REVIEW - CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: THE WINTER SOLDIER
1. Seeing the films has introduced me to the wonderful world of comics.
2. More money to Marvel means more comics!
3. The films themselves can be really, really great.
Forget the terribleness of Thor and Iron Man 2 for a minute because the brilliance of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is going to make up for all that unpleasantness! The Winter Soldier takes place in the twenty-first century, following the events of The Avengers, and a good seventy years after Captain America: The First Avenger. You immediately plunge into the life of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and his difficulties adapting to modern life. As always, I do not want to speak too much about the plot for fear of ruining what is easily one of the best Marvel films of the current phase - suffice to say that the main conflicts of the film are centered around the question of trust. How fully should the government trust S.H.I.E.L.D to protect its citizens? How many individual liberties should be entrusted to the government for the greater good? And how do you trust when working in an organisation whose business is secrets and lies? This last quandary- how to trust in a world where everybody's motives are multifaceted - is the Cap's main personal dilemma. Many films which deal with a character being plunged into an unfamiliar environment, be that a fantasy world, alternate dimension, or the same world at a different point in history, forget that the protagonist would suffer from the psychological effects of that abrupt transportation for longer than a few days. Accepting an alternate reality would be an ongoing battle - consider how difficult people find everyday change (like changes to public transport schedules and product packaging), let alone living in a totally new environment. As a metahuman it would be difficult for Steve to ever truly fit in anywhere, however, this film explores the challenges of adapting to a new time much better than some of its contemporaries.
It would seem that one of the reasons The Winter Soldier is superior to its predecessor is the very fact that it is a sequel. Contrary to conventional Hollywood film franchises, wherein the first film is usually the best and the sequels are a kind of inevitable trainwreck that you only watch because of your love for the first film, superhero film universes and backstories tend to be so complex that it is only after the setting is firmly established (via the first film) that it is possible to tell a good story. This certainly seems true of the Captain America and Thor franchises. The established elements of Steve's reality made it possible to explore deeper, more interesting themes in this film.
It would not be a Marvel film if there was not an overwhelming and impressive level of SFX. The Winter Soldier certainly delivers on this front, providing not only large scale and exciting effects but original sequences. Particularly notable is Nick Fury's car chase sequence which was impressive in its creativity and suspense. However, one strange thing about this film is the choice of title - The Winter Soldier. Although this villian does feature in the film, he is not as prominent as the title suggests. His subplot does not recieve enough attention in this film - perhaps because of plans to include the character in later Marvel films. No matter the reason, the development of this character is negligible. No new information is divulged from around the middle of the film until its end. This is not really a problem - there are plenty of other subplots which keep the film moving, however, it is incongruent with the title choice of this film.
What is so satisfying about The Winter Soldier, is its positive approach to diversity. Instead of including female and ethnically diverse characters as tokens, it seems to portray the diversity of reality honestly. Special attention is not given to Black Widow's gender or Falcon's ethnicity - they are all just people. This treatment is so refreshing in the context of most other mainstream films (superhero or otherwise). Particularly satisfying is the balance of interesting rounded female and male characters. Aside from Black Widow, The Winter Soldier features a satisfying amount of prominent female characters. Maria Hill, Sharon and Peggy Carter and Councilwoman Hawley are all interesting, important characters. The character development invested in Black Widow and Nick Fury rivals the amount given to Captain America, which makes for a really engaging story. Additionally, The Winter Soldier manages the difficult twin feat of being both accessible to a wide audience, while maintaining appeal for the fans. It was not necessary to understand the significance of every nod to other stories of the Marvel Universe, but their inclusion was satisfying for fans of the world. Perhaps the most tantalizing inclusion was the mid-credits scene, directed by Joss Whedon, and presumably a lead-in to The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Winter Soldier ticks all of the boxes: intriguing plot, good character development, exciting and unpredictable special effects, action and score, great acting and an honest, non-tokenised representation of diversity. A great film from Marvel Studios, which has wholeheartedly restored my faith.
