Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I think the main difference between the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe so far is that Marvel is unafraid to take chances with their characters. Perhaps the most glaring difference is that DC has tried to embrace our sceptical side by saying that no one buys into the “American Way” anymore so Superman just comes off as hokey. Perhaps the most ridiculous of characters that embody the American idealism is Captain America and Marvel has done something DC/ Warner Brothers is afraid to do... embrace the contrivance. Captain America flat out believes in America, believes in freedom and in the ideal picture of the American people. He is a American dreamer. That is why the new movie is so interesting. It asks what happens when everything Cap knew is suddenly thrown into disarray? What happens when the people he trusted prove to be untrustworthy? Described by most actors as a political thriller, The Winter Soldier is a smart, interesting movie that spells the end of idealism and the rebirth of freedom (both metaphorically and creatively) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The movie opens with Captain Steve Rogers still working for S.H.I.E.L.D and still trying to adjust to the world around him. Black Widow urges him to date more and he smiles his way through it, not sure he even knows how he can date. What exactly does Captain America have in common with the nurse down the hall or the girl in accounting?He can however kick lots of ass and proceeds to take apart a boat full of pirates. Still he questions his role in this new S.H.I.E.L.D. and whether he even wants to be a part of it. Meanwhile Robert Redford shows up as Senator Pierce, a somewhat cocky leader of  S.H.I.E.L.D who is busy trying to get ahead of the terrorists by launching a fleet of helicarriers that can identify a threat and eliminate it before they can enact their plan (one of those threats is named as Bruce Banner... I am not sure whether I want to be the guy who shoots cannons at the Hulk). When Nick Fury finally lets Cap in on the secret, he looks at this as an infringement of freedom while Nick (played again with glee by Samuel L. Jackson) sees it as a chance to stop terror in it’s track and keep people safe.  It is a high brow idea for people to think about. What is a threat? What does a computer see that people cannot? Is it worth saving 7 billion people by killing 20 million? It is hard to argue on the side killing 20 million people but there is a rationale to it that makes the threat at least a credible one. Also haunting Cap is The Winter Soldier, an assassin who has been working for 50 years and has connections to Cap’s past.  

The Winter Soldier is, much like Iron Man 3, a movie which spends little time with men in suits fighting back the enemy but gets involved in the men in the suits. The goal of this phase of the Marvel Universe is seemingly to strip all of the heroes of their suits and attack their hearts and idealism. Watching Iron Man 3 you can wonder where Iron Man was and the same can be said here. I thought the same thing during Winter Soldier as well. Beyond Cap’s magic patriotic shield, the suit is rarely seen. It is a movie about Steve Rogers and his adjustment to the world. My only issue is the same one I had with Iron Man 3.  Surely Iron Man, Hawkeye, The Hulk and Thor could have helped end this threat with a lot less bloodshed. Just as I wondered where Captain America was when the president was kidnapped in Iron Man 3. Is that something that didn’t interest S.H.I.E.L.D? Marvel seems to enjoy letting their heroes fight their own battles only to come back together during the most egregious of threats. 

I would like to ask that we retire the shaky camera flashing, spinning and shifting focus fighting that puts you in the middle of a fight. It is a style that gained popularity with the Bourne Identity movies and continues today. It is fascinating to be so intimately involved in the fight but maybe I could watch the fight while propped up 10 feet away? I mean do I have to enjoy not knowing who is punching who and just assuming that the Captain is winning? Can I actually watch the fight that they choreographed and the actors worked hard to make it look realistic? Maybe, in 3-D there is a vast difference but I can't imagine that 3-D makes the fights are any easier to follow. I'd like to see the skill and elegance of fight scenes while not having to deal with the motion sickness that goes with it.

There is smart talented storytelling going on in The Winter Soldier and the story is intriguing but I worry that some younger Marvel Universe viewers may not understand what is going on.  There is very little cape and cowl moments in this movie. It is a subtle exercise in storytelling, a smart man’s superhero movie. I appreciate that Marvel isn’t talking down to me and is not catering to kids just to make a little bit of money. When you break down the core of The Winter Soldier, it is the same as every superhero movie which results in a battle of Captain America versus... whoever. Cap vs. The Winter Soldier, Cap vs. Politics, Cap vs. himself , Cap vs. The Nurse down the hall, Cap versus Black Widow’s amazing body. I loved the movie. It engaged me in a way that Iron Man 3 didn’t though both movies were tonally similar. Here, I was intrigued by the man not the suit while in Iron Man 3 I was more interested in the suit not the man. I think for most people, Captain America: The Winter Soldier will just be another superhero movie that leads up to Avengers: Age of Ultron and it is but The Winter Soldier is more a story about all the people who try to keep America and the world safe through many different means. It is about finding your place in the world and then fighting to keep it intact.

Mr. Unhappy sez: The Winter Soldier is an action packed movie with a smart story. Much smarter than I hoped for. That was a pleasant surprise.