One of the best outings by Marvel since Iron Man
I remember seeing this film at the "midnight" (11:00pm) showing at my not so local theater with a group of friends. That night would've been awesome if we didn't hang out at a nearby coffee shop/pub (weird those thing exist) that had nonexistent parking resulting into my car getting towed. Fortunately the film was an hour away and lucky for me and my good friends, the impound lot was just 20 minutes away. So I wound up spending 245 dollars that night (movie ticket included), to which my friends joked after watching the movie, "So, was that movie worth $245?" Well.........
I said it's one of the best since Iron Man, right?
The Plot
Comic book fans will know this famous Captain America story, but for the general public they're in for a treat:
After saving the world with The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) joins the international intelligence agency S.H.E.I.L.D. to continue to serve as the legendary Captain America. Under the orders of Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) Rogers discovers that the America that he is fighting to protect is not the America he originally believed in. With the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) showcasing the darker side of their missions he starts questioning the organization that is suppose to be protecting the world but instead tries to submit it into fear. But when a dangerous threat known as The Winter Soldier emerges, enemies from outside and within are revealed causing Cap to put his faith in a new ally, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to take on the battle head on.
Analysis
The statement I make in the headline is a personal belief of mine. Iron Man to me stood as Marvel's one true movie that was obviously created as not only a testing ground for their properties but as a nice balance with The Dark Knight. The subject matter was serious and the drama felt more real in the film than any other Marvel movie to date. Some still praise The Avengers as Marvel's greatest achievement, which it rightfully is, but I do not believe it is their best film. It is definitely a better movie than the others made post Iron Man but what i always hoped for was that sense of drama and real intensity. It is easy to argue with me that it is there, and I saw it was there the first time I watched it. But repeated viewings made me realize I did not care about the movie until the big battle finale, something that I should never be feeling for a movie other than a Transformers sequel.
Even after The Avengers with Iron Man 3 they definitely had the right direction of how to bring back that dramatic effect like the first one did. However that film fell apart despite being filled with the right elements. And yes, I will contend that Iron Man 3 was a better third film than The Dark Knight Rises. But at least The Dark Knight Rises doesn't fall apart halfway through. It falls apart at the end.
I do like Captain America: The First Avenger because I love retro pulp heroes and the film references that genre. But I would also like to point out that I like to call the film "Montage: the movie" because it really was a big montage of cool events. I get that they were trying to cover ground with WWII but it really made it seem like there was so much more happening that's being left out. Which is one thing I always wanted to point out: SET STORY FOCUS. Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Thor The Dark World, and Iron Man 3 had set story focus in that the story was within a short time period and only moved through a few locations. The First Avenger moved around too much despite having a story in place.
So come my surprise when I see a film that not only has the drama that I felt was missing since Iron Man and the set story focus of the other Marvel films (except Iron Man 2).
Review
This is not a superhero movie. This is a spy thriller. And I'm not talking about the James Bond or Bourne films, this is an actual espionage spy thriller. Well... having superheroes in it does make it kind of like a Bond film but nevertheless it feels like an American conspiracy spy thriller. Which works so well for the next step in Captain America' evolution as a character. Or rather enforcement of his character rather than evolution. The one attribute that I like about this film is that it enforces the boy scout superhero who obviously lives in a dark world yet still believes in it. This is a criticism many people have with Superman but people tend to forget that Captain America was created at a time when Superman existed. So moral wise he is the most "DC moral" hero compared to the flawed Marvel heroes that populate it. He does have some flaws, but that flaw is perhaps his optimism for a better future. This is where I commend Chris Evans for playing a man who believes in the good in people but knows that there is evil in the world yet still hopes for better things. This isn't the story of a hero who finally realizes how messed up the world is but more of a test of how strong his morals are. And they are strong.
The cast of the film do a great job with their performances. The standout being Anthony Mackie who plays Sam Wilson aka The Falcon. He has the same optimism as Cap and also unwavering in his beliefs. In a world surrounded by lies it was perfect to have Cap America find an ally who is not only a veteran but shared his beliefs. Scarlett Johansson does a great job with the evolution of Black Widow from being a person who takes orders to someone who questions them. I'm still bothered by lack of a Russian Accent, but oh well.
The silent villain The Winter Soldier is definitely a terrifying villain. While he is not Loki level of having a lot of depth and memorable lines, the action set pieces between him and Cap America are by far one of the best superhero combat ever filmed in a Marvel film. I'm not joking. The combat is the best superhero combat film ever put in a Marvel Studios film And to think that this was directed by the guys who made episodes of the comedy show Community. Bravo Anthony and Joe Russo! However, the final showdown was lackluster. Like most superhero movies it builds to the world is at stake and has a big finale. It really did nothing for me compared to the other action set pieces in the film which have been excellent.
Final Thoughts
Having seen this film twice, I know my answer to the question asked above. This movie is not worth seeing for $245. But it is still awesome.
SCORE: 8.8/10 - The best film Marvel has made since Iron Man post Avengers
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