Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Movie Review
Synopsis:
Operating under S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America (Chris Evans) has difficulty adjusting to modern times. A new adversary called The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) soon appears. To combat this threat, Steve must seek allies, both old and new.
Review:
As with Iron Man 3 or Thor: Ragnarok, Captain America: The Winter Soldier saw a change in direction.
Directing the sequel to The First Avenger (2011) were brothers Joe and Anthony Russo.
This change of direction offers some major developments for its characters. It also has some major developments for the action sequences.
As a whole, Captain America’s action scenes before The Winter Soldier were decent. Despite this, they lacked flair and impact.
Each action sequence on display in this film has a distinct sense of personality. Furthermore, they all include stellar fight choreography.
Henry Jackman's exciting and tense original score also draws viewers into the action more.
Also making her reappearance in this movie is Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
Black Widow also has more of a spotlight compared to her previous film entries.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) from The Avengers (2012) also makes his return, being a primary focus of this film.
His character is also given major development. Also, he serves as another highlight during the action set pieces.
This film's main antagonist is The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
Sebastian portrays The Winter Soldier as an intimidating, almost unstoppable force of nature.
Veteran actor Robert Redford also lends his talents. He portrays the film's main antagonist, Alexander Pierce.
At first, Pierce has a rather calm and measured personality. His true intentions are soon revealed as the leader of HYDRA in modern times.
Redford’s performance is good, even if his time to shine is rather limited.
A new addition to both this film and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) is Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon (Anthony Mackie).
As a character, Mackie has good material in this film. This makes his interactions with Evans more enjoyable to watch.
The Winter Soldier also does a commendable job of balancing tone.
This is through the character motivations, interactions, and events that take place.
One other notable change here is the plot direction. As an example, The Winter Soldier takes a more political thriller-type approach.
Throughout the film, several unique plot twists help to keep the stakes high.
Although most of the plot twists in the film are well executed, there is one that has a heavy focus on exposition.
This scene provides plot advancement, though it happens all at once.
For easier comprehension, it may have been more appropriate to separate them into sections.
Conclusion:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier has much-improved action sequences and a solid soundtrack. It also includes a more unique storyline.
Despite some exposition-heavy scenes, this MCU entry is more than recommended for fans.
Sam’s Action Reaction score:
Characters - 8/10
Story - 8/10
Action - 8.5/10
CGI and visuals - 8/10
Soundtrack - 8/10
Overall score: 8.1 out of 10
