Captain America: The Winter Soldier (**** OUT OF ****) gives
super-hero sequels a good name. Not only
is this$170 million blockbuster far better than its superb ‘origins’
predecessor, but it also is a real game-changer for the Marvel Universe. Former Fantastic Four actor Chris Evans reprises
the title role as Steve Rogers, a 90-pound weakling turned 240-pound heavyweight,
whose exploits inspired millions in World War II. Remember Rogers spent about 70 years in suspended
animation in an iceberg after he contributed to the defeat the Nazis as well as
Hydra. Rogers maintains his sense of
honor, or naivety, throughout all his trials and tribulations. Evans makes his old-fashioned, nice-guy antics
appear both convincing and charming.
Meaning, Captain America remains essentially a goody-two-shoes-bachelor with-a-shield. Our hero takes a licking but keeps on ticking
despite whatever adversaries he tangles with in the second, in-name-only
theatrical Captain America feature. Co-directors
Anthony and Joe Russo of You, Me and Dupree let the action coast occasionally
in this larger-than-life, two-hour-and-sixteen minute melodrama, but the combat
scenes are staged with so much kinetic artistry that you will teeter on the
edge of your seat during them. Everything
is still appropriately formulaic but entirely outlandish in the gravity-defying
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely screenplay that puts our hero early and
often behind the eight ball. My favorite
close-quarters combat encounter occurs in the elevator with our hero cornered
and outnumbered. Later scraps on the three
Helicarriers emerge as no less electrifying.
Predictably, everything is business as usual, but the Russo brothers and
their scribes provide enough twists and turns to keep you interested in this
noisy nonsense. Mind you, one or two
things won’t register as total surprises because you know some characters cannot
perish. Nevertheless, if you enjoyed the
first Captain America with Chris Evans, you will probably love the second one
as much if not more!
In terms of a chronological timeline, Captain America: The
Winter Soldier takes place two years after the cataclysmic New York showdown,
but the action itself covers only three days.
Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) hasn’t totally acclimated
himself to the 21st century, but he refuses to let it interfere with
his duty. While jogging around Washington,
D.C., the fleet-footed Rogers befriends congenial Air Force flyboy Sam Wilson
(Anthony Mackie of Notorious) who counsels veterans suffering from PTSD at the
VA Hospital. No sooner have they gotten acquainted
than Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson of The Avengers) rolls
up to whisk Rogers off onto his next dangerous mission. Later, Sam Wilson joins Rogers in his
capacity as the winged hero Falcon. The
first major action scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is designed
to show how extraordinary our eponymous hero is under fire but also how vulnerable
he remains. Terrorists have stormed a
S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance ship, and they are issuing outrageous demands for the
release of the hostages. Actually, this
predicament reminded me of the first mission that Stallone and company embarked
on in the initial Expendables epic.
Mind you, Captain America and his trusty boomerang shield clear the
perimeter so Black Widow and Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo of End of Watch) can
free the hostages and settle with the terrorists. However, more than meets the eye occurs
during this seemingly simple mission, and Captain America confronts his
superior, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nicholas Fury (Samuel L. Jackson of Pulp
Fiction), about Black Widow’s cyber-exploit.
No sooner have Rogers and Fury fussed at each other at the sprawling new
island headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. than Fury briefs Rogers about the next best
thing. Project Insight will link three
Helicarriers via spy satellites and to eradicate preemptively any threats either
domestic or otherwise. Naturally,
Captain America doesn’t like Insight. If
he is shocked that things have changed so much that such a measure must be
taken, he is even more shocked later when Fury shows up at his apartment with
blood on his hands and an assassin lurking nearby. Of course, D.C. Police are nowhere to be
found when these imposters do everything except blast holes in either the
engine block or the tires of his fortified SUV during a tense auto chase
through D.C. streets. If this weren’t
enough for Captain America, he must go toe-to-toe with a mysterious combatant
with a Six Million Dollar Man arm to save the day.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier makes several references
to the previous film that strengthens its bond with it. We get a glimpse of the girl that Steve loved
and we watch as Steve’s best friend, Bucky Barnes, contends with amnesia. The filmmakers not only bring us up to date
about Bucky, but also we learn more about renegade enemy scientist Dr. Arnim
Zola who collaborated with the Red Skull in the first Captain America. Furthermore, Zola opts to become a ‘ghost-in-the
machine’ like Johnny Depp in Transcendence.
The Russos and their writers keep hurling obstacles into Captain America’s
path, and our hero doesn’t have an easy time conquering the villains. Anthony Mackie gets to play the first
African-American Marvel super hero, and he attacks the role with relish. He wears a sophisticated set of mechanical wings
that enable him to fly and perform far-fetched feats. Scarlett Johansson is just as tough and sexy as
she was in The Avengers. Meanwhile,
the best special effect in this special effects extravaganza isn’t a special
effect. Actor Robert Redford proves
computer graphics stand no chance against the real thing. Redford qualifies as the most distinguished silver-screen
good guy to cavort in such a dastardly manner since Henry Fonda in Sergio Leone’s
western Once Upon A Time in the West.
If you’ve never seen Redford in action, you owe it to yourself to check
him out. By his presence alone, Redford
makes this action-adventure opus into a memorable experience. Let’s hope that Marvel Studios can keep up
with good work with the forthcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015.
