Film Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

In the first phase of Marvel's cinematic universe, Captain America made his appearance as The First Avenger; that film proved to be a fine adventure and a fine introduction to the character, but the best had yet to come.  We got to see a decent sampling of Cap's heroics in Marvel's Avengers, but in the aftermath, the man would kick some serious butt in The Winter Soldier.

Captain America's second film in the Marvel franchise is pretty much a straightforward action film.  It starts off with a thrilling hostage crisis on a boat, which sets off a series of events that causes the characters to go on the run and fight against massive odds.  There are loads of great fight scenes, all fast-paced, hard-hitting, and choreographed with expert precision.  The stuntwork is a thing of beauty.  But that's not all; the film culminates with a fantastic climax involving a huge amount of mass destruction.

What really makes the film great, however, is the constant stream of peril the story dishes out.  It is a huge challenge that makes for a very thrilling plot (and will undoubtedly serve as a paradigm shift for whatever may happen in Avengers:  Age of Ultron).  In between the action and plot twists, the film does take its time to let the characters shine a little (and character conflicts make up the most relevant dynamic for the various conflicts involved).  Underneath it all, the film daringly underscores the threats of the modern world, so troubled by the loss of privacy and liberty through surveillance and technology.  It's a world where Captain America finds himself way out of his element, but that's also what makes him the perfect hero for this story, because it's only his old-fashioned down-to-Earth mindset that gives everybody a chance.  In the end, the film provides a relevant reflection on modern-day geopolitical issues, and the film hints at the scary notion that our world could be subverted.

All that being said, it's still not a foolproof story; there are many small parts that are hard to believe, and other parts that are simply glossed over (many parts where characters hop from one scene to the next without much explanation).  The movie flows fast because of these shortcuts, but the logos of it suffers a little.

This film sports some fine photography; it's very solid most of the time, but tends to get jittery during the action scenes.  Editing is not bad.  Actors do their best; Chris Evans is still apt as Captain America, and it is especially impressive seeing how physically demanding the fights must have been.  Scarlett Johansson is given quite a bit of screen time as the Black Widdow, which I personally welcome.  Everybody else does alright.  Writing is okay.  This production features lots of good, slick-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects.  Music is okay too.

Despite a few minor plot holes and having some shakey camera work in the action scenes, the film is pure excitement, and still has room to breathe and make a few relevant points on the characters and their ongoing struggles.  As one of the better films in Marvel's repertoire, it comes casually recommended.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Very Good | Story:  Good | Film:  Good)