It's two years after the events of The Avengers (2012), Chris Evans returns as Captain America again in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, joined by Scarlett Johansson, reprising her role as Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson, returning as Nick Fury.
It's WrestleMania 30 weekend, and I SHOULD be covering that on Let's Talk Wrestling, but I promised too many of you guys here that I would have this write-up on the newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as soon as humanly possible after I saw the film earlier today. I have to admit, I almost caved and 'acquired' an early copy from the international release, but I'm glad I waited patiently as I don't mind giving Marvel Studios my hard-earned cash for the hard work they put into making these marvelous superhero-themed films.
Cast:
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America: A World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum, frozen in suspended animation, and is now struggling to adjust to the modern world. Describing his character's adjustment to the modern world, Evans said, "It's not so much about his shock with [technology]... It's more about the societal differences. He's gone from the '40s to today; he comes from a world where people were a little more trusting, the threats not as deep. Now, it's harder to tell who's right and wrong. Actions you take to protect people from threats could compromise liberties and privacy. That's tough for Steve to swallow." Evans received training in parkour, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate, boxing, and gymnastics, as the Russo brothers believed that bringing Steve Rogers into the modern day also meant that he had studied and mastered modern fighting styles and techniques. The filmmakers also looked to make Captain America's shield a more offensive weapon, which has traditionally been used for defense.Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: A highly trained spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D., who partners with Rogers. Screenwriter Christopher Markus said that Black Widow was a "great contrast" to Captain America, describing her as "incredibly modern, not very reverent, and just very straightforward whereas Steve is, you know a man from the 40s. He's not a boy scout, but he is reserved and has a moral center, whereas her moral center moves." The Russos added, "She's a character who lies for a living. That's what she does. He's a character who tells the truth. Give them a problem and they'll have different ways of approaching it. She's pushing him to modernize, and he's pushing her to add a certain level of integrity to her life." When asked about Natasha's relationship with Steve, Johansson said, "By a series of unfortunate encounters, they will be in a situation in which their friendship becomes more intimate. They share many similarities because they live on the defensive without relying on anyone. Also, the two have been working for the government throughout their professional careers. With their friendship they begin to question what they want and what is their true identity."
Sebastian Stan as James "Bucky" Barnes / Winter Soldier: Steve Rogers' best friend, who has reemerged as an enhanced brainwashed assassin after being thought killed in action during World War II. About the character, Feige said, "Winter Soldier has been methodically, almost robotically, following orders for 70 years." Stan, who has a nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios including his appearance in The First Avenger, endured five months of physical training to prepare for the role and did historical research stating, "I dove into the whole Cold War thing. I looked at the KGB. I looked at all kinds of spy movies, and all kinds of documentaries about that time, and what it was about. I grabbed anything from that time period. Anything about brainwashing." Regarding Bucky's transition into the Winter Soldier, Stan said, "You know, the truth of the situation is although he looks very different and there's different things about him, it still comes from the same person. I think you'll get to see that no matter what. I think part of my goal here was to make sure that you see an extension of that version but just a different color of that same version in a way. I think he's still the same guy; he's cut from the same cloth."
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon: An ex-paratrooper trained by the military in aerial combat using a specially designed wing pack. About the role, Mackie said "[Wilson is] a really smart guy who went through major military training and becomes a tactical leader." Remarking, "He's the first African-American superhero. It makes me feel all the work I've done has been paying off. I have a son, nephews and nieces, and I love the idea that they can dress up as the Falcon on Halloween. They now have someone they can idolize. That's a huge honor for me." Marvel, who cast Mackie because of his "energy and sense of fun," did not let him read a script before signing on. Mackie spent five months doing two-a-day workouts and eating an 11,000 calorie per day diet to get into shape for the role. Commenting on Rogers' relationship with Wilson, Evans said, "Meeting Mackie's character, he used to serve, now he works at the VA counseling guys who come home with PTSD — they connect on that level. I think they're both wounded warriors who don't bleed on other people. Cap has no one to bleed on. I think Mackie knows how to handle people like that. … Sometimes when things are bad, trusting a stranger is the way to go."
Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow: An operative in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s counter-terrorism S.T.R.I.K.E. team. About the character, Grillo said, "He is a bad ass guy. [He] pretty much beats the shit out of everyone in the movie and that's really it."
Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter / Agent 13: A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assigned to guard Rogers without his knowledge. About the character, VanCamp said, "I play Agent 13 / Sharon Carter which everyone knows but we don't really touch on that in this film. We're just sort of introducing her. When we first see her we realize she's living next to Captain America... they sort of have a little thing going on and as we all know in the comic books they had a love affair off and on for years. They had a very complicated relationship. It's almost as if they are planting the seeds now. Sort of leaving room to go wherever they want to go with it." Regarding her casting, Joe Russo said, "We wanted someone that Cap would have an immediate interest in. It had to be a strong-willed person, and we felt that Emily's work on Revenge was a great test tube for what this character could be. She's obviously very credible with physicality, she holds the screen really well, and she even looks like the character from the books."
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter: A retired officer with the Strategic Scientific Reserve and former love interest of Captain America.
Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce: A senior leader within S.H.I.E.L.D., a member of the World Security Council and an old comrade of Nick Fury. Redford was cast in part as a homage to his roles in 1970s thrillers such as Three Days of the Condor. As to what attracted him to the film, Redford said, "I wanted to experience this new form of filmmaking that's taken over where you have kind of cartoon characters brought to life through high technology."
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury: The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Regarding Fury's questionable code of ethics, Jackson said, "Almost everything that comes out of Nick Fury's mouth is a lie in some sense. He has to ask, is he even lying to himself, too? He has a very good idea of what's going on but his paranoia keeps him from believing some of it." Jackson added, "You see Nick Fury the office guy, him going about the day-to-day work of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the politics as opposed to that other stuff. It's great to have him dealing with Captain America in terms of being able to speak to him soldier to soldier and try to explain to him how the world has changed in another way while he was frozen in time. Some of the people who used to be our enemies are now our allies – him trying to figure out, 'Well, how do we trust those guys?' or 'How do we trust the guys that you didn't trust who don't trust you?' And explaining to him that the black and white of good guys/bad guys has now turned into this gray area." McFeely said, "Fury represents an obstacle for Steve in some ways. They don't always agree on how S.H.I.E.L.D. ought to be used."
Additionally, Toby Jones, Maximiliano Hernández, and Garry Shandling reprise their roles from previous MCU films as Arnim Zola, Jasper Sitwell, and Senator Stern, respectively. Georges St-Pierre plays Georges Batroc, a mercenary and a master of the French form of kickboxing known as savate. Callan Mulvey was cast as Jack Rollins, a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s S.T.R.I.K.E. unit. Chin Han, Jenny Agutter (who previously appeared in The Avengers), Alan Dale, and Bernard White appear as members of the World Security Council, Danny Pudi has a small role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. technician and Gary Sinise voices the narrator of a Captain America-themed Smithsonian Institution exhibit. Stan Lee cameos as a security guard there, and Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker makes a cameo as a scientist working on the Winter Soldier. Co-director Joe Russo cameos as a doctor, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely cameo as two S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogators. Thomas Kretschmann, Elizabeth Olsen, andAaron Taylor-Johnson appear, uncredited, as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, respectively, in the mid-credits scene.
The Plot: (FULL Spoilers)
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| I'm sure you guys were like me and didn't see everything listed on Rogers' notepad... |
Fury is unable to access the data Romanoff recovered. On his way to rendezvous with Maria Hill, he is ambushed by assailants disguised as police officers, led by a mysterious assassin called the Winter Soldier. Fury escapes and sneaks into Rogers' apartment, but after handing Rogers a USB flash drive he is gunned down by the Winter Soldier. Rogers gives chase, and his neighbor reveals herself as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent 13. Fury appears to die in surgery, and Hill recovers the body.
The next day, Rogers is summoned by senior S.H.I.E.L.D. official Alexander Pierce. When Rogers withholds Fury's information, Pierce brands him a fugitive. Hunted by the agency, Rogers meets with Romanoff. Using data in the flash drive they discover an old S.H.I.E.L.D. underground base in New Jersey. There, they activate a supercomputer containing the preserved consciousness of Arnim Zola, who reveals that since S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded after World War II, HYDRA secretly operated within its ranks, sowing chaos across the world in the hope that humanity would willingly surrender its freedom in exchange for safety. Rogers and Romanoff narrowly escape death when a S.H.I.E.L.D. missile destroys the bunker.
En route to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, they are ambushed by the Winter Soldier. In the fight, Winter Soldier loses his mask and Rogers recognizes him as Bucky, his old World War II comrade. They are captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. but are rescued by a disguised Hill. She leads them to a hideout where they discover Fury is alive and planning a mission to prevent Pierce from launching Operation: Insight by replacing a chip within each Helicarrier to override their satellite control.
