'Captain America: the Winter Soldier' Reviews *SPOILERS*

Saw this at 11pm last night. The first thing that came to mind watching it was:

The Bros. Warner are SO far behind Marvel Studios that they shouldn't even bother trying.

'CA:TWS' is an amazing film. Full of intrigue, action, plot-twists and mighty fine acting. Scarlett Johanssen has never looked better either. I was a bit skeptical when the brothers from 'Community' were announced as directors, but believe me, they MORE than pulled it off.

Chris Evans' Cap is still adjusting to the modern world, afraid to take chances on living a "normal" life. So he throws himself into his missions and uses it as his excuse to not even try. But he learns pretty early on that things aren't quite right with Nick Fury and SHIELD. His suspicion carrying over from 'The Avengers'. When he voices his concerns to Fury directly, he's shown SHIELD's new plan: Permanently airbound, armed helicarriers. Think unmanned drones on a much more lethal scale. Cap has a problem with this, makes sure Fury knows, and leaves to reconsider what to do with his new lease on life.

Fury begins to see things from Cap's point of view, and he goes to Robert Redford's Pierce to ask for a delay in launching the program. Pierce and Fury having been friends for decades, he agrees with the caveat that Iron Man goes to his 3 year old granddaughters birthday party. You know, like BJ Routh and Alan Horn? But Fury is attacked after leaving SHIELDS Triskelion, with the mysterious Winter Soldier getting the best of him. Fury retreats to Cap's apartment, where he is shot by a sniper that is the same Winter Soldier.

Fury dies on the operating table, Captain America is attacked leaving Pierce's office, Black Widow joins him in his hunt for who or what is bringing all this shit down on top of them. I could go on and on about the movie, laying out the players and the game. But you have to see it for yourself. Trust me.

The only "weak" spot to me was Anthony Mackie. He wasn't horrible, he was just a little too willing and gung-ho for someone who has a whole new world fall into his lap like he does. I can understand Captain Freaking America needing your help, but you are putting your life on the line too. A little reservation would have been more realistic. But again, he wasn't THAT bad.

Things have changed in the MCU. Can't wait to see where things go from here.

Damn, so I'm the only one to see 'The Winter Soldier', twice, so far?

Crazy.

But here's something for all the people bitching about 'MOS' and Superman not doing enough to "save" people:

In 'TWS', Nick Fury, Black Widow, Falcon AND Captain America cause numerous innocent civilians to be injured and/or MURDERED while they themselves ran for their lives. Repeatedly. Not once do you see them actively try to SAVE any of these people.

And yet, not a WORD from the same bitches who whined about 'Man Of Steel'....

I haven't seen the film yet & truthfully, I don't know when I will. Oh, I want to see it, that's for sure. But remember, I missed out on the last Thor film too at the theater, which is the first Marvel Studios film that I didn't see in the theater!

Boils down to this sort of crapola: working all the time, sometimes not enough money even though working all the time; the wife, & others' wives, have no use for the film; buddies are willing to go but for whatever reason, it always falls through, namely because one has some sort of health and/or financial problems. Yada yada yada! And if I had my own car I'd go by myself like I used to have to do but since we're down to a one-car family, I get vetoed! We need to be paying bills anyway, right?

Sheesh! 3 films coming out in May alone I wanna see with GODZILLA being mandatory. What am I gonna do?!  

Just came back from it. Enjoyed it a lot. I gotta see it a second time just to really figure out where it stands, but it looks pretty high. Hopefully soon this week, as I have two co-workers that want to hang out together to catch this, especially since one of them hasn't seen it yet.

Apologist Puncher wrote:'CA:TWS' is an amazing film. Full of intrigue, action, plot-twists and mighty fine acting. Scarlett Johanssen has never looked better either. I was a bit skeptical when the brothers from 'Community' were announced as directors, but believe me, they MORE than pulled it off.

I think this can really sum up the difference between WB and Marvel. WB seems to want to attract "auteurs" for their superhero films than anything else, giving them more control over the films and telling them "do what you want", which is why we get bullshit like Singerman. Marvel's approach is just looking for the right talent with the right sensibilities and having that person play by their game. Joe Johnston for THE FIRST AVENGER is hired not to push his "vision", but to bring that kind of 1940s serial touch that he displayed with THE ROCKETEER. The Russos are obviously the oddest choices so far, but I love that Marvel actually considered these guys and got exactly what they wanted out of them, whereas WB might have just dismissed them as "sitcom guys", opting for directors who have more "prestige" (yeah, I made that an obvious reference to Nolan).

