Review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) by Griff C — 24 Sep 2017

Marvel Studios' first movies following their smash-hit The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, were entertaining but did not quite reach the heights of what had come before. I was looking forward to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but by this point, I had tempered my expectations.

Needless to say, I was blown away. Not only did this become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greats, but it became the franchise's first true game-changer. I mean this sentiment in multiple ways, one of which I won't go into because it goes into spoiler territory in case you still haven't seen this film.

The other sense in which I mean "game-changer" is what kind of film it is. Until this movie, the MCU had pretty much strictly stayed in the realm of the superhero genre. Though The Winter Soldier keeps one foot in this genre, it also branches out, here as a political/spy thriller.

This led the way for more diverse movies to be released in the MCU. Marvel took a risk, not only in branching out but in hiring the Russo brothers to direct, and succeeded in both. The action is superb and there is not a single weak link in the cast.

Though this is his third main go-around as Steve Rogers, I'd really like to spotlight Chris Evans here. Though I enjoyed his performances in The First Avenger and The Avengers, it's here where he truly reaches the next level.

All-in-all, this is one that should not be missed.