After members of the World Security Council arrive for the Helicarriers' launch, Pierce holds them hostage and reveals HYDRA's true motives. Rogers and Wilson storm two Helicarriers and replace the controllers, but the Winter Soldier destroys Wilson's suit and confronts Rogers at the third. They fight, with Rogers trying to revive Bucky's memories. Meanwhile, Fury and Romanoff confront Pierce and force him to unlock access to S.H.I.E.L.D's database so Romanoff can expose HYDRA's motives to the public by leaking classified information. After a brief conflict, Fury shoots Pierce dead. Aboard the third Helicarrier, a wounded Rogers replaces the final controller, allowing Hill to override the satellite operation and have all three vessels destroy one another. The Helicarrier carrying Rogers and the Winter Soldier crashes into the side of the Triskelion, where Wilson battles compromised agent Rumlow, who had earlier tried to capture Rogers.Rogers falls off the vessel into the river. Slowly remembering his past, the Winter Soldier pulls Rogers from the water before disappearing. With S.H.I.E.L.D. in disarray, Fury destroys the last traces of his identity before heading to Europe in pursuit of HYDRA's remaining cells under the cover of his apparent death. Romanoff appears before a Senate subcommittee and later gives Rogers a dossier on the Winter Soldier program.
A mid-credits scene takes place in a HYDRA lab, where Baron von Strucker is keeping Loki's scepter and two prisoners: one with superhuman speed, the other with telekinetic powers. In a post-credits scene, the Winter Soldier visits the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution to learn of his past.
The Verdict:
Ummm... Just WOW. Where to begin on this film?Let's go ahead and get this out of the way. If 2012's The Avengers was a hand grenade that vibrated the core of these superhero-themed films, then Captain America: The Winter Soldier is literally an atomic bomb. Marvel Studios has taken everything that they have learned from the Phase One films - what they did right and did wrong - and definitely raised the bar to a new level for the standard for superhero-themed films in this genre for here on out.
First of all, let's just go ahead and address the elephant in the room and talk about the character who this film is named after, Sebastian Stan's The Winter Soldier. I applaud Marvel for introducing this universe's first legitimately terrifying villain. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is a drama queen and master of manipulation, not a fighter. To his credit, he's a superb actor and plays the part perfectly, but at the end of the day, Loki doesn't strike terror and imposes such a dominating presence like The Winter Soldier does in this film. Sebastian Stan's portrayal is reminiscent of T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, where this predator awaits around every corner waiting to pounce on our protagonist(s). I applaud Marvel for NOT fucking this storyline up in the least, nor trying to cram/condense all of it into a single film. Much like Loki, The Winter Soldier gets mad props for not being another disposable Marvel Cinematic Universe villain.I still want to slap them for killing Vanko and Obadiah Stane in the Iron Man films. Vanko could've been brought back as Whiplash and/or Crimson Dynamo whenever Whedon decides to do the Masters of Evil in this continuity. To be fair, Brock Rumlow should be back in a future MCU film as Crossbones since he was being wheeled out of the debris from the crashed Helicarrier.
My personal favorite scenes with The Winter Soldier came in two favors: 1) after Rogers' chase with Fury's mystery assailant on the rooftop, The Winter Soldier catches Cap's shield like it was nothing (this sequence is shown in just about all of the trailers for this film) 2) after Cap and Barnes' exchange after the highway chase, Barnes' quickly disarms Cap of his trusty shield and poses with it in a trolling nature. What's more ironic about this moment is that Chris Evans is signed with Marvel Studios for six films, while Sebastian Stan is contracted to nine. This fact of information shouldn't come to a surprise to most comic book savvy fans, as "Bucky" takes over the role of Captain America in the more recent comics. Plus, Chris Evans has stated that he will more likely walk away from the role as Rogers/Captain America after either Captain America 3 or Avengers 2.
