Captain
America: The Winter Soldier: ****/*****, or 8/10
For
those of you who were wondering when Marvel would finally more aptly
acknowledge its roots in our contemporary world politics, a hallmark
that sets it apart from the likes of its rival DC (which instead has
its adventures take place in an uncomfortable alternate Earth that is
suspiciously similar to our own, but sticks to utilizing fictional
cities and such), this second Captain America finally does
just that, offering a fairly serious social commentary about the
status of that wonderful thing called 'freedom' in modern (American)
society. Without sacrificing the quality mix of catchy humour and
solid action that characterizes all of the Marvel Studios movies thus
far, Captain America: The Winter Soldier proves there is room
for contextual exploration of the modern zeitgeist on the big
screen as much as there is on the pages of its comic books. Forget
Iron Man battling terrorists in Afghanistan, there's much deeper
threats to be found on the homefront, as Cap is about to discover.
Of
course the first thing this second Cap movie needs to do is
re-establish the Star Spangled Avenger as a man out of time,
providing much needed character exposition that was lacking in his
second appearance in The Avengers, since that film's alien
invasion plot and abundance of characters didn't allow much time for
such additional subplots. His beloved homeland has changed much since
he went missing in the Fourties and poor Steve Rogers (Chris Evans)
ponders if he still fits in these more cynical times. Everyone he
knew is dead or dying, as illustrated by a heartbreaking scene where
he visits his former love Peggy, who has become a bedridden, frail
old woman suffering from degenerative diseases. Equally deteriorating
seem to be his cherished notions on freedom. Civil liberties have
been sacrificed for the greater good to ensure national security and
his employer, the supposedly worldwide peacekeeping organisation
known as S.H.I.E.L.D., is keeping far too close an eye on everybody's
private affairs to his taste. Comparisons to the N.S.A.'s shenanigans
are easily drawn, but in the tradition of the great spy thrillers of
the Seventies (from which this movie takes its fair share of notes
thematically and stylistically), Captain America: The Winter
Soldier suggests the people have slowly but surely traded in
their freedom, conditioned by growing fear the government was sowing
in their minds of losing it altogether. Naturally it's not wholly the
fault of the executive power either – if you think Marvel joins the
bandwagon of calling Obama a Great Satan, think again – as the
movie identifies the good Captain's principal enemy to be at the
heart of this shady matter. It turns out the former Nazi science
department HYDRA has made the transition to the 21st
Century much more smoothly than the Sentinel of Liberty himself,
embedding itself firmly in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper echelons. And so
Steve must find a way to root out America's hidden adversaries and
end their collective mindcontrol dominating his country, all whilst
on the run, as they have successfully accused him of treason.
Enter
his sidekicks and assorted allies. His gruff chief, Nick Fury (Samuel
L. Jackson), reluctantly starts asking questions when he tells Steve
of a black ops project that involves launching three new
Helicarriers, designed to patrol the world neutralizing threats in
their infancy, which Cap finds a revolting concept. It quickly makes
Fury a target for an apparently successful assassination, after which
Cap teams up with the lethal agent Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
to find out who killed his guardian. Evans and Johansson make quite
an enjoyable pair with great rapport between them, both having served
as agents of the same secret organization, but carrying different
views of their job and its methods; a relic of a more innocent time,
Cap dislikes Widow's end-justify-the-means approach to things that
the Cold War, which he never experienced, has taught her, causing the
necessary verbal fireworks between the two that both provide
character development and witty dialogue galore thanks to their fine
chemistry. Less compelling proves Cap's relationship with the new
persona of Sam Wilson, an army veteran who, as a fellow former
soldier, is more in line with his more black and white line of
dutiful thinking. Since an ordinary human being, military background
notwithstanding, would be too dull at his side in Cap's current
endeavours, Wilson soon dons a pair of mechanical wings, convenient
leftovers of a secret military project. Comic connoisseurs will
remember Wilson's alter ego the Falcon well before the appearance of
this apparatus, which only feels a forced addition to the movie's
progression.
Equally
contrived an inclusion to the plot could be called the movie's
subtitular character, the Winter Soldier himself. Serving as the
ultimate assassin, a cyborg killer whose mind is wiped after every
assignment so as to keep his human tendencies from compromising his
ruthless efficiency, this man with his metal arm harbours a dark past
and personal connection with his new target. Considering his limited
screen time, this relationship, which turns out to be crucial at the
film's conclusion, is not given its due to ensure the desired
emotional impact, and considering the number of loose ends left,
feels largely as a set-up for a third movie. Considering how sparingly the character is seen on screen, you can't help but wonder why this movie actually carries the subtitle 'The Winter Soldier'. Nevertheless, the Winter
Soldier proves quite a match for Cap in terms of kicking ass and
makes for a formidable foe to behold. The same can be said for Robert
Redford's Alexander Pierce, who fulfills a similar role except on a
less physical level, serving as the movie's delightfully scheming
evil mastermind: an apt choice, considering the various classic
Seventies' political thrillers on his resumé.
In
terms of visual spectacle and explosive action, The Winter Soldier
effortlessly surpasses The First Avenger, trading in the predecessor's
delightfully retro WW II style for a more intimidating modern look,
with advanced technology to match. Drones and missiles are all part
of the package to give this movie a contemporary, actual feel, but in
typical Marvel fashion the movie tops this with even bigger guns and
gadgets, the most exciting aspect the three giant gunships hovering
above the American capitol as they threaten to hold the nation
hostage, at its own behest via security over freedom. Spectacular
aerial battles are the result, while the movie also contains its fair
share of impressive hand-to-hand combat scenes, car chases and gun
fights. Not to mention an ample dose of links to the larger Marvel
Universe, evoking previously seen characters and surreptitiously
introducing new ones. Rest assured, a Dr. Strange movie is a
given now, while those who are eagerly looking forward to Avengers:
Age of Ultron will get a vigorous nerdgasm out of the film's
mid-credits scene. You have to give kudos to Marvel's continuous
method of seemlessly creating a larger whole out of separate pieces,
without harming the content proper in said standalone stories.
Captain
America: The Winter Soldier is a sequel superior to its
predecessor in every respect. It couples valid, well-timed social
anxieties to a good political thriller plot, while never ignoring the
fun that is to be expected from a Marvel flick. Granted, not all
characters come across as intriguing or convincing as ought to have
been the case, which is not exactly a new flaw to Marvel's movies
either. This second Cap movie successfully introduces its
protagonist to the new world he inhabits and the change in concept of
the virtues he has always extolled, making this overly patriotic
character much easier to digest and to identify with for non American
audiences, while giving domestic spectators an added value in having
their nation's superhero redefine their mores for them.