Things have changed in the MCU. Can't wait to see where things go from here.

Very much. Heck, I'm even looking forward to how AGENTS OF SHIELD plays, and I've been kind of iffy on that show.

Still haven't seen it, still no idea when. Probably when the super-duper Blu-Ray comes out. SUCKAGE INDEED!!!!!  

James Stocks wrote:Just came back from it. Enjoyed it a lot. I gotta see it a second time just to really figure out where it stands, but it looks pretty high. Hopefully soon this week, as I have two co-workers that want to hang out together to catch this, especially since one of them hasn't seen it yet.

I saw it twice in 3 days. Was just as good the second time around.

I think this can really sum up the difference between WB and Marvel. WB seems to want to attract "auteurs" for their superhero films than anything else, giving them more control over the films and telling them "do what you want", which is why we get bullshit like Singerman. Marvel's approach is just looking for the right talent with the right sensibilities and having that person play by their game. Joe Johnston for THE FIRST AVENGER is hired not to push his "vision", but to bring that kind of 1940s serial touch that he displayed with THE ROCKETEER. The Russos are obviously the oddest choices so far, but I love that Marvel actually considered these guys and got exactly what they wanted out of them, whereas WB might have just dismissed them as "sitcom guys", opting for directors who have more "prestige" (yeah, I made that an obvious reference to Nolan).

There's a difference between picking an "action director" to do a Bros. Warner film, and taking a CHANCE on someone you might not expect. I don't think the big-wigs at WB know this though.

Who would have thought Kenneth Branagh could pull of 'THOR' like he did? Sure, great actor and a very good director. But a "funny book" film? Marvel Studios gave it to him anyway and let him make what WAS my favorite MS film up until recently. It was fun, quirky, but bad-ass too. Jon Favreau doing 'Iron Man' was THE biggest chance they took, because if THAT failed, I doubt we'd have the MCU we currently do. 'Zathura' didn't exactly knock 'em dead. 'Elf' was a family film. And 'Swinger'/'Made' aren't exactly action films either. But boy did it pay off for them....

WB? They let Christopher Nolan do his thing, and for the first 2/3 he succeeded. But they allowed him to tie their hands when it came to a few important things. Like a SHARED UNIVERSE. They have lost millions, if not billions, by allowing that to continue. Everything else aside, the Nolan Bat-films were popular, and they were profitable. They could have ditched Singerman, had Nolan throw in a Superman cameo at the end of 'TDK', and then the sky was the limit. But nope, they took the short-term profit over long-term riches.

But whatever. Not my movie studio....

Very much. Heck, I'm even looking forward to how AGENTS OF SHIELD plays, and I've been kind of iffy on that show.

I'll probably watch the whole thing when it hits Netflix. Stopped watching after 3 episodes.

non_amos wrote:Still haven't seen it, still no idea when. Probably when the super-duper Blu-Ray comes out. SUCKAGE INDEED!!!!!  

You don't have any first-run $5/$6 theaters near you? I have one about 5 minutes away. Great seats, clean, amazing sound. $6 before 5pm, $9 after.

I love it.

Apologist Puncher wrote:Who would have thought Kenneth Branagh could pull of 'THOR' like he did? Sure, great actor and a very good director. But a "funny book" film? Marvel Studios gave it to him anyway and let him make what WAS my favorite MS film up until recently. It was fun, quirky, but bad-ass too.

I always figured it was his knack for Shakespeare stuff, as that holds a lot of similarities in terms of broad characters, family drama and a very theatrical touch. Watching THOR the first time actually reminded me of THE LION IN WINTER, which also starred Anthony Hopkins.

Jon Favreau doing 'Iron Man' was THE biggest chance they took, because if THAT failed, I doubt we'd have the MCU we currently do. 'Zathura' didn't exactly knock 'em dead. 'Elf' was a family film. And 'Swinger'/'Made' aren't exactly action films either. But boy did it pay off for them....

