“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” comes highly recommended

Captain America: The Winter Soldier promo poster.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier promo poster.

Elisabeth Schreiner, Student Writer

Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a smart take on a famous comic book superhero. More intelligent than others in its genre (“Green Lantern,” “Ghost Rider” and “Daredevil” come to mind), the film finds Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rodgers, where we left him at the end of “The Avengers.

He has begun to acclimate to this new world, even joining the secret intelligence agency SHIELD as a new agent, but things have changed since World War II in deeper ways than he at first imagines.

He is bothered by the “Kill first. Ask questions later.” attitude of the government he once served.

In the words of Samuel L. Jackson, who returns in this movie as Nick Fury: “Captain America’s still not real sure about how we run things or how the government intrudes into everyone’s lives and that people’s freedoms are being infringed upon.”

Cap must face the question: “Is safety really worth sacrificing one’s freedom?”

Amid his doubt, a new and more obvious enemy surfaces: the Winter Soldier.

This script harkens back to the political thrillers of the 70’s, something that Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige suggested to the film’s two directors, Joe and Anthony Russo.

He told Dave Trumbore of collider.com, “I’d pitched them our idea for Cap 2. And you’ve heard me describe
it, which is a loose description, a broad description as a sort of 70’s political thriller. But that’s what I pitched to them.”

The Russo brothers definitely ran with this idea, even casting Robert Redford, famous for his roles in such political thrillers as “Three Days of the Condor” and “All the President’s Men” in one of the important roles in the film.

One may well wonder why the Russo brothers, best known for the TV show Community” and the film You, Me and Dupree,” were hired for such a big budget, Hollywood production.

They managed, however, to not only do the characters and story justice, but also to outdo the first Cap film by leaps and bounds.

Much of the film’s success can also be credited to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the screenwriters of this second installment.

Though they also penned “Captain America: The First Avenger,” their skills are seen in better use the second time around.

Unlike its predecessors in the Avengers franchise, “The Winter Soldier” is far darker not just in tone but in action.

It literally pulls no punches, starting off almost right away with an intense action sequence aboard a ship and rarely pausing for breath along the ride to the epic fight at its conclusion. The fight scenes are grittier and more realistic than most superhero popcorn flicks, calling to mind Christopher Nolan’s impressive Dark Knight trilogy.

All the amazing special effects and awesome fight scenes in the world, however, won’t save a film if it isn’t convincingly portrayed.

Returning as the lead character, Chris Evans manages to bring a more commanding presence than in the first film.

It’s impressive he stands out at all considering all the other key characters vying for the audience’s attention. Scarlett Johansson, reprising her role as the spy Black Widow, key among them.

She serves as Steve’s main sidekick and confidant.

Her performance is top notch, and her and Cap’s relationship is refreshing. Their banter, such as in the scene on the pirate ship near the beginning of the film, adds just the right touch of humor to an otherwise dark and serious film.

Anthony Mackie was also enjoyable as the Falcon, another, though less prominent, sidekick to Cap. One of my biggest problems with the film was his underutilization.

Samuel L. Jackson, as Nick Fury the director of SHIELD, also features.

Up to this point, Fury has been a mask of calm leadership. In this film, we actually get to see him show some emotions, including fear during a riveting car chase scene.

Also of note is Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce. Redford adds a sort of credibility to this superhero film gone thriller, performing admirably.

Finally, we come to arguably the most important character after Captain America, the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan. He shares the film’s title, after all.

For the few of you who haven’t seen the film and don’t know the story from the comics, I won’t include any spoilers. What I will say is that, after Loki, I found him to be the most compelling and interesting villain in the Avengers’ universe.

He definitely poses the greatest threat we’ve seen so far, evidenced by the film’s high body count. True, many people surely died when Loki and his alien army attacked New York, but those were mostly off screen deaths that Loki didn’t perform personally. The Winter Soldier has no problem getting his hands dirty.

The best part about the character, however, is the fact that he is more than just a two-dimensional caricature of evil. He has a tragic backstory and truly heart wrenching scenes. Stan’s true triumph was his ability to meld these two aspects of his character believably.

Again, this was a character underutilized just a bit, though he still managed to make a lasting impression.

Overall, I found “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” to be one of the greatest films in the Avengers’ franchise.

I would definitely recommend it to fans of the Avengers’ films, though if you haven’t seen the other installments, you should at least watch the first “Captain America” to avoid being completely lost.

Also, because this is a grittier film, parents should use their discretion when deciding whether or not to bring their little ones.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” met and even exceeded my expectations in almost every way. This is definitely a film worth seeing in theaters, and I can’t wait for the next one!