presents itself as a real and seemingly unstoppable threat especially with the Winter Soldier going toe-to-toe with Captain America. The fight scenes between these two are so brutal you feel every punch.

That’s not to say there isn’t any room for fun. The opening sequence in which Steve Rogers dashes around a captured boat taking out terrorists left and right really brought a smile to my face. It’s a scene packed with plenty of fun takedowns and witty one-liners that gets the movie off to an enthusiastic start. The two directors do get a little crazy with the shaky-cam effects, but that’s understandable given how much is going on. In the scene where the Helicarriers are in the air firing wildly in all directions, you really do want to see the entire area of carnage.

Once again, the Russo brothers stun me with a script I wouldn’t expect to be so grand and layered. For one, Steve Rogers is the most interesting of the colorful characters not just for how he attempts to adapt to modern culture, but also how he tries to comprehend the new state of security. He’s wary of SHIELD’s restrictions and the need for more weapons when trust and communications are placed on levels. Even with all his super-soldier powers, the man still feels helpless when there are so many forces at work behind the scenes that he ends up flexing more of his brain muscles to unravel the corruption.

This turns the film into more of an espionage thriller than your standard superhero film. It takes so many twist and turns that there never is a dull moment as you get to play the guessing game of who is working for Hydra. There are so many secret plans and weapons revealed in the epic climax I can’t even begin to describe the exact events within a few sentences. It really is a masterfully crafted dance of shocking realizations and pulse-pounding action you just have to see to appreciate.

But the most admirable part of the script is that on top of this great story, the Russo boys manage to write in the hero of Falcon and the programmed villain Winter Soldier. I was especially impressed with the development of Falcon, a character that appears in the comics as a little goofy and basic. But they actually give him a solid, modern redesign and a believable place within the story so he’s not just shoehorned in. Winter Soldier didn’t seem like too hard of a character to integrate, but it’s still pretty cool how the Russo’s didn’t compromise on the sci-fi tech of old-world Hydra. All this makes for one of the most effective balancing acts for a superhero movie I’ve ever seen.

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ is everything an exciting superhero movie should be and then some. Mixing the intrigue of an espionage thriller with the big-budget action sequences and heroic elements forms one of the most enjoyable film concoctions to come out of Marvel Studios. It’s not only one of Marvel’s best movies; it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made.