Captain America: The Winter Soldier

For me, Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit all the right notes. Marvel has not only successfully transformed what could have been a rather cheesy character into a believable, strong and idealistic yet decidedly human man.

But with The Winter Soldier they have upped the ante, showing just how vital Steve Rogers is to the overarching storyline Marvel has been weaving, and doing it with more action and twists.

Rogers remains a hero who truly stands up for the ideals he believes in, willing to sacrifice himself if need be. As such, he embodies more the spirit of the true, classical hero-figure than his contemporaries.

This gives a greater thematic depth, as Captain America is not only the most idealistic of The Avengers, but also decidedly the underdog in terms of physical abilities. Sure he possesses super-human strength and resilience, but compared to the powers of Thor, Iron Man and The Hulk, he’s just a step above Hawkeye and The Black Widow (and perhaps more vulnerable than they on an emotional level).

I always felt that he was the “also there” hero in the Avengers film, but in The Winter Soldier he truly shines brighter than ever as his idealism, his selflessness and heroic spirit carry the day. It’s these qualities that make him a natural leader, and if Marvel remains true to the comic lore, he will in fact become the team leader of The Avengers, something we only saw faint glimpses of in the last film.

And if I may part away from the character of Steve Rogers for a moment, it was great to see The Black Widow in a larger, more substantive role. The sole female Avenger in the film series is also one of the most interesting, and if you don’t leave this movie hoping that they release one focused solely upon her, then you’re probably just not human.

Discussing the plot of the film is problematic because it is so full of twists and revelations that it would be hard to speak on without revealing spoilers, but let me leave it by saying that I also found it to be cool that Captain America’s struggle with his arch-nemesis the Red Skull never truly ended.

Have a magical weekend!
Christopher – Lemonsaide