Runtime: 2 hours, 8 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Quick Impressions:
After a whirlwind trip to Chicago—which was about 85 percent riding in the car, singing along to Muppets Most Wanted songs, and wondering desperately if we’d ever get there—we came home eager to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier and decided to take the kids this afternoon.
All four of us really enjoyed the movie. My husband and I thought it had much more energy and better pacing than the first Captain America (which we liked but found slow in places). My son thought that “Black Widow was sick,” in the best possible way. My daughter—well, she had an awful lot to say. I’ll include a paragraph of her running commentary here.
“I like her. Who is the bad guy? Is Captain America the bad guy? I like her. Are you sure Captain America’s not the bad guy? Is he the bad guy? I like her. Are you really sure Captain America is not the bad guy? I heard on the Disney Channel that Captain America, the Winter Soldier is the bad guy. Captain America isn’t the Winter Soldier? Then who is the Winter Soldier? Is he the Winter Soldier? Is that Captain America? Is that an elevator? Oh cool! It’s made out of glass! Uh oh! Are you sure that he’s not the bad guy? Okay, well are you sure he’s a good guy? I like her. Why do my pants smell funny? Smell my pants. It’s down at the bottom by my socks. OH NO! I LIKED HER! I REALLY LIKED HER…oh. Is that the Winter Soldier? Oh no! I got chocolate in my eye! I was trying to rub it, but I forgot there was chocolate on my hands. Heh. I like her. Oh, this is so sad! It makes me sad, but it’s a good kind of sad, you know? I like her. Oh, is it over? That was so awesome, right Mom?”
As you might guess, my biggest problem with the movie was that the five-year-old sitting next to me wouldn’t stop whispering about it!
In the end, she liked it, though. We all did. All four of us are particular fans of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow who gets a far better part here in someone else’s movie than some comic book heroes even get in their own movies. And for a female supporting character in a comic book movie, such a complex, show-stealing part is practically unheard of! Samuel L. Jackson is also a very commanding (and welcome) presence as Nick Fury.
All in all, Captain America: The Winter Soldier exceeded my expectations on every level.
The Good:
One of the problems with Captain America (as a protagonist) is that he’s so terribly straight-laced and earnest that he’s almost boring. (He actually makes Superman look edgy.) He’s like an overgrown Boy Scout with amazing strength and a one-of-a-kind shield. When faced with a moral dilemma, he invariably does the right thing, which (from a dramatic point of view) feels like a bit of a cheat.
Now I like Chris Evans a lot. I’ve always liked him—I mean since even way back before he played Johnny Storm. (When my mother declined to join us at the movie today, she noted, “I thought the first Captain America was boring. But Chris Evans is good when he’s not playing Captain America. You know what he’s great in? Cellular!” I agree and would add Sunshine, but honestly, he’s pretty great in everything. He has a captivating face, and when it comes right down to it, he’s even good as Captain America. (He certainly looks the part.) It’s just that Steve Rogers is not an exciting guy. Though I liked the first movie more than I expected to, I would have called it Captain America: The Worst Avenger. (That sounds harsh, but keep in mind that the competition is killer. Who was your favorite hero in The Avengers? Was it Captain America? If so, I don’t believe you.)
Okay, that’s an outright lie. I’m sure Captain America is some people’s favorite Avenger. Honestly, if I were to meet them in person, he might be my favorite Avenger. He’s very nice, kind, polite, helpful, and in control of himself. He has a cool costume, a good heart, a pretty face, and a rich history. But he also has limitations, and this sequel brilliantly plays to them, cleverly turning potential drawbacks into surprising strengths.
The Winter Soldier makes two very smart moves to ensure that it’s never boring.
First, it presents a real dilemma to the earnest Steve Rogers, one that creates genuine dramatic tension. Captain America always does the right thing. But what happens when he doesn’t know what the right thing is? He always obeys the orders of trustworthy people. But what if the people giving the orders aren’t trustworthy? Probably the smartest choice this movie makes is to throw the noble-hearted Steve Rogers into genuine moral confusion. Even somebody who does what’s right all the time faces a real dilemma if he must first determine what’s right on his own. A key supporting character advises Rogers to trust no one. For a character who thrives on honoring relationships built on mutual trust, that’s a pretty tall order. And Rogers faces an even greater moral dilemma near the end of the movie. He always wants to do the right thing, but what if two mutually exclusive actions both seem right and essential? What then?
