Sunday, April 6, 2014

Discuss: Captain America: The Winter Soldier



Karen: PLEASE keep it SPOILER-FREE for a few days until folks have  had a chance to see the movie! Thanks!

Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

14 comments:

Humanbelly said...

Saw it yesterday. Truly impressive movie, IMO-- and I was going to be a bit of a hard-sell on this one. Still kind of caught up in the "aura" of the film, in fact, and don't have a single major criticism. Very few minor quibbles, even-- and many, MANY things that I loved. (I gushed a bit more in-depth over on the Avengers Assemble boards last night, actually).

I just can't believe how RIGHT the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be getting things on a continued basis. Yes, it's a different continuity from the MU, and there are alterations made to accommodate the visual/kinetic medium that film is, but the adherance to the spirit, nature, and inner life of the characters themselves- in ways both grand and subtle- is still managing to elicit a surprisingly emotional response from me. At a pivotal moment, Cap gives one of his "This is what I believe in, and I believe you can do it, too" speeches, which I would be scared of ever trying to transfer to film. . . and it works! It's done w/ sincerity, with dignity, with surprising subtlety. . . and has the emotional support of some inspired musical scoring behind it. And I'm thinking, "Oh my god. . . this. . . THIS is "my" Captain America, right up there on the big screen!"

This mayyyyyy be a tough post to contribute to and keep it spoiler-free, I betcha---!

HB

April 6, 2014 at 9:25 AM
Anonymous said...

Okay, I'll bite and take an attempt at the seeming impossible.

My spoiler free comment(s) on Captain America The Winter Soldier.

I liked the movie. I thought it was really good. The Russo brothers did an excellent job in transitioning Steve Rogers from a soldier in war time to an agent of SHIELD. He's not a spy, not in the least, but he's a highly skilled, highly trained, valuable asset. (An aside, I just put together that Cap's weapon is a shield and he was always trying to join SHIELD)

Geez, I think that might be all I can say.....

Let me try this. The Nick Fury I grew up with was a former WW2 soldier that had been injected with another super soldier serum. That explained his longevity. He and Cap knew each other from the war. The new Nick has no background in WW2, he and Cap don't share that history. There's not a foundation of trust between the two. Steve is used to being part of a unit, where guys trust, rely on, fight side by side. He gives that immediately and expects that from his comrades in arms. I half expected Fury at one point to say "Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded .... "

And maybe this, I liked the scene where Steve tells Natasha to take her feet off the dashboard AND SHE DOESN'T.

Did I do it? No spoilers. I think I may go back today.

As I said yesterday, I still cannot believe that people go to a Marvel Studios movie and leave when the credits begin to roll. (Did people clap in the theatre y'all were in?) Last week, I went to go see The Grand Budapest Hotel and there were three of us in the theatre. Yesterday, the first showing I could make it to was the 7pm. I was expecting long lines and crowds, so I got there at 6:15. Got my ticket, glasses, popcorn drink and in my seat ten minutes later. The crowd showed up 6:45.

I know with trailers they try to get you interested enough in a movie to go see it and I'll be darned if they haven't done it with X-Men Days Of Future Past.

The Prowler (mums the word, especially about ....).


April 6, 2014 at 9:39 AM
Anonymous said...

One thing I forgot to add in my post. As the credits were rolling, I read the names of all the "assistants to". I started thinking that that would make a really cool Marvel One Shot. Early in the shoot, all the crew is gathered around and the folders are being passed out. Hey, Jim, you're assistant to Mr, Jackson, Harold, you have Mr Redford, Stacy, Ms Johannson, so on and so forth, until the folder with three letters comes up LEE.

Imagine being Mr Stan Lee's assistant. I think Marvel Studios could not only make that a really cool One Shot but use to say a big Thank You to a man who helped make so much possible.

The Prowler (counting down to Comicpalooza).

April 6, 2014 at 10:48 AM
William said...

Saw it in 3D. Loved it. (So did my wife). It was really a lot of fun. After the Avengers, I think it's definitely the best Marvel Studios movie to date. There were a couple of spots where I was thinking "This is one of the greatest superhero/comic book movies ever." I continually surprised that Chris Evans makes a remarkably good Captain America. In fact the entire cast does a great job of bringing their respective characters to life.

Funny thing is, I hated the origin and identity of the Winder Soldier in the comics, but I thought the concept worked really well on the big screen and fit very nicely into the world of the cinematic Marvel U. I really loved seeing the Falcon brought to the big screen as well. Anthony Mackie does a great job. Hope we see more of him in future Marvel films.

All else I can really say in a spoiler free post is that I can highly highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. The action is great, the effects are great, and most importantly-- the story is great. All the little references and Easter eggs, and character mentions, makes this movie seem like a Marvel Comic come to life. See it!!!



(FYI, Prowler, Natasha does take her feet down. See it again and watch closely. She's moving her feet down just as the camera cuts back to Steve).

April 6, 2014 at 12:34 PM
Karen said...

I absolutely loved this film. It's hard for me to say yet, with the bright sheen of the movie still in my mind, but it may be my favorite Marvel Studios film.It's at least up there with the Avengers.

