The Marvel Cinematic Universe has raised the bar yet again with the return of The Star Spangled Man with a Plan. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is the sequel to 2011’s highly entertaining “The First Avenger”. In that film we were introduced to a scrawny Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) who was asked to serve his country during WWII in a unique way – by becoming a beefed-up symbol for the people, and eventually a crime-fighting hero.
In 2012’s “The Avengers” Rogers teamed-up with the other established Marvel superheroes: Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow), and S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury to defeat Thor’s evil brother Loki. Thankfully in “CA2” there is no sign of Asgard.
Nick (the always great Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) join forces with Rogers once again, this time in an effort to combat the re-emergence of the evil forces of HYDRA, whose secret weapon is the infamous “Winter Soldier”, a trained killer with a metal arm. His identity is hidden by a mask, though, in one of the movie’s many revelations, we do get to learn who he actually is.
But the trio of Avengers are not alone. Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”) fits-in seamlessly as a modern-day war veteran who joins the good guys as The Falcon. He’s involved in several aerial sequences that are impressively staged and shot. Also new to the series is Alexander Pierce (Oscar winner Robert Redford), who represents S.H.I.E.L.D. in the World Council.
That’s all you need and want to know about “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” going in. Any more details would give away too much of the complex and sophisticated plot, which includes more twists than any Marvel Studios installment to date. This is not your typical “superhero” movie, but an action-packed political thriller, with a serious tone that elevates it to a level way above most of the efforts in this series, putting last year’s mediocre “Thor: The Dark World” to shame.
And yet, “The Winter Soldier” is also a whole lot of fun. The action scenes, which range from nicely choreographed hand-to-hand combat to all-out gun battles, are long but rewarding. There are a few bits of humor sprinkled-in, many Marvel references, and one of the better Stan Lee cameos. Evans and Johansson have an authentic chemistry, and Redford, at 77, still has a commanding screen presence, even in this supporting role (and it’s good to see him back on dry land).
The most impressive triumph of “The Winter Soldier” is the use of the score, montages, and unexpected flashbacks to capture our emotions, and make us care about these characters like never before. Kudos to the directors – brothers Anthony and Joe Russo – for making the Captain America universe Marvel’s most human and believable. There are some pacing issues, with periods of extended dialogue leading up to an explosive, 10-minute action scene. But that’s a minor complaint for what is an exciting and extremely impressive film.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is rated PG-13 for all the action/violence and some language. It’s appropriate for teens and up. As always, stick through the credits for a few teasers of other Marvel films coming-up, including next year’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. But before looking ahead, take the opportunity to enjoy the smartest Marvel movie yet, and one of 2014’s standouts.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” gets an A-.