He definitely is the boldest choice because he was the first batter up. I can only think of "Swingers" and "Made" playing a factor because he's good at presenting these charismatic characters, and it must have been important for Marvel to sell Tony Stark first and foremost. While Favreau and Branagh never did action stuff prior to Marvel, I think that was all handled by pros who had worked on action films before on second unit, so they were given a lot of support on that front. EON does the same kind of thing for Bond films.

WB? They let Christopher Nolan do his thing, and for the first 2/3 he succeeded. But they allowed him to tie their hands when it came to a few important things. Like a SHARED UNIVERSE. They have lost millions, if not billions, by allowing that to continue. Everything else aside, the Nolan Bat-films were popular, and they were profitable. They could have ditched Singerman, had Nolan throw in a Superman cameo at the end of 'TDK', and then the sky was the limit. But nope, they took the short-term profit over long-term riches.

It's pretty remarkable how they let that idea of a shared universe opportunity slip. In the 2000s, WB had owned all of DC rights, which put them in a better position of a making a shared universe whereas Marvel had a lot of their rights scattered throughout.

I'll probably watch the whole thing when it hits Netflix. Stopped watching after 3 episodes.

Can't blame you. I've been on and off with the show. Doesn't really elevate until Bill Paxton comes in and the events of THE WINTER SOLDIER coinciding really bring out some great stuff and makes the rest of the season very promising. It's just too bad that the show started off as a real slog for like the first 13 episodes or so.

Apologist Puncher wrote:

non_amos wrote:Still haven't seen it, still no idea when. Probably when the super-duper Blu-Ray comes out. SUCKAGE INDEED!!!!!  

You don't have any first-run $5/$6 theaters near you? I have one about 5 minutes away. Great seats, clean, amazing sound. $6 before 5pm, $9 after.

I love it.

Yeah, I used to have one less than 10 minutes away. Unfortunately they closed several years ago due to poor business. If you can believe that. They were part of the Carmike Cinemas chain too. So how could that happen? Mainly because they were outdated.

Keep in mind that this same theater came to my area in the mid-70's when I was a kid & it was all the rage! I mean, it had TWO screens for crying out loud! The previous theater only had one screen. Also keep in mind that I don't exactly live in a large town either. But nevertheless this theater that was able to show 2 films at the same time was popular for decades, that is, until probably the 2000's.

Basically I think what killed them was in neighboring cities all these big 'multiplexes' were forming, showing a dozen movies on maybe 15 screens or whatever. Actually I think that began sometimes in the 80's because that's when I first noticed it. Or it started gaining ground then. But fast-forward to modern times & you've got these big nice multiplexes with stadium seating & modern everything else & I guess my local theater just couldn't compete. Even though there were part of the Carmike chain, they looked like they were still stuck in the 70's & 80's as far as how their business looked. So part of what I think happened is that even though they were local, many customers were taking their business elsewhere, to the bigger cities. And even though my area has been rumored for a multiplex for years, it just hasn't happened. The only 'concrete' lead fell through supposedly due to a local business owner not wanting it near his million dollar mansion or whatever. It's BS politics like this that keeps restaurants like Golden Corral out my my immediate area.

But I'm going around my elbow to get to my thumb. To make a long story short, to see the new Cap film I've got to drive at least 25-30 miles one way to one of these theaters. So what's the big deal then? Well, like in the earlier post, when you work just about all the time because you have to, it limits your time for such things. Then..........when I've got some free time, there's no cooperation from anyone! The gals basically don't want to go so you either go with friends or by yourself. But then I find I can't even get friends to go mainly because one of them has some undisclosed health & financial problems. Yet the same guy made it a point to go see MAN OF STEEL with us! But anything else? Ultimately falls through. So we don't go. And like I said, I'd go by myself if I had to but since we're a one-car family now, there's no cooperation from the old lady.

Such crap as this is why I missed out on THOR: THE DARK WORLD at the theater, even though I begged to go, week after week! I even missed the 2-dollar theater for crying out loud! Again, reference back to the guy with the 'problems'. And this was the first Marvel Studios film that I didn't see in theaters! Now it looks like at this rate the new Cap film will be the second. Unless something changes. I guess I should've gone that Saturday I got off early & my wife was out of town. Oh well.

Hey non_amos, does that mean no AMC's close either? If you go see a movie before noon, it's only $7 there. It's usually the first showing of the day.