While we are discussing characters, I praise Anthony Mackie and the writers for this film for not making Falcon/Sam Wilson into the colossal loser he was in the comics and how lame he is portrayed in the current Avengers Assemble cartoon. In the comics, The Falcon was added to the Avengers by order of the US government, thanks to a bullshit affirmative action clause (the team must maintain a particular racial quota) in their support for the team. Around the same time in comics, the X-Men were forced to add other minorities to their ranks too (This is why Wolverine, Thunderbird, Nightcrawler, Banshee, and Storm were added to the original team), but it wasn't written as stupidly as The Falcon's addition to the team was. As a result, the Avengers didn't want him there and even the fans of the comics didn't want him there either, so Falcon quit the Avengers at the first chance he got. He hasn't been seen in comics again until the early 2000s when Marvel was drastically revamping their Universe. Yeah, I know that story sucks for Marvel Comics' first African-American superhero. Fortunately, Anthony Mackie gave the character a lot of substance and as an African-American, I'm glad to see these films give black children someone to identify with. I'm glad that I don't have to wait until the inevitable Black Panther live-action film before seeing a cool African-American superhero in these films. Before someone says it in the comments, War Machine doesn't count as he's not a staple member of the Avengers (yet).Those of you who follow me on Facebook should know that I'm not the biggest fan of Captain America in the least (outside of him taking the position he deserves as leader of the Avengers in combat), but I'm proud to say that I found some middle ground in relating to the character. Chris Evans depicts Rogers as a lost relic, without a sense of purpose and meaning in his life. Sad to say, but I can identify with Rogers easier in this film, especially when I see my old friends and colleagues with spouses and children of their own while I'm fundamentally the same relic I was in days long and gone. As a result, I felt that this film painted a better picture on Steve Rogers' character as a whole rather than the Cliff Notes we given on the skinny soldier who took government-issued steroids to get superpowers in the original Captain America film. The writers actually made me care about who he is this time. I normally don't buy into the complete "boyscout" superheroes, but I tip my hat for Marvel for making me a fan here.
If I had any complaints during this movie, it would be two minor gripes. Why introduce Agent 13/Sharon Carter and not do anything with her? She's commonly known as the romantic interest of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the comics, who replaces Peggy Carter in the modern age. My only guess is that Marvel didn't want to rush the romantic aspect like how Warner Bros. did with Lois Lane and Superman in last year's Man of Steel. At the same time, I felt that Widow and Cap got a bit too intimate in their 'friendship' for my taste, but I guess we can laugh it off that Widow gave Cap the 'let's just be friends' pity kiss by the end of the film. My second gripe was with Alexander Pierce. Alexander Pierce was such a weak antagonist in this film, but there was a point during the film's climax where I was half-expecting him to tear off his skin and reveal that he was the Red Skull all along, but nope. Robert Redford did a fine job in his portrayal of the character, but it didn't help that Pierce couldn't hold a candle to The Winter Soldier's presence in terms of villainy for this film.
I cannot praise this film enough on how they found that perfect balance between the espionage-conspiracy narrative and action-thriller, without any of deadpan moments that dragged the movie along, such as the first half of The Avengers or 80% of the original Captain America film. That balance is how you keep your audience engaged in the story that you (as a director) is trying to deliver to your audience. From every action sequence in this film - the car chases, the fight sequences, and even the aerial dogfights - I applaud Marvel for taking their cinematic prowess to a level even beyond 2012's Avengers.
I'm giving Captain America: The Winter Soldier a 9.5 out of 10 - it's easily a comic book fans' wet dream, but for anyone else who isn't in the know on Marvel Comics nor the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, it may seem a bit overwhelming from all that's going on. I know two things are certain after people see The Winter Soldier this weekend - 1) the Marvel Cinematic Universe is NEVER going to be the same again 2) more people are going to start watching Marvel's Agents of SHIELD to find out what happens next.
From this point forward in this review, consider these thoughts and personal ramblings as PURE speculation. These are my own personal predictions, so don't the following as fact:
Let's discuss how this film has changed the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it from here on out. There's no more SHIELD, thanks to HYDRA corrupting the organization from within. HYDRA has possession of Loki's scepter along with two "special" prisoners, while The Winter Soldier is on the loose while on the hunt to assemble the pieces of his shattered past with Captain America and The Falcon following closely behind.
What do I think of all of this?
In the comics, SHIELD was disbanded after the Secret Invasion storyline after Nick Fury realized HYDRA was manipulating them within along with the disguised Skrull invaders from space. On one hand, I'm a little surprised that this event occurred so fast in this continuity of the Marvel Universe, while on the other, I'm not. Avengers 2 is titled "Avengers: The Age of Ultron" after the popular comic book storyline from last year, so I can't be too surprised that Marvel Studios want to incorporate more modern concepts into the films. There was one instance from Avengers that everyone seems to brush underneath the rug is Cap's discovery of HYDRA weapons on the SHIELD Helicarrier. Fury never gave anyone a concise answer about that before Loki turns everything upside-down for the last half of the film, so that's one reason why I wasn't as shocked as the rest of the audience when it was revealed that HYDRA was controlling SHIELD from behind the scenes.The biggest question to come out of SHIELD's disbandment is what will happen to Marvel's Agents of SHIELD? I have one crazy theory that the show will change it's title for the next season, dubbing the series as "Agents of S.W.O.R.D." S.W.O.R.D. is a counterpart of the better known S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, dealing with extraterrestrial threats. Josh Whedon has created this organization personally and I think he would jump at the chance to introduce that organization into this continuity. This film already introduced S.T.R.I.K.E., a counter-terrorism unit based out of the United Kingdom as their equivalent of SHIELD in the comics continuity, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch to see more of the spin-off SHIELD-like organizations begin to pop up in future films as the Advanced Idea Mechanic (AIM) was established in Iron Man 3. This was another subtle jab at FOX with the X-Men film license as Whedon could easily include Betsy Braddock / Psylocke in a future Marvel film as she was a member of S.T.R.I.K.E.
