Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Rated T)
Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie
Genre: Action Adventure
Dwight's Rating: 3 Stars out of 4
The increasing number of comic book-based, superhero action movies is keeping Hollywood on its toes, with each new release trying to out-explode the one before. It's also forcing film critics to find creative new ways to say something different about what are essentially - with just a few exceptions - rehashings of the same movie.
Over the past two-and-a-half decades, we've seen a steady stream of these flicks. They continue to be big box office draws. And Hollywood has increasingly been moving between the bankable, household-name superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, to more obscure characters - many of whom probably should have remained obscure.
In terms of quality, it's been a mixed bag. We've seen the highs like the original "Iron Man" and the depressing but groundbreaking "The Dark Knight" in the Batman series, to the lows like "The Dark Knight Rises" in the same Batman series, and last year's ridiculous waste of time, "Man of Steel" about Superman (yes, comic book fans, I said it!)
But there is some good news. The latest comic book tale, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", while breaking no new ground, is fun and entertaining. And you don't have to watch the original film, 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger", nor "The Avengers" of 2012 to follow the story.
Nevertheless, it does pick up after "The Avengers", in which New York City was nearly destroyed (supervillains really hate that place!). Captain America teams up with fellow Avenger, the Black Widow, to expose an ever-widening conspiracy, while fighting off professional assassins at every turn. But they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy, the Winter Soldier.
The film maneuvers the fine line between the usual comic book goofiness - taking over the world/enslaving the world/destroying the world - and weaves in an interesting, adult-feeling suspense/ mystery. During most of the film, we, like Captain America, are unsure of who's trustworthy, and who's really working for the evil HYDRA group.
Typical of movies of this genre, "The Winter Soldier" is visually impressive, with some amazing effects, especially those stunning flashback clips showing the frail Steve Rogers before he became Captain America.
But this film is also bolstered by the performances of the cast. Chris Evans is steady as Steve Rogers/Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson delivers his usual snarky wit as Nick Fury. And it was a treat to see screen legend Robert Redford in a very different film role.
Then there's Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. "ScarJo" could be filmed reading the phone directory on a park bench, and it would be more entertaining than most movies released this year. She proved in last year's remarkable "Her" that she doesn't even need to appear on the screen to deliver a memorable performance.
For action lovers, there is a good dose of what constitutes as action these days - the endangerment of hundreds of human lives and a significant amount of property destruction in big cities. Sorry NYC, but this time, it's Washington D.C. taking the blows.
But also present is one disturbing trend I've noticed with a lot of recent superhero movies. The protagonists are being pitted against adversaries of equal strength and abilities. Yes, we all wondered and debated as kids who would win in a fight between this hero versus that hero.
However, when the combatants are all robots or gods, and have all been made from the same high strength steel, or bullet-proof force field, or injected with the same magical pain-defying potion, these battle scenes go on for ten to 15 minutes or more, with seemingly nobody getting hurt, none getting the upper hand, and everyone impervious to bullets or explosions. The audience ends up as exhausted as these fighters. It's literally a tiresome plot device. Make it stop, please!!
But again, and despite all that, "The Winter Soldier" delivers an inoffensive, fun time. It is a glaring contrast to the well-regarded, but in my view, over-the-top "The Avengers" - a visual and aural assault, which seemed to want to throw everything in the book at us - as if someone was given a mandate to produce the ultimate and final comic book action movie ever.
Instead, "The Winter Soldier" does not aim as high, and is all the better for it, with tolerable doses of action and de rigeur destruction, a good dollop of humor and wit, measured performances, with no actor trying to upstage and steal the show. We can only wish the slew of superhero movies coming out this year will offer even half as much.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.
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