Don't trust anyone
Captain America: The Winter Soldier carries on from the events of the first film The First Avenger and also the epic superhero team-up movie The Avengers. Here we find Cap (played again by the brilliant Chris Evans) still trying to adapt to life in the modern world. As a new threat appears from within S.H.I.E.L.D, Cap must figure out quickly who he can trust in this new world. Making things more complicated for our hero is the mysterious Winter Soldier, the ultimate assassin who has a 'kill first, ask questions never' approach to his work. Is this all too much to handle for our star-spangled man with a plan?
The director of the first film, Joe Johnston, managed to give the first film a sense of fun and some cartoon-like villainy and don't get me wrong i loved that! But what we get here from the new directors Joe and Anthony Russo is a more serious and far more realistic threat, something fans of the Marvel movies had been looking forward to for quite a while I think. Everyone expects humour from these films and there is a lot of it in this movie which works incredibly well, but unlike in the other more recent films like Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, the humour comes at the right time and doesn't take anything away from the action that's happening too. The main reason I feel they get it right this time round is because these directors actually have a history of working in comedy both in film and TV so these guys definitely know what they're doing!
As well as the comedy, the action is top-notch and due to Captain America's less extravagant super powers we are presented with some brilliantly choreographed hand to hand fights which can't help but make you think of the Bourne films. Fans of Captain America have so far been disappointed with his fighting style in the movies, but worry no more! His excellent martial arts skills are on show plenty of times in this film and his use of the shield is at it's best and arguably makes it worth watching this in 3D. It's not just Cap getting his hands dirty either, Black Widow (played again by the unbelievable Scarlett Johansson) makes a welcome return in a much bigger role than we've seen her before and just like in the previous films she has been in, manages to steal most of the best scenes. One of the highlights of the film is the banter between her and Cap, especially in the heat of battle, some romance is hinted but I wouldn't look in to it too much because Marvel seem to want to avoid going down that path with their characters. If the public continues to respond well to Black Widow surely it can't be long until she gets a film of her own, especially as we learn more about her mysterious background in this movie, I still really want to know what happened in Budapest!
The whole cast are on form in this film with Samuel L. Jackson back as Nick Fury being his usual badass self as well as having the chance to show a different side to his character. Cobie Smulders is another returning cast member, coming back as Maria Hill and although she doesn't have a lot to do in the film she is still very important to the plot. New to the franchise are Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow and Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce. Falcon is likely to become a fan favourite after this thanks not just to his incredible action scenes but also for being the source of the film's best one-liners, I look forward to seeing more of him in either Avengers 2 or more likely Cap 3. Grillo's Rumlow is a complicated character and i don't want to spoil anything but I don't think this is the last time we will see him in these movies. When it was announced Robert Redford was joining the cast of this film it surprised everyone and his role has been shrouded in secrecy with many people, including myself, suspecting he could be the villainous Red Skull. So is he?! Well... I can't say, but I will tell you that Redford is terrific in the role and there is a lot more to him than just being the head of SHIELD.
The best character in the film however is the man who is mentioned in the film's title, The Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan. Fans of the comics, like myself, will be familiar with this character and his story, and more importantly his connection to Captain America. Marvel Studios hasn't done the best job in covering up his identity in their marketing but I don't think that was ever the idea to be honest. The moment he finally is revealed will shock everyone, fans and non-fans alike, it definitely gave me goosebumps! The Winter Soldier proves to be Marvel's best villain yet, apart from Loki. He is terrifying and relentless and I won't be the first person to compare him to the Terminator, he truly is the biggest threat Cap has faced. However despite being so deadly he also has some of the most emotional scenes in the film, you really do care about his character when you find out the truth behind him and it makes for a touching finale.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Marvel Studios' smartest film yet and arguably their best solo movie, it doesn't quite reach the heights of Avengers but it definitely comes close. Excellent writing, exhilarating action and the scariest villain Marvel has had on-screen so far make this a must see film. There are plenty of twists and turns and lots of hints to the wider Marvel Universe to look out for, some that I probably won't notice until a second or third viewing. If you leave the cinema before the mid-credits scene you really are a fool, I won't say what happens but it definitely got me super-excited for seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron next year!
10/10
This is my first post so any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!