After the remarkable success of Marvel’s Avengers team up, seeing sequel after sequel featuring each individual superhero almost seems like small potatoes in comparison. Like the recent Iron Man and Thor sequels, Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn’t present the same level of spectacle seen in The Avengers. However, this efforts is still a very fun, well-paced joyride certain to entertain not only comic book readers, but action movie fans as well.
This outing finds Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) trying to adjust to life as a Shield Operative in Washington, D.C.. Days before the launch of Shield’s new series of weaponized battle carriers, a frustrated Rogers complains to his superior Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) about the organization’s shady practices. It soon becomes clear that there are mole agents within the organization. Set up for murder, Rogers teams with the only people he can trust to stop the threat. They include the Black Widow Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). As if our hero doesn’t have enough to handle as a fugitive, Rogers must contend with a foe named the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), a man who has undergone a similar superhuman transformation.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are more known for their comedic television work directing programs like Arrested Development and Community than they are for big budget blockbusters. Thankfully, this doesn’t end up being an issue. While there’s certainly action to be found, a surprising amount of care goes into the characters. In particular, Rogers stands out as an earnest hero coming to terms with the vagaries and politics of modern day government. One would anticipate a Marvel superhero to be invincible, but his moral innocence makes the character a little more vulnerable and easier to relate to than expected.
The filmmaker’s comedy credentials and the excellent cast also ensure that there’s a fast paced and witty interplay between the characters, particularly between the lead and Romanov. The movie almost becomes a road buddy picture as the two try to sort out the nefarious plot. It doesn’t hurt that the supporting cast includes luminaries Robert Redford and Gary Shandling, who make the most of their appearances and sell all of the film’s exposition with aplomb.
And as for the action? It’s surprisingly effective, and when it does occur there’s more of a strive towards realism. Obviously, elements and sequences are extremely exaggerated, but it manages to appears more grounded than in other Marvel movies. There are multiple chase scenes through freeways during rush hour that are dynamically captured, as well as gun fights and physical confrontations on the streets. There are a few new wrinkles added to some of the confrontations and they are all skillfully shot and edited, maintaining tension and excitement throughout.
As always, there is a pair of extra scenes after the credits. The first will make little impression on those who aren’t intimately familiar with characters in the Marvel comic book universe and another doesn’t seem all that crucial (merely setting up a character’s potential change of allegiance). In the end, while it does feel like a film setting up a bigger chapter in the lives of its characters, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a more consistently entertaining effort than it’s predecessor.