LORENZO DANIEL L. ANTONIO | 2012-31308 HUM I SECTION B SUMMER | UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MANILA

definitely a marvel

A Movie Review on Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Surveillance. Security. Trust. With these words being a hot issue in recent years (as claims have

been spreading that the NSA takes warrantless surveillance of US citizens), surely a movie like Captain

America: The Winter Soldier reminds people of trust issues and their personal security against

government surveillance. Is sacrificing freedom for security in this manner a step in the right direction

and not a constitutional violation? This question has been increasingly asked again and again in recent

years.

Steve Rogers, or as most people know him – Captain America, is faced with the same problem.

This poor and tragic superhero can trust no one, his organization turning against him, and his closest

friend also the greatest enemy. The superhero, of olden days and out of place, faces a modern problem

and deadly futuristic technology.

Definitely Marvel’s gloomiest movie yet in its Marvel Cinematic Universe (an ongoing series of

films with interconnected timelines and plots), Captain America: The Winter Soldier is influenced by

recent events in the Marvel Universe, especially that of Avengers (2012).

In a post-Avengers world, SHIELD, from being an organization that “cures” danger, turns into an

organization that prevents it. This is to avoid disaster, especially seen in Avengers, from happening

again. To fulfill this, SHIELD has been secretly building three massive spaceships designed to eliminate

potential threats and people, before they can even wreak havoc. Of course, this new philosophy of

SHIELD undoubtedly clashes with Steve Rogers’ set of principles.

When Director Nick Fury is assaulted by a shady and powerful organization named Hydra,

Captain America faces an adversary that equals his physical prowess and abilities, The Winter Soldier. As

chaos ensues, Rogers finds himself being attacked by the very organization he was working for, SHIELD,

with its strings secretly pulled by the evil Hydra organization. However, he isn’t alone in his cause to find

the truth and bring justice, as Black Widow and Falcon come to his aid.

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The entire plot of the film is tense and dark for a superhero film. Ups and downs, twists and

turns, and highs and lows make the film unpredictable for the most part. However, against all the action

going on, the film does not fail to reach into the hearts of the viewers, as the transitions to the more

intimate, quiet, and emotional scenes are well-made and are in the right pace. Truly, Captain America:

The Winter Soldier is one of the more emotional and deeper films of Marvel Studios. While there are

side stories or events left hanging, this may be answered in later films. The Winter Soldier is still one of

the better films (in the Marvel Universe) that can stand by itself.

Marvelous storylines are nothing without actors that can play their roles right. Characters

misplayed by incompetent actors bring down the whole film. But of course, a large budget film has no

trouble finding competent and fitting actors to portray their respective characters. A trend I noticed

about Marvel movies is the humor and wit the characters bring to keep the movie fresh, and this film is

no deviant.

While I am still perplexed with the unnatural pectoral muscles and ridiculous waistline Captain

America possesses, Chris Evans portrays different emotions and sides of what is typically known as a

rock solid personality. I still think he is one of the more flat and mild superheroes of Marvel, but the film

and the actor has done a good job in making the usually emotionless superhero into one with

appropriate courage, honesty, and a great sense of morality.

In contrast, Black Widow is perfectly depicted by Scarlett Johansson, a mysterious and

unpredictable woman with a dark past. In a world full of secrets and lies, of insecurity and mistrust, her

personality is appropriate. She is not entirely invulnerable to emotional breakdown though, because

when Nick Fury “dies”, it shows that a cold person can thaw and melt, showing free-flowing emotion

and tears.

A new ally, in the form of Falcon, brings aerial combat into the fray, all while also depriving

viewers of air through his humor and wit. Sam Wilson acts as a paratrooper rocketing through enemies,

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vital in the diversification of action in a film you expect to be filled with brawling, punching, and other

manly activities.

While I highly, highly praise the competent actors and deep and twisted storyline, I cannot

exactly say the same for the action and fighting scenes themselves. It is just utterly painful to the eyes. I

believe that throwing money on the screen to create spectacular computer-generated imagery is not the

optimal way to make the audience say “oohs” and “aahs”. With all the computer-generated

amazingness confusing everyone, what makes it worse is the closeness of the shots used in manly

activities, which are too close for my preference and make you dizzy. Times come when the computer-

generated imagery are too good to be true, but there are periods when it’s clear they’re computer-

generated.

With all the praise I have for other parts of this movie, my opinion for this movie is one of love

and hate, but still mostly love.

In what should be the part that sticks to the people’s minds after they exit the doors of the

theatre, it doesn’t. To me, the climax was not comparable to a human’s climax, lasting mere seconds,

but a climax of a pig, spanning over an extended period of time. To simply put it, the climax is too

dragging, lacking the awe and breathtaking moments that will make viewers drop their jaws and open

their eyes. I think they had too much money to throw and thought that multiple connected climaxes

would be better than a single, powerful climax. There is no one scene that is on top of everything else,

the scene that would fasten itself into your mind. Sure, it’s always merrier when there’s more, but

sometimes less can be most.

Overall, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is above the hype and expectation. Much can be

said about its negative points, but the positive aspects of the movie put a shadow on it. Again, the film is

one of the more mature Marvel films out there, with an unusually deeper, darker, and suspenseful plot

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than most. The film piques the minds of the viewers, making them think of how powerful the state is,

and the amount of trust you can put with them.

With all that I have said, this film is still a must watch. The film is truly befitting of the name its

studio has. It is a marvel.