Jill Odom
Sports Editor
As the last of the Avengers to get his sequel, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” certainly is not least in this heart-pounding action movie.
The movie earned eight out of 10 stars thanks to the insane action scenes, which manage to make the hits seem like they actually packed a punch, the witty banter expected from any Marvel movie, and the intense sound track that adds an extra dose of adrenaline to the fight and chase scenes.
In “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the story of scrawny Steve Rogers must be told. Because majority of the movie is about Rogers gaining his powers and struggling to decide what to make of them, viewers didn’t get to see him fighting very much and majority of the fights he was just toting around a machine gun.
In “The Avengers,” Rogers’ character and moral nature has been established but this movie still doesn’t have him fighting a ton but focuses more on displaying his leadership skills.
By the time “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” hit the silver screen fans didn’t really have any expectations for the fights scenes and will consequently be blown away by the Cap’s new moves. Lightning fast with more hand-to-hand combat moves than a ninja, Captain America proves he can certainly knock someone into tomorrow.
The Captain is still trying to adjust to the present day while having moral qualms about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operation. When Nick Fury ends up out of commission, it is up to Rogers and the Black Widow to figure out what is going on, who compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. and who exactly the Winter Soldier is.
The directors Anthony Russo, Joe Russo and Joss Whedon do a beautiful job of weaving in some simple backstory and refreshers for the audience by having Rogers pay a visit to the Smithsonian Institution; where there is a huge exhibit featuring his accomplishments.
The film has a continual theme of trust so bits of the story end up seeming like an old espionage thriller, which suites Steve Rogers just fine. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing at who is on what side.
The mystery intertwined with the action provides a good amount of breathing room between the fast-paced chases and a Michael Bay ton of explosions. Don’t worry they are all in good taste. The cinematography breathes new life into chase scenes, making them exciting again by filming the road from the point of view of the grill of the car.
Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson reprise their roles of Black Widow and Nick Fury and stay true to their characters with Johansson still kicking butt and Jackson still back talking. Marvel does introduce a new player to the game, Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon, who teams up with Captain America to take down their treacherous foes.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” examines some of the audience’s fears, such as the idea of being constantly monitored, having that information used against you, and whether security is worth the price of freedom.
The score is hard to be ignored in this movie because it helps build the tension throughout the movie of who to trust and who is really the enemy. This is not Henry Jackman’s first superhero movie to compose as he also scored “X-Men: First Class.”
The movie has heart and movie goers will feel for the Cap as he struggles to adapt as a man out of his era. Sticking to his traditional and altruistic motives, Rodgers is genuine in all that he does and he has to cope with the fact not everyone is as candid as he would like.
Any fan of Captain America will be pleased by the witty thrill-ride the First Avenger embarks on and be dying for “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” to come out.