Hope you get to see it. It's a movie you DON'T want to miss.

No, nothing closer than specified, unfortunately. However, the wife seems to be 'thawing' to the idea so hopefully it won't be long.

non_amos wrote:No, nothing closer than specified, unfortunately. However, the wife seems to be 'thawing' to the idea so hopefully it won't be long.

I think she might like it too.

Apologist Puncher wrote:

non_amos wrote:No, nothing closer than specified, unfortunately. However, the wife seems to be 'thawing' to the idea so hopefully it won't be long.

I think she might like it too.

Funny thing is that she liked the first film but liked THOR better. But when it comes time for something like this it seems like it's always like 'pulling teeth' to actually go. Go figure.

Finally saw it today. Would've seen it yesterday but my plans came crashing down around my ears.

I've said before that Cap is my favorite of the MCU franchises because (A) I dig Cap's worldview and ideals and (B) Chris Evans.

I can't lie though, Evans has really ruined it for me what with his shit-talking every movie he's ever made apart from Sunshine. TWS is an awesome film and I can't help but think if he'd kept his mouth shut, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. Every the Puncher says is true. But I kept finding myself thinking "oh man, I bet Evans probably resented having to do this scene" or some such. In fact, this is probably why I didn't make a bigger priority out of seeing TWS sooner.

I enjoyed the movie. It was a lot of fun and a worthy follow up to the first Cap. There are a lot of neat callbacks to the first movie. This is a sequel to TFA; not just the Avengers. That works for me because even those this is a shared universe, the individual franchises should be able to stand on their own and tell their own stories with their own characters. So far, the Cap franchise is doing just that, and arguably better than the other franchises.

It's just that Evans has tarnished what was a really cool thing for me. To me, he IS Captain America. So he's not easily replaced as Steve Rogers. But at the same time, I don't have much affection for the idea of Bucky becoming the new Cap to explain Evans' eventual absence from these films.

Overall, it's worth seeing, especially if you're able to rise above Chris Evans' BS more than I am. There's no weak link with the movie to be found anywhere... other than Chris Evans in interviews.

Tons of fun.

I finally saw this film this past Sunday at one of the cheaper theaters it had now gone too. Finally got the old lady to go & it was 8 bucks tops for both of us in admission. About all I can say is:



Excuse Sean Penn but it's still about the best work he's ever done but I chose it for the statement itself.

I can't believe how good this film is! It reminds me of the kind of film that usually gets attributed to Nolan, the whole 'thinking man's superhero' angle but yet it doesn't apologize for being too 'comic booky'. Actually something else kinda reminds me of something that Nolan attempted to do but I think it was pulled off better here.

I refer to The League Of Shadows & Hydra. In 'Begins' Nolan brought us the League fronted by a non-Asian Ras Al Guhl. A shadowy organization that infiltrated society & would even bring down empires when they felt it was justified. In the first Captain America film we find Hydra, another so-called secret society fronted by the Red Skull right under Hitler's nose.

Essentially both entities came back in their respective films to 'finish what they started'. In Nolan's case he skipped a film so he could give us pseudo-Joker. When he could no longer do that obviously he was stumped for ideas so he brings back the League to exact their revenge & gives us mini-Bane, a so-called ruthless, non-comic booky terrorist. A villain that certainly left something to be desired to say the least. But now let's look at CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Hydra has come back under everyone's noses, including S.H.I.E.L.D., to try & start their version of a 'free' society. But in their case they have a lethal villain in the Winter Soldier that makes mini-Bane look like a joke! And he didn't even have to be killed off either which seems to be the typical film ending for a villain. Really liked that post-credit scene where 'Bucky' was trying to 'find' himself.

So yeah, after watching this film I was reminded of what Nolan did in his films but if you ask me, Marvel pulled it off better. I don't know if this was intentional or just coincidence but it did come to mind almost immediately afterward. But if you ask me, this film had heart compared to the Nolan films, didn't apologize for being a comic book film or anything else for that matter. Somehow Hydra was more convincing as an organization than the League was & the whole scenario was just more believable.

This is also a testament to how far Captain America films have come since the hokey stuff we used to get from yesteryear. I just wonder how the 3rd film will play out now in light of Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice? I previously didn't give Cap a snowball's chance but after seeing this film let's hope duh brothers have their act together.