7/10
A fun spy-action and a MCU standout
14 January 2023
It was interesting returning to this movie as it feels very out of place for a Marvel movie, in both good and bad ways. It´s more of a spy movie than mindless action, but I´m having a hard time taking the serious tone serious in a franchise that produces mainly brainless action. The action is well made but I never really engaged with the serious parts. It´s an entertaining movie no doubt and definitely a standout for Marvel.

Steve Rogers aka captain America is having a hard time reforming to the way of the S. H. I. E. L. D organization. New problems find Steve in form of old enemies and a new one, the Winter Soldier.

So, where my primary problem lies with this movie is that I don't feel engaged in the more serious tone the movie was going for. It´s interesting to see a Marvel movie trying to go a bit deeper with its characters and their feelings and places in the world, but I find it mostly uninteresting. While I like the character chemistry and the highlighting of lesser used characters, I´m having a hard time really believing it and taking it seriously. Maybe it´s because it´s a Marvel movie, this movie sticks so much out in a franchise with mostly brainless action and fun comments and it feels so weird to see these character become a bit real, maybe too real. I also found the dialogue just fine, in a movie where it should have wowed me more. So, I had a hard time engaging with the idea of the movie, but that doesn't make it less entertaining and has a great genre change from your typical Marvel movie.

The action is so well done and framed in this movie. It´s not always shot the best, but mostly you really feel every hit and gets to see all the cool moves here. The fighting choreography is so great, tense and works together with great cutting to really make punches feel superhuman. This combined with great sound design and enhanced by the score creates this really brutal felling action movie.

I had forgotten how good the score was. While it isn't always memorable, it creates these great small sound bites for character actions and melts together with the score to really elevate actions. I also really loved the theme of the winter soldier that is both haunting and iconic. Henry Jackman really hit it home with this one.

Speaking of characters, I found the character interactions so good and natural in this movie. It still stands I find it a bit too much, but the character chemistry is really good. It´s nice to see these character talking together like they are real humans and hearing their problems. Black Widow and Captain America really gets to bond about each other's weird past and Furry get´s to really shine in this movie. The movie also introduces the Falcon and Winter Soldier which both add a lot to the movie. The Winter Soldier is such a great character. He is such a menace and feel like such a powerhouse of a villain. My favorite performance in this was Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. He really made a likeable and lovable Captain America and really sold his inner conflicts. I also really loved both Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Furry and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, who brought a lot of fun to their characters.

There is a lot to like about this movie, and on another day, I might rate it a little higher. It´s great action, spy drama and character interactions all throughout. Sadly, the movie felt too grand for itself to me, and I had a hard time really latching on to the spy drama aspect. No doubt an entertaining and well-made action movie, but making it more interesting would have really sold it to me.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed