Captain America: The winter Soldier is widely considered by fans to be the best movie in the MCU. Captain America at the time of it's release was the game changer and arguably exceeded The Avengers. The character development throughout the movie is spot on and the biggest highlight in my opinion is the stunt work and choreography. However Guardians of the Galaxy is still my all time favourite, The Winter Soldier doesn't make use of CGI as much as the other movies meaning it feels a bit more real. However after studying animation and being a bit of a self confessed sci-fi nerd I really enjoy the use of visual effects. This movie is more of a political/espionage thriller which the MCU hasn't had before. These types of movies aren't really my cup of tea however purely because it's Marvel I did enjoy it, just not as much as other fans. I enjoyed the twists throughout the movie such as Steve Roger's neighbour turning out to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, S.H.I.E.L.D. turns out to be HYDRA, Fury is suspected to be dead, Zola is alive living through technology, Bucky turns out the be the Winter Soldier. The journey of Steve discovering the truth throughout the movie is really compelling making it by far the best solo movie in the MCU (until the release of Civil War). Although this is probably an unpopular opinion I still prefer Thor purely for the sci-fi/fantasy aspect of the movie.
Like I said one of the outstanding factors in the movie is the relationships between the characters. In particular with Sam and Steve bonding over their experience returning home from war. In the beginning Steve is rather standoffish when Sam first mentions Steve waking up from the ice, but Sam slowly brings Steve round to the point that Steve trusts him enough to go into hiding at Sam's place after only meeting twice. This however can be considered a flaw in the movie as he trusts him so easily.
I did however prefer seeing Steve's relationship development with Black Widow although this may be down the the fact she had more screen time. We really get to see her skill set at it's highest proving she's an asset to any team. She consistently proves why she is one of the worlds top spies.
Of course the most important character development is that of Steve Rogers. He is still a man out of time who is confused by the modern world but in the beginning of the movie it's mainly used as a bit of humour however when Steve faces a modern day national security threat. Steve's strong moral centre and his profound goodness is what keeps the movie grounded. An example of this is when he visits his own Smithsonian exhibit, he visits as he needs a reminder of who is is and what he stands for. He began as a soldier in the first Captain America movie who followed the orders of his superiors. Now he takes a stand for what he really believes in instead of mindlessly following orders. We also see Steve dealing with his regrets such as his relationship with Peggy Carter but he also learns acceptance that he and Peggy will never be together and therefore moves on by asking Sharon out for coffee. This dynamic was handled very well as most movies with this type of relationship would have pushed Chris Evan's character to move on too quickly.
Steve's friendship with Bucky is developed throughout this movie using flashbacks. We see just how close the two were with Steve refusing to kill him after discovering that Bucky is a HYDRA assassin. When Bucky interferes with Steve's mission he is able to fight him off enough to complete his mission but he shows how he would prefer for Bucky to fatally harm him instead of murdering his best friend. This friendship gives the movie even more heart and depth.
The reveal of HYDRA was the most unexpected moment of the movie, although S.H.I.E.L.D. tends to nuke first ask questions later, we have been led to believe since the first Iron Man movie that S.H.I.E.L.D. strives as a government agency to keep the citizens of the US safe from the unknown. However once Steve's own team turns on him the audience learn how corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. is.
Overall I enjoyed the fight sequences most in the movie as in the same way as Civil War everything is perfectly choreographed. It also shows Captain America as a super soldier, whether it is a scene of him running faster than the average soldier, anticipating the elevator ambush, through the display of his skills and strength we got more insight into his capabilities in this movie than any previous MCU movie he has appeared in. It is probably one of the movies in the MCU with the least flaws. I personally found no flaws with the movie I simply prefer the more galactic/magical elements in the MCU rather than the soldier/war storylines.
Easter Eggs
#1 Cap's list
After Steve Rogers woke up after being out of the loop for decades, his method to get back into society is by having a list of things to catch up on. However this list changes depending on where the movie was released, for example the American version has things like 'Moon Landing', 'Steve Jobs (Apple) while the UK version featured 'World Cup Final (1966)', and 'The Beatles'.
#2 Stephen Strange name drop
When Agent Sitwell is being interrogated on a rooftop by Cap, Falcon and Black Widow, he reveals HYDRA's plan to eliminate all possible future threats to their organization. As well as mentioning Tony Stark and Bruce Banner he also name drops Stephen Strange. To anyone who is familiar with the comics this name would have stuck out to them as Doctor Strange is a huge character in the Marvel Universe. At the time Winter Soldier was released it was confirmed whether there would be a Doctor Strange movie or not but now it is just a couple months from being released with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead role.
#3 Pulp Fiction reference
Although we all know Nick Fury is alive, when Cap goes to visit his 'grave' there is a quote written on his gravestone that reads "The path of the righteous man". This famous line was actually said by Samuel L Jackson's character Jules Winnfield in the movie Pulp Fiction.
#4 Captain Bucky
Just as the Bucky easter egg in the first Captain America (if you wanna check it out go to my post on Captain America: The First Avenger) we get another nod to his possible future position as the new Captain. In the comics while Steve is presumed dead, Bucky takes up the shield for a time, and with Chris Evans leaving acting soon it is a possibility that it could happen in the MCU. Sebastian Stan has signed on for a total of 9 movies in the MCU which outweighs Chris Evan's 6 movie deal.
#5 Stan Lee cameo
Stan's cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is as a night security guard at the Smithsonian who possibly gets fired after Steve Rogers breaks in and steals his suit whilst it is under Stan's watch.
Comments