Anthony and Joe Russo direct the Captain’s second solo outing as Chris Evans reprises his role as the First Avenger in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and boy does it pack a hell of a punch!
Most would agree that Captain America’s first outing was a little lackluster to say the least, whilst Avengers Assemble didn’t prove to be the character’s moment in the lime light. However, The Winter Soldier manages to single-handedly erase the misery of its’ predecessor.
We join the Captain as he is attempting to adapt to life in the 21st century, struggling to cope with his new surroundings, and wondering whether he’s still relevant post WW2. Steve Rogers (Mr. Cap A) comes face to face with the Winter Soldier, a sort of Soviet super soldier who pops up every now and then looking masked and mysterious and ready to F sh*t up! Including the Captain.
If action is what you’re after this month, then literally look no further, this film knows exactly what it is and provides some slick and stunningly executed action sequences that you can never really fault, regardless of how unbelievable they may be at times.
The pacing of the script is also impressive, setting the scene effectively and then never overcomplicating itself. The witty one-liners, although maybe a little too much at times, finally give Evan’s Captain some personality, and it’s safe to say that Evans has finally taken the reigns of the role, and established himself as a hero the audience will want to root for.
It begins to become more and more apparent throughout this sequel, how much of a good fit Chris Evans is for this role, and this has to be put down to some excellent writing from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, responsible for the screenplay. They’ve managed to give the Captain some genuine charisma and charm, allowing Evans to connect more with the audience.
Samuel L Jackson and Scarlett Johansson’s characters (Nick Fury & Black Widow) are fleshed out a little more, and share some amusing dialogue with Evans. Anthony Mackie as The Falcon is also a nice addition, acting as a very likeable partner for the Captain, whilst having Robert Redford (as Alexander Pierce) in the cast can never really be a bad thing, and he works well with a character that doesn’t have much to him.
This is a very strong addition to the Marvel movie universe and follows the witty action-heavy formula that seems to work so well for Marvel. Although very predictable at times, this is evidence that the Captain America movie franchise has significant legs in it, and hopefully proof that the series can grow into something special.
Watch the trailer here: