Señor Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

To read a spoiler filled review, click right here

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo. Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, and The Winter Soldier (spoiler free, remember?), we are brought back into the universe of Marvel superheroes.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a ride unlike the rest of the Marvel movies to date. Many have compared The Winter Soldier to a political thriller; however, I like to refer to it as a “political thriller on Super Soldier Serum”. The action in this movie is incredible and engaging. From hand-to-hand combat, to gun fights, to fighting in the sky, The Winter Soldier contains the most realistic action that has (and probably can be) depicted in a Marvel movie. Although there is certainly the dreaded shaky-cam during the fist-fights, it isn’t too overwhelming so as to take you out of the film and wonder what you’re watching.

The Winter Soldier opens with a scene that reminds one of the good-natured heart of Steve Rogers, and throughout the film it does not let go of that. Amidst the action and drama, the characters never lose touch of who they are and what they stand for. That’s where this movie really excels: keeping true to the characters. Not once is there a moment where I asked myself “why in the world would they do that?!” 

The story does lend itself a bit of confusion, with some aspects of it straying away from the tone of the rest of the movie. A certain exposition scene in the middle of the film had me thinking “uh, what is this?” However, the story does well getting right back on course, keeping the audience invested and engaged, understanding the threat and what can happen if our hero fails.  

Our actors are all giving 100%, delivering believable, realistic performances. Keep in mind there are no aliens or other dimension characters here. Everyone is human, and the performances are kept human. Newcomers Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Robert Redford deliver solid performances, although I think Redford outshined Mackie throughout the film (it IS Robert Redford, though.)

The character of the Winter Soldier is exciting, menacing, threating, and just a bad-ass! When he comes on screen, the film goes up a notch in excitement, leaving one to want more Winter Soldier. As cool as he is, though, he is not in the movie enough. My impression of the Winter Soldier throughout the movie is that he is more of a weapon than a character/person. You learn about his past, but with very minimal dialogue, the Winter Soldier lacks substance. 

Filled with exciting action, intriguing villains, well written dialogue, likable characters, and top-notch effects, The Winter Soldier delivers on every note. 

I give Captain America: The Winter Soldier 8.7/10 Señor thumbs up

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater!

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Señor Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier SPOILER discussion

In my spoiler free review I said that The Winter Soldier is filled with high-action and great characters. There are many reasons why I think this, and also some things that I think went wrong in the movie.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t really enjoy Captain America: The First Avenger. It annoyed me, mostly because of the cheese character that was Captain America. However, he has really proven himself in this movie. Not only is he a total badass (his hand-to-hand fighting was way cool to watch) but he was a fresh take on a hero. Unlike other Marvel stand-alone movies, Steve Rogers was not concerned with the safety and well-being of a girlfriend. Tony Stark had Pepper, Thor has what’s her face, but Steve Rogers is concerned about the safety and freedom of everyone on Earth. He is focused. 

And am I the only one who thinks he looks crazy cool in his dark blue uniform? It’s clean and modern, and doesn’t make him look ridiculous (*cough* The Avengers uniform *cough*).

Now let’s talk about The Winter Soldier AKA Bucky Barnes. I mention in my other review that, even though The Winter Soldier is really cool and delivers some amazing action scenes, he lacks substance. Apart from a few flashbacks, we get almost no dialogue from The Winter Soldier. He’s a weapon, a puppet, being used by the main villain of the movie, Hydra. His lack of substance and his role in the film doesn’t warrant the subtitle of the film to be The Winter Soldier. A friend of mine stated that without The Winter Soldier, we wouldn’t get the struggle of Steve Rogers discovering the truth about his friend, affecting his character throughout the movie. While I agree with that point, it is more of a side problem than the actual problem in the movie. The Winter Soldier, I feel, is underused. The after credits scene where we see The Winter Soldier discovering his true past gives me hope that we’ll get more out of this character in the future films that he is to be in. 

Now speaking of villains, let’s talk about the biggest flaw in this movie for me: Hydra. I will say, the way Hydra is used in this film is commendable. Secretly pulling the string of SHIELD and almost completely pulling through with their whole plan was great to discover. It was another fresh approach to comic book villains, where Hydra (through Pierce, through SHIELD) wasn’t just one bad guy telling the world he wants to be king. However, the exposition scene with Dr. Zola in a computer was unsettling. It reminded me of the corniness that was The First Avenger. And why would Zola reveal the whole plan to Captain America and Black Widow? It reminded me of something taken from an Austin Powers film: villain with an accent talking through a computer, revealing “the secret algorithm that will kill every living person on Earth with a big laser, muahaha.” I rolled my eyes and hoped that the movie would get back to form, which it did. 

A final thought on that: I really think that Warner Brothers must hate Disney even more, since the WB film Transcendence, about a scientist whose mind is put into a computer, releases later this month.

