Following the release of The Avengers, things were starting to turn sour for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Iron Man 3 was decent, Thor: The Dark World was a step down from what came before. They needed something to really shake up the status quo, something to reignite interest in the MCU. Even before the release of Captain America: The First Avenger, plans were in motion for a sequel. Marvel made an odd choice for director: Anthony and Joe Russo, who previously directed You, Me, and Dupree. For the sequel, the writers took inspiration from 70s political thrillers like Three Days of the Condor. What no one would’ve expected was just how much this film would affect the MCU as a whole. So, in 2014, three years after the original, we were given Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Be forewarned: there will be spoilers here if you haven’t seen it.
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Following the attack on New York, Captain America (Chris Evans) is working with SHIELD on various missions. HIs most recent mission has him and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) on board a SHIELD vessel to rescue hostages. However, Cap gets frustrated when Widow goes off to recover SHIELD intelligence from the computers, potentially endangering the mission. Returning home, Cap visits SHIELD headquarters to confront Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), only to be shown a new project. Dubbed Project: Insight, the project involves three new helecarries designed to eliminate targets before a possible threat occurs. Fury gets suspicious when he can’t access the recovered data and asks friend/superior Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) to delay. This leads to him, Cap, and Widow being targeted by SHIELD, who they find has actually been under HYDRA control. With the mysterious Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) on their tail, they have to bring SHIELD/HYDRA down.
I’ll be honest: after being disappointed by the last Thor movie, I was starting to lose hope in the MCU. But when this came out, my hope in the series was rejuvenated as this is a fantastic movie. For starters, the performances are fantastic all-around, especially from Evans, Johansson, Jackson, Stan, and legendary actor Robert Redford. You really get to know these characters more than ever, and you find yourself becoming more attached to them. The plot is expertly crafted as well, with several twists and turns you won’t see coming. I’m not kidding when I say that this entry really shakes up the foundation of the series. Some may be shocked and disappointed by the massive changes, but I personally welcome anything to keep things fresh. Not only is this a great superhero movie, but it also works as an intriguing political/conspiracy thriller.
The action sequences are very well-handled, the fight choreography is on point, and the way it’s filmed is fantastic. You really feel every punch and every hit being inflicted, and they’re very intense and suspenseful. However, the movie can get somewhat bogged down by all the conspiracy and intrigue going on. Granted, the characters are so endearing and the plot is engaging enough to keep audiences invested. At slightly under two and half hours long, the movie actually moves at a fairly brisk pace. In between all the intense action sequences, there’s plenty of character and plot development to keep things moving. While not quite on par with The Avengers, this is the shot in the arm the series needed. Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a fantastic combination of a superhero adventure and a conspiracy thriller.
