Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
2014-04-03 10:36:40
Released April 4, 2014 / Action & Adventure, Science Fiction / PG-13
- Stars: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford. Samuel L. Jackson,
- Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders
- Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
- Directed by: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
- After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue and threatens to put the world at risk.
- Joining forces with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off assailants sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy – the Winter Soldier.
- Let’s get right down to the nitty-gritty. Is “Captain America: The Winter Soldier any good?” A resounding yes! It’s excellent. I really enjoyed the first film a lot, but this one definitely took it to a different level. The action and effects in the film is some of the best you’ll see from any modern motion picture. But none of that action sacrifices any of the character’s stories or emotional arcs in any way.
- You see a real friendship evolved between Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff (aka The Black Widow). These are two soldiers with serious trust issues who have been thrust together in battle, but slowly come to respect and resolve those issues as the film plays on. The character of Sam Wilson (aka The Falcon) is a great addition to the cast and a refreshing screen presence. This is a guy who would lay down his life for his new friend and I’d certainly like to see more of him in upcoming films. Sam Jackson gave his best performance yet as Nick Fury. He really seems to have found the character. And, of course, Robert Redford is… Robert Redford. Not much more needs to be said about that.
- “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” might be considered a superhero movie, but it doesn’t really play like one. I’m not the first to say this, but it really does play out like a political thriller, only with a lot of kick ass action interspersed throughout. This movie had no problem digging in and getting messy. It wasn’t afraid to shake things up and keep them shook up by film’s end.
- This may not be my favorite of all the Marvel films (the first “Iron Man” and “The Avengers” take those spots), but it is without a doubt the best made of those films. And it certainly has the best pacing of all of them. Once the film gets going (which it does almost immediately), it almost never stops. But it does take enough time outs to allow you to breathe and get to know these characters better. I look forward to seeing these relationships grow in the upcoming “Avengers” film and the next “Captain America.”
Know It All Joe https://www.knowitalljoe.com/
This past Sunday morning, a 16-year-old teen boy stowed away in the wheel well of Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45, departing from San Jose, California and bound for Maui. During the almost five hour flight on this Boeing 767, the boy was unconscious for the duration of the trip. The plane rose to altitudes of around 38,000 feet and the boy survived subzero temperatures with little to no oxygen. Some experts believed that he was essentially in a state of suspended animation. 
