CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER REVIEW

In Heroes We Trust

The Cap is back kiddies!  The First Avenger returns to avenge more stuff in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"!

Two years after the events in the Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, (played by Chris Evans) has been running missions for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D.  He quickly finds that Fury is not through with his secretive ways while on a mission accompanied by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

When Cap comes across a flash drive containing  a deadly secret, enemy troops are mobilized to retrieve the data and kill anyone who gets in their way.  Super assassin "Winter Soldier" is deployed and gives Cap a run for his money.

All the while, Rogers is still coping with having to live a life in a new world where all he loved has died.

My Rating:

4.628347 out of 5 stars

This Captain America solo installment was infinitely above and beyond the level of the first film.  The action was bigger, the story was deeper and the roster was larger!  Let's take a look at the heroes and villains Marvel brings in this time WARNING SPOILERS BELOW!!!:

Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie)

We are introduced to Captain America's sidekick immediately upon starting the movie and we get to hear a little about his background.  While his power to communicate with birds seems to be non-existent, it's definitely forgivable!  His flight suit is great and he does a good job in his limited screen time.

Brock Rumlow/Crossbones (Frank Grillo)

When Agent Rumlow was introduced, I was surprised he was being portrayed as one of the good guys because he happens to be a pretty significant villain in the Captain America comics.  But all is made right as the movie goes on to reveal his true colors!  .........portrays Crossbones wonderfully as he goes from regular soldier to (what appears to be) super soldier.  I believe he was shone burnt but alive on purpose at the end; I believe the evil corporation HYDRA will make a super soldier out of him for the next Captain America movie.

Georges "The Leaper" Batroc (Georges St-Pierre)

This villainous mercenary, who is a master of kickboxing and the French martial art savate, was played perfectly by St-Pierre.  He looked great and had a wonderful fight sequence with Captain America that made him stand out and be a memorable character even after the movie was over.  I hope he makes another appearance in the next Cap movie.

The Winter Soldier/Bucky (Sebastian Stan)

I'm sorry, but if you didn't see this coming from a mile away, you've been out of touch with reality.  The Winter Soldier is Cap's long lost BFF, Bucky, and he's THE MAN!  The question is: where does Bucky stand after visiting the Smithsonian after the end credits and seeing the display about himself and his brotherhood with Rogers?  If it's anything like the comics, Bucky will take up the mantle of Captain America when Cap dies/disappears.

Why would I say something like that??  Well, first, it happens in the comics, and second, Chris Evans has announced his impending hiatus from acting (so he can go into directing on a full time basis) after he's satisfied his multi-movie contract with Marvel.  So someone will have to take up the mantle during the upcoming phases of the Marvel movie-verse in the absence of Captain America.

Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp)

The girl next door with the girl next door looks is the girl next door to Captain America.  When asked her name by Cap, she simply replies "Agent 13".  For those who don't know her, she's essentially a less assassin-like version of Black Widow (did you catch her sharpshooter scene at the end?) who is also Captain America's on and off again girlfriend in the comics.  While her name is not revealed in the movie, Sharon Carter's alias in the comics is Agent 13.

What makes her so special other than being Cap's love interest?  Well, she also happens to bear the last name of her dear aunt....Peggy Carter!  Yes, THE Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) who was Cap's former love interest decades ago and is now an old woman lying on her apparent death bed.  If you have a good ear, you heard Sharon on the phone with her "auntie" when Cap is returning home, could she be talking to Peggy whom Cap just left from visiting?  Hmm.....can't wait to see how this plays out in upcoming movies.

Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange

Wait what??  He was in the movie??

Okay, okay....no he wasn't.....in a sense.  While he wasn't in the movie physically, he WAS name-dropped by Agent Sitwell (played by Maximiliano Hernandez who I found, upon a little research, also appeared in the Avengers and Thor) when being questioned by Cap, Widow and Falcon.

Why is this, in any way, important?  The third phase of Marvel movies will include a solo film featuring the Sorcerer Supreme!

Now he may not have become the sorcerer yet at the time he was mentioned, but the fact that Sitwell called him out is HUGE!  If you remember, the main issue Cap has is that HYDRA has discovered an algorithm that basically predicts the future of any individual.  If Strange is not a sorcerer yet, he will be soon!  And why is he a potential problem for HYDRA?  Well, there's too much to explain there, but let's just say he plays a pivotal part in battling the ultimate enemy of the Avengers: Thanos!  You can catch a glimpse of Thanos during the end credits of the first Avengers movie.....he's the scary dude that turns around and smiles at us like he's ready to bite our faces off and wash it down with a glass of Chianti.

"Your face looks tasty...."

This single name dropping scene all but solidifies the fact that we will see Doctor Strange VERY soon!  I must say, of all the moments in this movie, hearing Strange's name was the one that had me smiling until well after the movie ended!

Dr. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones)

The creator of the dreaded algorithm returns after his disappearance in the First Avenger.  In the comics, this mad scientists' consciousness is constantly transferred to more complex robotic bodies; in this film, it's transferred into a super computer and it's AWESOME!

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann)

Strucker is to HYDRA as Nick Fury is to S.H.I.E.L.D.

According to comic lore, Strucker was born sometime in the 19th century and is virtually immortal.  He's got a pair of twins locked up in hopes of ridding the world of Cap and an infinity gem (in Loki's scepter) for the infinity gauntlet we will eventually see again (yes, AGAIN; the gauntlet makes a literal "blink and you'll miss it" moment in the original Thor movie) either in Guardians of the Galaxy or Avengers part 3 (not Age of Ultron, but the next one).

I have a feeling we will see at least a cameo of Strucker in the next Avengers movie.

Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver & Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
(Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Elizabeth Olson)

In probably the most exciting scene of the movie, we get our first look at the twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch!

Don't get your hopes up like I did though kids.....yes, the twins are the children of the X-Men character, Magneto, but we won't be seeing an Avengers/X-Men crossover movie anytime soon.  The next X-Men movie will feature the twins also, but they will be played by totally different actors in a totally different timeline.  (Rats.)

Being that 20th Century Studios (who are pumping out X-Men movies almost annually) maintains all the rights to the Magneto character, so Marvel Studios cannot portray or even mention his name.  However, there was a deal made between the studios in which they are both allowed to portray his children, so it will be interesting to see how the next Avengers movie explains their origins.

In the comics, the twins are introduced as villains (much like dear old dad), but eventually have a change of heart and join the heroes' team to take on a bigger villain (much like dear old dad).

Quicksilver is basically the Flash with more attitude.  He may not be as fast as the Flash, but he's definitely a formidable opponent to anyone.  His sister can manipulate probability and, at her most extreme height of power, can change reality!

Man oh man, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!


What do you think about the future of the cinematic Marvel Universe?  Where do you see it going?


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Jay