I used to feel like after The Avengers came out, Marvel was running on autopilot. They were still capable of making entertaining movies - Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World were both worth watching for the laughs alone - but nothing was memorable to me. Given that I thought the first Captain America movie was faithful to the comics but a tad bland, I was hopeful, but not optimistic, in regards to the sequel. My hopes were surpassed when the movie exceeded all of my highest expectations.
Let's start with the cast; Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury, The Falcon, Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, the Winter Soldier, and even Batroc the Leaper all make appearances. What's more, each and every character is given ample screen time and development, without stealing time away from anyone else. The acting is superb, and Chris Evans in particular does a great job portraying a brilliant fighter and strategist who worries whether or not he's fighting for the right side. The stakes are high enough to bring mountains of tension to the plot, and it's the only Marvel movie in recent memory that ends with long-term ramifications for the Marvel Universe as a whole.
The action scenes are some of the best Marvel have ever done. Falcon's aerial manoeuvres are impressive and Nick Fury's encounter with HYDRA agents early on was gripping, but the Winter Soldier himself beats them all. Every fight with him is excellently choreographed to highlight the level of skill he operates at, as well as the skill of those fighting against him. It's one of the few uses of shaky-cam that I approve of, because it's actually appropriate for the situation - fast-paced, intense, and constantly on the move.
That's not to say the movie is perfect; the first half adopts the line 'Don't trust anyone,' which around the halfway point becomes 'Don't trust anyone unless you recognize their name from the comics in which case they're unambiguously good guys.' But ultimately, any flaw I could find was so small and unimportant that it couldn't detract from the movie as a whole.
If you don't like Captain America, this movie might change your mind. If you do like Captain America, you owe it to yourself to see the best Captain America movie there's going to be for quite some time.
A Very Pleasant Surprise
I used to feel like after The Avengers came out, Marvel was running on autopilot. They were still capable of making entertaining movies - Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World were both worth watching for the laughs alone - but nothing was memorable to me. Given that I thought the first Captain America movie was faithful to the comics but a tad bland, I was hopeful, but not optimistic, in regards to the sequel. My hopes were surpassed when the movie exceeded all of my highest expectations.
Let's start with the cast; Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury, The Falcon, Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, the Winter Soldier, and even Batroc the Leaper all make appearances. What's more, each and every character is given ample screen time and development, without stealing time away from anyone else. The acting is superb, and Chris Evans in particular does a great job portraying a brilliant fighter and strategist who worries whether or not he's fighting for the right side. The stakes are high enough to bring mountains of tension to the plot, and it's the only Marvel movie in recent memory that ends with long-term ramifications for the Marvel Universe as a whole.
The action scenes are some of the best Marvel have ever done. Falcon's aerial manoeuvres are impressive and Nick Fury's encounter with HYDRA agents early on was gripping, but the Winter Soldier himself beats them all. Every fight with him is excellently choreographed to highlight the level of skill he operates at, as well as the skill of those fighting against him. It's one of the few uses of shaky-cam that I approve of, because it's actually appropriate for the situation - fast-paced, intense, and constantly on the move.
That's not to say the movie is perfect; the first half adopts the line 'Don't trust anyone,' which around the halfway point becomes 'Don't trust anyone unless you recognize their name from the comics in which case they're unambiguously good guys.' But ultimately, any flaw I could find was so small and unimportant that it couldn't detract from the movie as a whole.
If you don't like Captain America, this movie might change your mind. If you do like Captain America, you owe it to yourself to see the best Captain America movie there's going to be for quite some time.