Director: Anthony & Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson
Year: 2014
And now for the 2nd Captain America installment, The Winter Soldier. The 1st film, The First Avenger, was Steve Rodgers’ origin story, the beginning of all the adventures. As origin stories go, it was pretty awesome. It was on a level with Batman Begins, and really set the tone for the upcoming films. We got to see how it all began, plus the story took place in the 40s, so we weren’t subjected to a thousand pieces of useless technology that shoot a thousand missiles each. However, that’s exactly what we got with the sequel. It’s a natural failing of followups that they become more action-packed, or at least more action-reliant. And yet audiences love the 2nds, soak up the blood, and beg for more. But not me, no, please count me out. I’m in for the origins, for the touch of humor, for the flawed hero, but I just wish they’d stop while they were ahead.
Spoiler Alert! Steve Rodgers is 90 years old. The hero of WWII was frozen in time after saving the world from Hydra, spent years hidden away, but then was found when mankind needed him most. Teaming up with Black Widow, Cap must take on a new breed of thugs, though they support his age old foe. Hydra begins a systematic takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D., even knocking out its #1 dude, Nick Fury. Now Captain America must go underground to discover who’s behind the threat and eliminate them before it’s too late. But a blast from the past, the Winter Soldier, stands in the way of his mission. Can Cap take him down, with Falcon’s help, before it’s too late, or will “Hail Hydra” be the new world motto?
Here’s the trouble I have with these action sequels, and its the same problem I had with The Dark Knight; they leave the character-building behind and replace it with kung fu moves. Seriously, when did Steve Rogers become a martial arts master? And how does every bad guy he come across know the exact same fighting technique? What’s worse, whenever they’re not battling, everyone sits down to talk about their feelings, examine their choices, discuss the future. In the origins there’s balance, in the sequels there’s a constant see-saw effect. And let’s not forget the incredibly awful acting of ScarJo, who had a major role much as MagGyl had in Dark Knight, and butchered every scene. I really liked Falcon, thought the Winter Soldier was cool, but couldn’t get on board for the movie as a whole. I thought it lacked the flow of the first, and it left me disappointed after the original had built my hopes high.
My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