Captain America - The Winter Solider
Oct. 4th, 2014 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatThis is actually pretty good for its genre, or much like the first Captain America film manages to oddly rise above what you expect from the genre. I was surprised by it at any rate.
It also explained Marvel Agents of Shield, which is apparently tied to it or tied into to it. Or crosses over. You sort of have to have seen Winter Solider to understand what was going on with Marvel Agents of Shield.
There's a huge twist in Winter Solider that more or less turns the entire franchise on its head, and explains a lot of the innuendos in Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and The Avengers regarding SHIELD and the heroes issues with the organization. It also explains what was going on with the first 16 episodes of Marvel Agents of Shield. Apparently we were supposed to find the Shield organization a wee bit disturbing and unsettling. That was intentional. The writers were far more clever than I gave them credit for. They also were having a wee bit of fun satirizing the genre at their audience's expense, which is rather amusing once you figure out the joke. (Although to be fair, my main issue with the first 1-5 episodes of S1 AoS was the pacing, I was bored out of my mind and couldn't focus on it. This happens a lot with tv shows. Since I had the same issues with Scandal, and caught it in the second season, as well as Fringe. Not to mention Buffy and Angel - which didn't take of until late in the first/second season.)
Anyhow, Winter Solider has a lot of pleasant surprises, and provides Natasha, The Black Widow, with quite a bit to do. Nick Fury also has more to do in this movie than usual. Can't help but wonder if they'd initially intended to have Jeremy Renner - Hawk-eye to play the third lead and couldn't get him? Maybe not. Is Sam Wilson in Marvel AoS now - if not, the actor portraying him looks a lot like one of their field agents.
And, I rather like the Winter Solider, and was glad he's not really a villain.
The big twist is that Shield is actually a front for Hydra. Hydra took it over back in the 1950s and has been using Hydra to further it's agenda, which is basically containing chaos, by imposing order and control. The Marvel Universe's villains were always either "ultimate order bordering on fascism" or "pure chaos bordering on anarchy".
What was bugging a lot of people regarding Marvel Agents of Shield - was it came across as a fascist organization, as well as a nationalistic and somewhat racist one, as fascist organizations tend to be...not to mention rigid and narrow-minded, tooting its own propaganda. Ward appeared to be it's poster child.
The twist in Winter Solider is that Shield is a fascist organization that was infilterated ages ago by Hydra. And needs to be brought down and disbanded immediately. Although Fury argues that it is worth saving, that it is not completely wrong.
The other pleasant surprise is Robert Redford of all people ends up playing the villain. Interesting casting choice. And he plays the villain as a good guy, who wants the best for everyone. All American Boy Next Door - is playing the bad guy, the actor who you trust the moment you see him. Clever. With Samuel L Jackson, complete with eye-patch, bald head, and leather jacket playing Nick Fury, the good guy.
What I liked most about the film is it does spend time on the human relationships. We get to see Steve spend time with Peggy Carter, the woman he loved who had lived a full life after he was lost for 50 years. And he has to deal with his best friend, Bucky Barnes, becoming the Winter Solider. The super-solider working for Hydra is his best friend. But Bucky was turned into the Winter Solider against his will, tortured and brain-washed by both Pierce and Doctor Zola. Can Rodgers save him? We don't know - that thread is left hanging for the next film.
Sam Wilson is introduced as Falcon - with metal wings and a super-spy. Providing Steve with a friend and ally.
Finally, we have the new threat revealed after the credits roll - which I think is Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch? Magneto's children? Shame Disney doesn't own the rights to the X-Men movie franchise. Probably annoys Whedon to no end.
And a nice book-end, with the Winter Solider - Bucky Barnes looking through the Captain America WWII exhibit in much the same way, Steve Rogers had. Focusing on the picture of himself. Bucky also saves Steve in the end, after almost killing him. But does not hang around.
Overall - a much better film than expected. Superhero films are better made now than when I was a kid. Less campy.
It also explained Marvel Agents of Shield, which is apparently tied to it or tied into to it. Or crosses over. You sort of have to have seen Winter Solider to understand what was going on with Marvel Agents of Shield.
There's a huge twist in Winter Solider that more or less turns the entire franchise on its head, and explains a lot of the innuendos in Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and The Avengers regarding SHIELD and the heroes issues with the organization. It also explains what was going on with the first 16 episodes of Marvel Agents of Shield. Apparently we were supposed to find the Shield organization a wee bit disturbing and unsettling. That was intentional. The writers were far more clever than I gave them credit for. They also were having a wee bit of fun satirizing the genre at their audience's expense, which is rather amusing once you figure out the joke. (Although to be fair, my main issue with the first 1-5 episodes of S1 AoS was the pacing, I was bored out of my mind and couldn't focus on it. This happens a lot with tv shows. Since I had the same issues with Scandal, and caught it in the second season, as well as Fringe. Not to mention Buffy and Angel - which didn't take of until late in the first/second season.)
Anyhow, Winter Solider has a lot of pleasant surprises, and provides Natasha, The Black Widow, with quite a bit to do. Nick Fury also has more to do in this movie than usual. Can't help but wonder if they'd initially intended to have Jeremy Renner - Hawk-eye to play the third lead and couldn't get him? Maybe not. Is Sam Wilson in Marvel AoS now - if not, the actor portraying him looks a lot like one of their field agents.
And, I rather like the Winter Solider, and was glad he's not really a villain.
The big twist is that Shield is actually a front for Hydra. Hydra took it over back in the 1950s and has been using Hydra to further it's agenda, which is basically containing chaos, by imposing order and control. The Marvel Universe's villains were always either "ultimate order bordering on fascism" or "pure chaos bordering on anarchy".
What was bugging a lot of people regarding Marvel Agents of Shield - was it came across as a fascist organization, as well as a nationalistic and somewhat racist one, as fascist organizations tend to be...not to mention rigid and narrow-minded, tooting its own propaganda. Ward appeared to be it's poster child.
The twist in Winter Solider is that Shield is a fascist organization that was infilterated ages ago by Hydra. And needs to be brought down and disbanded immediately. Although Fury argues that it is worth saving, that it is not completely wrong.
The other pleasant surprise is Robert Redford of all people ends up playing the villain. Interesting casting choice. And he plays the villain as a good guy, who wants the best for everyone. All American Boy Next Door - is playing the bad guy, the actor who you trust the moment you see him. Clever. With Samuel L Jackson, complete with eye-patch, bald head, and leather jacket playing Nick Fury, the good guy.
What I liked most about the film is it does spend time on the human relationships. We get to see Steve spend time with Peggy Carter, the woman he loved who had lived a full life after he was lost for 50 years. And he has to deal with his best friend, Bucky Barnes, becoming the Winter Solider. The super-solider working for Hydra is his best friend. But Bucky was turned into the Winter Solider against his will, tortured and brain-washed by both Pierce and Doctor Zola. Can Rodgers save him? We don't know - that thread is left hanging for the next film.
Sam Wilson is introduced as Falcon - with metal wings and a super-spy. Providing Steve with a friend and ally.
Finally, we have the new threat revealed after the credits roll - which I think is Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch? Magneto's children? Shame Disney doesn't own the rights to the X-Men movie franchise. Probably annoys Whedon to no end.
And a nice book-end, with the Winter Solider - Bucky Barnes looking through the Captain America WWII exhibit in much the same way, Steve Rogers had. Focusing on the picture of himself. Bucky also saves Steve in the end, after almost killing him. But does not hang around.
Overall - a much better film than expected. Superhero films are better made now than when I was a kid. Less campy.