CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Review

Captain America: TheWinter Soldier finally hits cinemas in the UK (unfortunately the US have to wait a little over a week). For me this has been the Phase 2 film that I’ve been looking forward to the most, as though Avengers: Age of Ultron sounds great as does Guardians of the Galaxy the original Winter Soldier story is one that I’ve enjoyed time and time again. Adaptations can however be tricky as when adapted from a popular story there’s usually high expectations. Winter Soldier does however live up to all the expectation and proves to be enjoyable for people who have read the comics as well as being fresh and unique.

In this film Captain America is faced of against a ghost legend in the form of the Winter Soldier. Now for non comic book fans I will not divulge anything about this character but I will say that he proves a mighty match for our hero. What I especially enjoyed about this portrayal of the character was that it showed his silent, focused attitude as well as diving into his past and his mental state. I was however torn on one thing and that was whether he was featured enough, as though the lack of appearance added to the mysteriousness it would’ve been nice to have seen a little more of him.

The cast of this film consisted of a lot of previous Marvel Cinematic Universe characters including Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill whilst also introducing a new addition in the form of Anthony Mackie as Falcon. Robert Redford as featured as Alexander Pierce (a member of the World Security Council) and obviously Chris Evans returned as Captain America with Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier. Usually with returning cast members there isn’t a lot new to say, but the performances from Jackson and Johansson were particularly amazing, with the chemistry between Johansson and Evans being as you’d expect from the characters.

Following the explosive trailers I was expecting plenty of action and I wasn’t disappointed. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo manage to have the action and drama work in harmony, allowing for the film to show how Cap is copping in the current world whilst every now and then flowing smoothly into breathtaking action. The fight scenes between Cap and Winter Soldier were particularly enjoyable having a lot of tension throughout.

Before I conclude I’d like to remind everyone that like most MCU films there is a post-credit scene and following suit from Thor: The Dark World this film has both a mid-credit and post-credit scene which aren’t to be missed.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is as good as I expected and then some, adapting a fabulous story whilst making it unique. It also balances drama and action wonderfully and will have you at the edge of your seats. It’s due to all this and more that I urge you to go and see this film as even if not all of the MCU films have been for you there’s every chance that this one will.