The second smartest thing the movie does is give Captain America as little independent screen time as possible. He’s unquestionably a good guy, but he has some very sketchy, morally ambiguous associates, and they are all way more interesting than he is. The movie is called Captain America, but two other Avengers surely get at least equal screentime—The Black Widow and Nick Fury. Not only are Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson compelling screen presences (much bigger stars, honestly, than Evans), but their characters are so complex, layered, and interesting. Plus, Black Widow and Nick Fury make fascinating foils for Captain America. He is straight-laced and straight forward. They are anything but. The characters complement each other nicely. And since all three are given a share of the spotlight, the film really works.
Another surprisingly compelling thing about the film is that it drastically alters what’s going on in the universe Marvel Studios has so carefully built for its Avengers. What happens in this film will matter—a lot—to any other Marvel project going forward. In some ways, it’s a game changer. In The Dark World, Thor got a little side adventure of his own, but here Captain America is deeply involved in essential, central stuff that’s going to affect all the rest of the Avengers and the course of all the movies (and surely the TV show, too). What’s great—from my point of view—is that this movie is really just as much about Nick Fury and Black Widow as it is about Steve Rogers. Honestly, it’s only called Captain America because it’s his backstory that comes into play in a significant way (although, to be honest, if you traded out a Steve Rogers and his friend flashback for a Nick Fury and his friend flashback, you could easily call the movie Nick Fury instead).
I went into this movie knowing almost nothing about the plot, so I was pleased that it included some genuine surprises and substantial story development key to the progression of the entire series.
The movie also introduces some great new characters. Anthony Mackie is fantastic, and I hope he signed one of those notorious, thousand-year, unbreakable Marvel contracts, so that we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future. (But for his sake, I hope he’s locked in at a decent salary.)
Robert Redford is also fantastic here. The part suits him perfectly, and he’s a strong presence throughout the film.
Stan Lee’s cameo is also great. I’m not sure why I liked it so much. I think it’s just that he does it so well. It’s one of his better cameos, as far as I’m concerned.
Best Action Sequence:
In an action movie like this, the final action sequence is almost always the most impressive, and that’s true here, too.
For me, though, perhaps the most unforgettable segment of this film is the Samuel L. Jackson pursuit scene. This went on so long and was so carefully orchestrated that I (skeptically) bought everything that happened after that for quite a while. I mean, usually in these movies, Nick Fury gets only a few minutes. Here, he hijacks the entire movie for a very long scene that is the movie’s strongest, most entertaining sequence up to that point.
Honestly, when I think back over the film, this is the moment that really sticks in my mind. I think it will be what I remember most about The Winter Soldier long into the future.
Best Scene Visually:
The other thing I will remember is how lovely Scarlett Johansson’s hazel eyes looked when lit from the side in the conversation near the vending machine.
Honestly as Black Widow, Johansson basically owns this movie, and I’m not just saying that as a crazed Scarlett Johansson fan. I’m not a crazed Scarlett Johansson fan. For years, in fact, I didn’t particularly like Johansson and felt mystified by what others saw in her. (I never hated her. She just didn’t do anything for me. I thought she was an adequate actress, but nothing that special.) Over the course of the past several years, my opinion of Johansson and her talents has steadily improved. (I don’t think it’s just that I’ve had a change of heart. I think she’s dedicated to acting and, as a result of her dedication to her craft, has actually markedly improved over time.) (Her sense of humor also helps. That Unstoppable parody trailer she did on SNL is really a scream!) Back when she was cast as The Black Widow, I was honestly kind of disappointed since I’m a huge Emily Blunt fan and Johansson originally got the role only after Blunt was forced to turn it down when contractual obligations required her to make Gulliver’s Travels instead. (Isn’t that a sad story?)
I will admit, though, that Johansson totally owns the role of Black Widow. She’s great in the part, and it is a very substantial role. The character is legitimately interesting. (In fact, she’s way more interesting than Steve Rogers.) And you need a real actress to play her, someone who can do more than just stand around in uncomfortable outfits batting her eyelashes at the leading man. Honestly, it’s kind of nice that she’s more side-kick than love interest in this movie. As the film progresses, she and Captain America become friends, not lovers. It’s refreshing to see a male/female relationship that isn’t reduced to sexual tension/expression. (She has a similarly complex and apparently also non-sexual relationship with Nick Fury.) (Now granted, Captain America does seem kind of into her, but who wouldn’t be? The two are great complements, so it’s easy to imagine what each would see in the other.)
I hope the rumors are true, and there’s a Black Widow movie in the works because the character has a ton of backstory that sounds fascinating.
Best Scene:
Everybody in my family was blown away by the false face bit, and my daughter cried real tears at “the river part.” But I can’t discuss either of these things in depth without spoiling the movie. In fact, I can’t discuss much of anything without spoiling the movie. That’s another commendable aspect of the film. The trailers honestly reveal almost nothing about the real plot. I mean, yeah, we know it’s going to involve the Winter Soldier. (And I’m pretty sure we all know going in exactly who the Winter Soldier is. Anyway, I did. Do they come right out and tell you that in the previews? I can’t remember, so I won’t say anything, just in case.) But anyway, about seventy-five percent of the plot is completely unspoiled by previews/promotional spots.
The Negatives:
What happened to Jenny Agutter? That’s kind of a huge loose end. I’m hoping that we may see her again next time.
Her character isn’t the only one whose storyline gets inadequate resolution. The Winter Soldier himself—man, are they ever going to develop this guy? He was underdeveloped previously, and I thought, Oh, now they’re getting another chance. But then at the end of the movie, he still feels underdeveloped and under used.
Actually, to be fair, the real problem may be that the actor is not very interesting. He’s better as the Winter Soldier than he’s been before, but the Winter Soldier doesn’t actually have many lines. Compare him to Loki, and it’s immediately clear why Tom Hiddleston gets such immense response from fans. This guy is really inadequate. I don’t know if it’s the part he’s given or the way he plays it, but honestly, I’m inclined to think it’s both. (He’s really good at making those crazy intense eyes, though.)
It’s interesting the way this film works some of the characters from the first Captain America back into the story. And by interesting, I guess I really mean bad. Well, no that’s not fair. I’m glad that some of the characters from the first film are back. But I’m not sure I’m satisfied with the way their re-introductions are handled. I found one character’s presence in particular somewhat improbable (and annoyingly like a really convenient plot device. “Greetings. I’m here to dump tons of exposition on you and then explode.”) And the interaction with another familiar character left me wanting more. (Maybe that’s the point. The whole thing is so sad. Maybe it’s supposed to give you this wistful, sad feeling like, “Surely this isn’t all there is!” I’m sure Captain America must feel that way himself.)
Perhaps my biggest complaint is that one of the “bad guys” is far too obvious. This person might as well wear a sign on his/her chest advertising his/her villain status. It’s about as blatant as Dominic Badguy in Muppets Most Wanted. I do think the character has plenty of integrity (as a character, I mean). He/she doesn’t do things that are out of character. It’s a well written/well played character. But seriously, a twist revealing this person not to be a huge villain would have been such an exciting shock! What we get is vexingly predictable (although the scene with the maid is really well played.)
Another slight complaint is that Captain America does not really feel like the full star of his own movie. Nick Fury and Black Widow do everything possible to upstage him. For me this wasn’t a huge issue since I like them better (or, anyway, I find them more interesting), but some Captain America fans might be justifiably irritated by this choice. Also, where are the other Avengers? Are they hanging back until they see who wins (like we did before buying a blu-ray player)? I get that Hulk has his own issues and Thor is from another planet and Iron Man blows people off routinely, but where in the world is Hawkeye? He better watch out, or Captain America will steal his girl! (Isn’t she his girl?) Maria Hill should get a bigger part, too.
The only other thing I’ll add is that this movie seems far more adult than the previous Captain America. We’re in the present day, in the real world, and there’s quite a bit of intense violence, genuine peril, vexing moral dilemmas, and scary stuff that actually could be real. (I mean, it’s not just bad aliens/magical Nazis attacking. It’s “good” people. Adults will see a very thinly veiled criticism of existing intelligence/military policies. But kids might well be a little bit freaked out. (I still think it’s okay to take them, though. Our kids are five and eleven, and they both loved the movie.))
Overall:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is much better than I expected and much better than the original (which also surpassed my expectations). Chris Evans makes a perfect Steve Rogers, and Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson practically steal the movie as The Black Widow and Nick Fury, respectively. This movie has tons of action, an intricate plot, compelling characters, and a sprinkling of humor. If you’re a fan of the recent Marvel movies, you have to see this one or you won’t know what’s going on in future Avengers-related adventures.