Everything was just pitch perfect -the story, the action, the acting. I initially had my doubts about Chris Evans, but with each film he has gotten better, and with this one, there are no doubts left, he is MY Cap. He has that sense of authority and moral certitude necessary. It was a thrill to see Cap and the Falcon together. When I started reading comics, the book featured these two as a team, and that is how I always think of them. Anthony Mackie was wonderful, and I was so pleased that he was not a SHIELD agent. The flying scenes were incredible!

Even though this is a huge action movie, I thought it had some important things to say about life post-9/11 and certainly it was quite relevant -like the best Cap comics. It will be interesting to see how the TV SHIELD series is affected by the events of the film.

I also loved all of the little toss away bits they put in for the fans -which I won't mention for a few days, but there were many and they were terrific. And yes, let's wait a few days to discuss the mid and end credits scenes...I think Doug will not see this movie until later in the week, so let's not spoil it for my partner!

April 6, 2014 at 12:52 PM
Anonymous said...

Saw it yesterday. I loved it. To my mind, it's right up there with IRON MAN and AVENGERS in terms of MARVEL movies.

Some things that I liked:

1. Evans: Defines growing into the role. With each film, he becomes stronger, more authoritative.

2. ScarJo: I've always been a bit iffy on her, but she was outstanding in the film.

3. Robert Redford: I was a bit worried that he might not be bringing his "A" game to this, but he did. He was rock solid.

4. Action: Now don't get me wrong. There was plenty of CGI type action in the film, but what really stood out was the old-fashioned stuntwork. One of the best action scenes in the film was a fight in an elevator, and there was nothing high-tech about it, just a bunch of guys going at it tooth and nail in a small, confined space. A Gripping scene, and one of the best action sequences of recent years.

trajan23

April 6, 2014 at 4:25 PM
Edo Bosnar said...

Well, I won't be seeing this any time soon, but you guys have got me excited about it. Actually, it's not a hard sell for me anyway, since the first Cap movie was my favorite right after Avengers. Maybe I'll get around to seeing this one quicker than my usual 6-month to almost one year delay...

April 6, 2014 at 4:54 PM
Doug said...

I am going to see this Thursday after school - hope I can wait that long!

Doug

April 6, 2014 at 8:54 PM
Fred W. Hill said...

Unfortunately, the friend I saw this with didn't want to wait until the during & after credits scenes, and I had to use the restroom big time anyhow. I might go and see it again anyhow. With these movies, I just accept that it's a different sort of fictional universe than the more brightly hued Bronze Age comics I grew up with, so it doesn't bother me that Cap's costume doesn't shine as brightly with the red, white & blue in the film as in the comics, or that the Falcon doesn't have the red & white costume with the glider wings the Black Panther designed for him. Not to mention that Cap has been out of circulation for about 70 years now rather than a mere 20. Hmm, in the Silver & Bronze Age stories, people Cap who were about his age when he was iced up would only have been in their 40s or 50s, but now they'd have to be in their late 80s to have even been draftees in WWII. That is if they aged normally like all of us in the real world! I don't think I'm giving too much away to say Cap meets at least one exceptionally old friend in this film who's long past being spry enough to take an active part in the cloak & dagger department.

April 6, 2014 at 10:12 PM
Anonymous said...

Karen, a question to you when you have the time. As I was watching this movie, I was mulling yours and Doug's review of "Secret Empire". As that story unfolded over several issues/months, do you think the story would have lost some impact if it was done in one two and half hour movie? Or the inverse, this story spread over 7-8 issues of Captain America.

Another question. According to the TV special, there has been thought put into the Marvel Studios movies to develop a theme, a history, a connection to the movies. They don't all have to be viewed together but there is a richness if you do. I get that same feeling from back in the day when you would read Spider-Man, Thor, Daredevil, Iron Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four, The Avengers how connected these comics could be and yet stand alone at the same time. I almost expect during some scenes for the little yellow box to pop up and say: See current issues of Iron Man for the whole story or Anybody remember Cap 122-123?

As I said earlier, there were those little moments where you would say "Yeah" and others where you would say "Ooooh yeah". And that one moment when you just went "YES".

The Prowler (if you friend doesn't want to wait, he's probably a super villain in disguise, look for a rubber mask).

April 7, 2014 at 12:18 AM
Teresa said...

I just saw it. Wow!! That is up there as one of the best MU movies.
I totally recommend Winter Soldier to anyone that likes the MU movieverse. I'm still basking in the glory.

I want to see a good DC movie. The competition between the Big Two would be healthy. But I don't know if DC can match this level of quality.

Winter Soldier has raised the bar for all the MU movies.

April 7, 2014 at 1:04 AM
Team Awesome said...

I rank this as the best of the MCU movies. Liked it better than I did Avengers and I loved Avengers. It struck the perfect balance between action and storytelling. Cannot recommend this movie enough.

April 7, 2014 at 10:36 PM
Unknown said...

I loved every second of it. And that first teaser really got me excited. My wife loved it too, although she thinks she likes the first one better. It's a hard call for me. I thought it was enough of a miracle that they made one great Captain America movie.

James Chatterton

April 8, 2014 at 6:20 PM
Edo Bosnar said...

Finally got around to seeing this (together with Days of Future Past) - and I just had to post a comment somewhere because man, what a great movie. I agree with everyone's superlatives above.
Like Karen said, it's pitch perfect; but then again, I thought about the first one as well. Anyway, Cap's 2 for 2 as far as I'm concerned.

November 15, 2014 at 3:50 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails