Rating: • • • • (out of 5)
Age Recommendation: 5+
Age Recommendation: 5+
In all honesty, I wasn't super excited about the new Cap'n movie coming out. The previews were kind of blah and after The Avengers (2012), I was sick of S.H.I.E.L.D. Lucky for me, so is Captain America. When it's all said and done, does Captain America: The Winter Soldier
(2014) have an excess of vehicular pile-ups and explosions? You bet!
But it also has the nostalgic charm of our titular superhero—that's Captain America, not the Winter Soldier, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Marvel—that I love.
Those
of you who have seen the Captain's previous two flicks will recognize
some familiar faces. The Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett
Johansson) is back, this time in a larger role than either Iron Man 2 (2010) or The Avengers as she gets to know the Cap, aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a lot better—but in a child-friendly way. If she doesn't get her own movie, at least she gets a lot more screen time—something
the male audiences will especially appreciate. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s
eyepatched director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) plays a key role
despite being absent for most of the film for reasons that I won't spoil
here. Cobie Smulders, whose character probably has a name, returns as a
familiar face for How I Met Your Mother aficionados. Community
fans will also recognize Danny Pudi in an inexplicable cameo. Of
course, Stan Lee has a cameo per Marvel tradition, and although his
costume makes it hard to see his face, I'm sure you will have no trouble
picking him out if you've seen him before.
One returning character you are supposed to recognize is the "Winter Soldier," and while the actor is apparently the same one seen in Captain America: The First Avenger
(2011), the change in hair and makeup made said character
unrecognizable to me, even in flashbacks. Funnily enough, this
character plays a rather minor role in the grand scheme of things.
For the first time in my memory of Marvel movies, the end credit scenes—that's right, there are two again, as with Thor: The Dark World (2013)—are
not worth the wait. Still, the movie is a fun ride that sucks you in
from the start. It catches newcomers to the franchise up without
slowing everything down. The plot is generally cohesive without being
overly predictable. Thankfully, we are spared constant referencing of The Avengers, allowing the Captain to thrive on his own. As with Iron Man 3 (2013), one of our other post-Avengers
Avenger movies, our hero(es) abandon their iconic garb and go undercover
for a while. Some viewers may find this annoying, but I enjoy seeing
superheroes trying to fit in as civilians just as I enjoy seeing
celebrities being themselves.
We also get a new superhero of sorts, a military man who also probably has a name. He is played not
by Will Smith, as my parents thought from the previews, but by Anthony
Mackie. He turns out to be a pretty capable partner for the Captain in
terms of both zingers and cool accessories. Natasha is up to her usual
badassery, with a bit of dry humor thrown in.
Oh, and Robert Redford is in the movie. Don't want to give away any more than that.
Summary: If you're expecting Oscar-worthy
drama or philosophical mumbo-jumbo, look elsewhere. This is a
blockbuster. It is meant to entertain the masses, and that is what it
does. It throws a few emotional moments at you, but the main point is
to have a good time watching crazy stunts and big machines and
explosions (and numerous crashes of what appear to be empty cars, I might add)
and going along for the thrill ride that is life as Captain America in the
21st century. Kid-friendly movie in terms of language, violence, and
sexuality.
The Bad: title misleading in terms of plot focus, one returning actor unrecognizable
The Even Worse: crummy end credits sequences
The Even Worse: crummy end credits sequences
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