Back on topic concerning S.W.O.R.D. though, I can easily see Marvel's Agents of SHIELD go into a stellar environment after the startling revelation of Coulsen's revival credited to the mysterious alien creature known as "GH" as Coulsen's team seeks out more answers on that alien's origin. Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing Abigail Brand being introduced into this continuity. S.W.O.R.D. would make for the perfect excuse to cast Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel (currently Captain Marvel) for future films too. More importantly, the existence of S.W.O.R.D. would validate the reasoning of introducing the Guardians of the Galaxy later this summer.
Alternatively, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD can continue with Coulsen's team becoming it's own independent entity as they seek out all of the HYDRA agents who have been dwelling within their ranks. I hold my opinion that Victoria Hand is merely working with HYDRA for the benefit of mankind, not because she's an evil person. She has always been portrayed as an individual who prefers the "by any means necessary" to bring about the best for the future of mankind.
I have to admit, I had a nerdgasm at how they snaked in Arnim Zola and Baron von Strucker as the new "heads" of HYDRA in this continuity. While I REALLY wanted to see Baron Zemo, but I guess than can wait until Phase 3 or 4... That being said, I didn't see Alexander Pierce as their leader at all. He seemed like a figurehead for a much bigger player in this entire film. While we're on the subject of Strucker, I will predict now that he will use Loki's scepter to bring the Red Skull back from where he was sent after grasping the Tesseract in the original Captain America film. For those of you don't know who Strucker is, he is the head of HYDRA in the Red Skull's absence while both Arnim Zola and Baron Zemo were either considered dead or captured after World War II.
I will also predict that it will be revealed that Black Widow was the one who gave Strucker Loki's scepter after the events of The Avengers. Romanoff's expertise is deception and that would make her the perfect agent to go undercover for Nick Fury under the enemy lines of HYDRA now that SHIELD is off the grid. Loki's scepter would be the perfect gift to barter her way into HYDRA. Besides, Whedon seems to like taking events from the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon and twisting them to his own means in the Cinematic Universe, so Widow's betrayal would make a good angle to play across a few films. It would add depth to Hawkeye's character as well, as he would see 'saving' Widow as repayment for her reversing Loki's mind control over him in Avengers.
It should be known without saying that Von Strucker's prisoners are Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch - commonly known as the twin children of the popular X-Men villain, Magneto. Whedon had already confirmed prior before this film's release that both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. I honestly have no precise idea what HYDRA would want with them outside of Scarlet Witch's probability-altering powers, but if I were to guess, Hawkeye might run into them trailing Widow for her questionable behavior after the events of this film - that is if my prediction about her defecting to HYDRA is correct. I wouldn't hold my breath on the possibly of more "mutants" - namely the X-Men - joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this stage, but I see Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's introduction being this continuity's first introduction with the fact that mutants are real, just like the startling realization that costumed-heroes were real after the attack on New York.
If you regularly watch Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, there's a common belief that telepaths (especially while dealing with The Clairvoyant) and other mutant powers of that sort aren't real. I like to believe that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch will suspend that belief as HYDRA has found the means to fabricate the X-gene (the gene in DNA that makes a human being have mutant powers from birth) with tampering with Loki's scepter. Don't forget that Loki's scepter was given to him by Thanos, so that could be considered to be one of six of the sought-after Infinity Stones/Gems that The Collector refers to in the mid-credits scene at the end of Thor: The Dark World.
I'm going to skip the whole ordeal with Bucky, Cap, and Falcon as that's easily going to be picked up in Captain America 3 or mentioned briefly in Avengers: The Age of Ultron, so I'm going speculate on a final matter. What is going to happen to Nick Fury?
My guess is that he's going to establish the Secret Avengers or even better the Secret Warriors, but I have read other crazy predictions about Thunderbolts (a team consisting mainly of "reformed" super-villains) and I say hell no to that idea for the time being. The Secret Avengers or Secret Warriors could make for a good one-shot film in Phase 3 after the Ultron situation.
Even if those two options don't pan out, Nick Fury is always out there watching what goes on in the Marvel Universe and seemingly in the know - one way or another. Don't fret guys and gals, Nick Fury's not going anywhere.
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