Captain America: The Winter Soldier

So here it is finally, my first review of a movie before it actually came out. So here's the story. I had a buddy who managed to grab pre-release tickets for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, because we happen to be military. I took the hour drive to the Mall of America and sat in a room full of military guys and gals and watched Captain America. I highly recommend it.

This will be my non-spoiler review. Hopefully I can review it without giving too much away, its going to be hard because there are a lot of things I want to talk about with this movie and I can't because its not out yet.

The Winter Soldier obviously picks up Steve Roger's story after the Battle of New York and the events of the Avengers. However, this movie was a little bit different because it is actually set two years after the events of the Avengers. Whereas Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 made a ton of mentions to the Battle of New York, The Winter Soldier really doesn't make any mention at all.

Look, making mention to that event was important for Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 because in the case of Tony Stark, he's still having PTSD about it, its apart of the plot. In the case of Thor, Natalie Portman hasn't seen Thor since the first movie and the only thing they can talk about it New York. With Steve Rogers, its not really necessary to mention the battle. It happened, the audience knows that the two movies are connected, there's not need to beat the bush. So well done right off the bat.

So Rogers is having a little bit of trouble with a little bit of an identity crisis. He is a soldier of a different time stuck in a world where there's a huge question of liberty over security. SHIELD is reaching out to take more and more power in the name of securing the safety and freedoms of America. And the Captain isn't sure he agrees or can be apart of it. This really brings out a different elements of film, something that Marvel/ Disney is getting really good at. This is not just a superhero film, its a political spy movie. There are some ethical and political debates on how much freedom, if any we should give up for the sake of being secure. There's a great quote from Rogers when he's talking to Nick Fury about the measures they're taking. He states that "the Greatest generation" or the people of World War II did some crazy stuff but it was always in defense of liberties and the greater good. The measure that SHIELD is taking seem to be more about inciting fear and fighting an enemy that has no means of fighting back. It brings up dialogue about the arm of the military and what we tend to fight these days and its fantastic. The movie doesn't get too bogged down in the political ideology though and it makes for a really good action, conspiracy spy movie as well as being a Captain America film.

Another great part about this movie is the connections Steve Rogers still has with his past. As I mentioned in my rant about the Marvel universe, Captain America has his own exhibit in the Smithsonian in DC. Rogers goes there and sees his past something that is in a museum. This was something that was kind of glossed over in the end of the first movie and in the Avengers because they needed him to do his Captain America thing. But now he's actually dealing with it. He goes and visits an old Peggy Carter, his love interest from the first movie. This movie is a lot about Steve Rogers assimilating to the modern world.

With all this happening, there is a mercenary out there that is creating havoc called The Winter Soldier. He soon becomes an intrical part of the plot of the film.

Now if you don't know who the Winter Soldier is, I won't ruin it for you. Though you should know who it is. If you read comics, you definitely know who it is. But even if you do, I don't think you know the motives and other elements behind it. Its still a really great storyline and its actually one of the ambiances of the movie that I really enjoy. But that's something I discuss in my spoiler review. In short, the Winter Soldier is an incredibly important part to the plot and action wise, he's really one of the coolest characters and villains made in the Marvel films.

Unfortunately, there's only so much I can say about the villain(s) of the movie. But I will say, I really enjoyed this plot. The one weakness of some of the Marvel films is the fact that there isn't a really good villain out there. Loki was Marvel's golden goose for the majority of the first phase and now they have to move onto something else. The villain(s) of The Winter Soldier are really, really good. The Winter Soldier himself, the bad guys, they're just good all around in this film. While I don't know how much it really opens up for villains returning from this film, it does open up a world of possibilities that you can only understand if you see the movie.

Other great elements about the movie is the cast. Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers, Scarlett Johansson returns as Black Widow, Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury. The got Robert Redford to play one of the top men of SHIELD and he does a phenomenal job. That was a big thing about this movie was the fact that Robert Redford was in it and that was one of the first critically acclaimed actors to start being in these superhero movies.

In short, he doesn't disappoint. And he really helps the edge that this movie is going for. Like I said before, there's very much elements of government conspiracy movies in this movie and it works perfectly for a character like Captain America. This is not the world of spies and espionage that Captain America is used to and its a great contrast. He's told not to trust anybody and you really start to question everybody he comes in contact with, what their motives are and whether or not they'll help him or stab him in the back.

As I've said in my Marvel universe rant, the end of this movie really opens things up and changes directions a little bit with the future of these movies. It goes in a way you may not have expected and I freaking love it.

Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are both fantastic and they're chemistry in the movie is really good. In short, this movie made Black Widow an interesting character.

Speaking of interesting characters, this movie introduces, Sam Wilson, or The Falcon. When I first saw the posts for the Falcon, I wasn't that excited. I mean its a guy with bird wings, how interesting can that be. Turns out, this guy was probably my favorite character in the film. In the end, his presence wasn't totally necessary as they could have just put Hawkeye in there, but I'm really glad they have him in this movie.

Sam Wilson is a veteran who works at the VA hospital in DC. (Already a standup guy) But when things go to hell, Steve Rogers goes to him for help because he doesn't know who to trust. He's played by Anthony Mackie who just does a downright brilliant job. I would have liked to see more action on his part but the movie really made me love this character and I want to see him return in future movies. I really hope they don't miss this opportunity.

There are a lot of easter eggs in this movie that are just bonus for people who know what they're looking for. I'll be talking about them in the spoilers but I think that's a really great way of doing it. The movies don't have to go word by word from the source material but as long as there is some fan service in some form, I don't see the harm.

I wouldn't say the mid and post credit scenes are the best credit scenes I've ever seen but they're up there. They really do tease some great stuff for Age of Ultron and opens up for a brilliant story arc in the future.

In short, The Winter Soldier made me only more secure in the idea that Marvel/Disney knows what they are doing and they know exactly where they're going with this. Everything seems to have a purpose and they don't seem to be building this story off the seat of their pants. The events of this movie will have implications throughout the next few movies just as the first phase movies did. I'm really excited to see where they go with some of the storylines, all of which I will cover in my spoiler review.

In short, I freaking loved Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I've definitely come to the conclusion that it is my favorite of the Phase 2 Marvel movies and its up there in my top 3 at least. This movie made Captain America my favorite Avenger and when it finally does come out, see it as soon as you can.

So those are my thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. You excited for it? When you see it, what did you think? Let me know and comment below.

I'll leave you with this. I always like to put Honest Trailer or something from Cracked. And here is the Honest Trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger. Its pretty funny, enjoy!