Let’s talk about Nick Fury. In the movie he is killed off for a bit, but then it is revealed that he faked his death to avoid being hunted further. Points to Fury for being capable and intelligent, points deducted from Disney/Marvel for still not bringing themselves to killing off any of their characters. Even Agent Couslon was brought back for the Agents of SHIELD tv show. This movie, however, made me really like Nick Fury. His action scene before getting bopped by The Winter Soldier was incredibly fun and showed his competence in the field.

Oh, did anyone else notice that the scripture written on Nick Fury’s tombstone was Ezekiel 25:17? The same scripture famously recited by Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino’s movie Pulp Fiction. Gotta love the power that Sam Jackson has in the movies he appears in.

Now, many people are talking about the chemistry between Black Widow and Captain America. It’s true, they had great chemistry and worked well together, but I’d like to say that I’m impressed with decisions Black Widow made near the end of the film. Exposing all of SHIELD’s secrets, and therefore hers, to the public was a great way of showing just how committed this character is to trying to do good. Major points to Black Widow.

Another problem I had with this film, and with the other phase 2 films to be released so far, is the fact that it is not acknowledged where the other members of the Avengers are when it matters. The problems occurring in The Winter Soldier are in the middle of Washington. Nick Fury is “dead” and SHIELD is going crazy, but where is Iron Man? I understand that Tony Stark/Iron Man cannot make an appearance in The Winter Soldier due to his contracts with Disney/Marvel, but then there must be some sort of explanation why Black Widow or Nick Fury can’t call up Bruce Banner or Tony Stark. Also, where is Hawkeye? In The Avengers, Hawkeye and Black Widow are very close, but here he is not even referenced.

Yes, we like to see our heroes handle their situations on their own, but at least letting the audience know why others cannot help in certain situations will lead to an even stronger and cohesive universe.

Finally, the first end credit scene was great. We are introduced to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Although they are the children of Magneto from the X-men comics, it seems in this Cinematic Universe they have been the subjects of tests. Warner Brothers and DC are sure to be keeping an eye on how Quick Silver is handled in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, to see if speedsters can be accepted by movie goers. My guess: yes, they can be accepted. 

One final Easter Egg was the very, very, quick reference to Steven Strange, AKA Doctor Strange, another Marvel comic hero. It’s now certain that we’ll get to see Doctor Strange in phase 3 of these Marvel movies.

So these were my thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Hope you enjoyed!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @SenorMovie and like my Facebook Page for more Señor

Señor Movie Trailer Review: The Drop

The Drop follows Brooklyn bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) as he funnels money through his bar for local gangsters. As shown in the trailer, things go south when his bar is the victim of a robbery and Saginowski now finds himself in the middle of an investigation that involves those around him.

Being a fan of Tom Hardy, of course I had to check out this trailer, and I really like what I see. Hardy pulls out a Brooklyn accent and looks to be doing really well in this well.

This story is also incredibly intriguing. Usually, these kind of movies deal with either the cops or the gangsters. However, The Drop seems to want to focus on the middle man of the gangster world operations. I like this approach to a classic genre of film, as it can tell the story of the 'every man', in this case, Tom Hardy's character, and the consequences of doing what he does.

A particular theme I enjoy about the trailer is the way of treating people, and how you are treated. Hardy's character brings up how being tough is not enough, and Gandolfini's character talks about being respected in his heyday. I'm looking forward to see how this plays out throughout the course of the film.

Of course, this is also James Gandolfini's final performance on film before passing away. I'm glad that his final film brings him back to a genre similar to The Sopranos, where Gandolfini made a name for himself.

As fan of this type of movie, I'm looking forward to September 19, when The Drop hits theaters.

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater! 

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @SenorMovie and like my Facebook Page!

Señor Movie Trailer Reviews: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 So the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming back to the big screen!

My thoughts? ---- Meh.

Now, don't get me wrong. I want this to be a good movie. I want to be drawn into the characters that are the Ninja Turtles, because I wasn't a fan of them as a child. I understand the appeal and I know about the turtles, but because I never grew up with them I'm not attached to them like other hardcore fans, so I'd like to be introduced into this world of fighting mutant turtles and want to stay there. I want to be blown away and see a property that has many fans appeal to them, and to mainstream audiences.

That said, this just looks like Transformers with the Ninja Turtles in place of the autobots. Sure, the action looks cool, and you have the exciting, adrenaline pumping music, but what else is there to latch onto in this trailer? Megan Fox looks exactly the same as in every other movie she is in, and the story sounds like it was taken from The Amazing Spider-man. The rest of the trailer is filled with action shots, quick cuts, and explosions.

Granted, it is the first trailer and it's setting the tone of the film, but until I see more of this film in trailers and clips, I'll maintain caution.

I guess the question now is: who will win the 'Michael Bay' battle? Transformers 4, or TMNT?

And will you be there August 8th to eat pizza with the Turtles?

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater!

 Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @SenorMovie and like my Facebook Page