WARNING: SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER AND DO NOT WISH TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN IT, DO NOT READ THIS POST.
That being said, if you're totally fine with spoilers, or have already seen the movie and want to see my entirely honest opinion about it, you're in the right place.
First things first: Nick Fury dies. Except he doesn't.
I wanted to start with this because it was the biggest criticism I had of the movie. I know Samuel L. Jackson is probably contracted for every Marvel film ever now, but he's such a badass character I spent most of the film thinking "Oh, is he going to turn up here?" The problem with the Marvelverse, and particularly the movies, is they worry too much about affecting the status quo. We're all expecting Nick Fury to live through the movie alive and well. Heck, we're expecting all of the main characters to live through the movie alive and well. Except the villains; they can die. But the heroes have all got to live. After Nick Fury was shot, there was never any point where I thought he really was dead. As Tony Stark says in Avengers Assemble, "He's the spy; even his secrets have secrets."
And really, that's what this whole movie revolves around. The Winter Soldier is Jason Bourne-y, only without the memory loss, where our main character doesn't know who to trust and has to figure it out on his own. Of course, the fact that the bad guy was obvious from the beginning didn't help. Nowadays we're supposed to think that everyone and anyone is a good guy, until they prove themselves otherwise. But Alexander Pierce was so obviously the villain: you have a man at the head of your imperious spy network, who has almost unlimited power, and you don't expect him to abuse it? I think the reason Nick Fury has trust issues is because he's the only straight man in a world a bent cops. He just doesn't realise it.
That said, kudos to the screenwriters for turning Zola into a bit-part Bigger Bad. That was a stroke of genius I didn't see coming, and it genuinely made me grin to see his face on an old 1980s computer monitor. There's a whole trippy scene where he explains what he's using the three Insight helicarriers for (here's a hint: to kill people), and it was one of the most unexpected and amazing things. And just when you begin to question why he's telling them all this, he says "I've been stalling. There's a missile inbound, you've got about 30 seconds." It was one of the most genius pieces of exposition and storytelling I've seen in a long time; here we have a villain who knows exactly what he's doing.
So we've had one good thing and one bad thing so far. I think I need to put in another couple of good things, because there were a lot of great moment. So first, it's not a spoiler but I wanted to say: the cinematography is pretty amazing, a lot of the shots I really like. And I like that the action sequences are fluid and spacious: we're not getting these up-close, split-second shots like in most gunfights. The Winter Soldier keeps the action going and lets you know what's going on, it doesn't zoom in on punches and cut between shots every half-second. I think the assault on the tanker is a good example of that, particularly when he's facing off against Batroc the Leaper, and then towards the end when he, Black Widow and Sam Wilson are fighting off Bucky Barnes and his cronies (including one who pulls a gatling gun from nowhere!). It's a great example of fight cinematography done right.
Also good is the bigger role of Black Widow. This is a character who needs her own movie: I'm not an avid comic reader (although I religiously follow 2000AD; make a Dredd sequel, Hollywood!) so I know nothing of Natasha Romanova's past, and I'd love to see a movie exploring that. Make it something like The Winter Soldier; we get a lot of great scenes where she showcases her talents as a master of espionage, escaping the detection of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents on their tail or infiltrating the ranks of the S.H.I.E.L.D elite disguised as an old lady in order to get close to Pierce. She's a really great character, and she'd be brilliant in her own standalone movie.
I need to talk about a couple of little niggles before I finish. First, the fight between Brock Rumlow/Crossbones and Sam Wilson/ the Falcon. It was too short. We got literally a Rocky II-style shot of the two as their fists are about to contact with each other's respective jaw, but then it cuts to Captain America against Bucky and Nick Fury/Black Widow vs Alexander Pierce. This is the problem with the end: there's just a little too much going on, so that by the end what we're left with is two main battles, and ten seconds of two guys beating each other up before a helicarrier smashes into the floor they're on. Brock is lost in a shower of dust and masonry, presumably dead (but I kinda hope he appears in a Deadpool movie someday), and the Falcon leaps from the window and lands safely in a helicopter piloted by Black Widow. And that's it. Fight over. For good.
Second, the final after-credits scene. The mid-credits scene is great, I like the way they've set up Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, but after the credits they literally give us fifteen seconds of Bucky Barnes in a baggy coat and a hat, staring at the museum display with his name on it. Just... don't stay for the credits this time, okay?
Anyway, all that aside, there are some really great performances in the whole thing. Chris Evans is still great as Captain America, and Steve Rogers is such a wonderful and compelling character. I think the interplay between him and Sam Wilson works really well, and I love the scenes with Robin coordinating their attacks on the helicarriers from the control room, shooting at guards as they try and enter. However, the best scene has to go to Samuel L. Jackson and the CGI/makeup/effects department, for the point towards the end where Nick Fury removes his eyepatch. It is an awesome scene, and one of the most amazing things I've watched this year. The Winter Soldier really delivers on spectacle, despite the unimaginative story, and there are some really surprising twists. This is certainly one for the cinema, and then for the DVD collection afterwards.
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