****
Following the events of Avengers Assemble (The Avengers for you overseas types!), Steve Rogers is now a
fully-fledged member of S.H.I.E.LD., taking part in various missions. However,
it soon becomes clear that all is not well within the Intelligence Service and
with the appearance of the Winter Soldier, it soon becomes apparent that Steve’s
past is bleeding into the present.
This latest film in the Avengers franchise is different from the
others – it is deeply political and looks at very controversial issues such as
security, crime and how best to neutralise threats, both within America and
outside of it. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still remembers a time when it was
fair simpler, but he is about to receive a wake-up call as the truth about the
agency he works for is relieved to him. Whilst the other films focus on the
fantastical, this is deeply founded in the world in which we find ourselves
today – in essence, this is a spy thriller and no one knows who they can trust.
As you would expect from such a genre, there are plenty of twists and turns,
most of which relate to the first Captain
America, so I advise you to watch that before seeing this if you haven’t
already. At times I was a little frustrated at how many references there were
to Rogers’ past, but it eventually becomes clear why there are so many ‘flashbacks’.
It also helps to make the first film look half-decent, which it really wasn’t.
The directors do not shy away from violence (there is a pretty sizable
body-count by the end) and trauma – we are made well aware that the Winter
Soldier was experimented on and tortured, as well as seeing him being tortured
in the present, and this certainly helps to set the film apart tonally from the
other Marvel excursions, except perhaps Iron
Man 3 where Tony Stark suffers from post-traumatic stress.
The main issue with the film is
that it is simply too long – after the initial action-packed opener, we then
have a fair while before the pace picks up again and watch as Steve mopes about
visiting Peggy, his own exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum, and driving around
the city (without a helmet!). Similarly, the final showdown is far too long,
but this now seems to be the trend in the Marvel franchise – just look at the
end of Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. There is also an
excessive amount of people jumping out of incredibly high windows and rather a
lot of car-smashes. That said, however, the action set pieces are very good –
they feel somewhat ‘fresh’ and are filmed very well. The action scenes are
supported by an excellent score from composer Henry Jackman and, even though
they are a touch too long, they are certainly engaging. The quieter moments are
also well done – there are some touching scenes between Rogers and Romanoff,
the two in-house agents, which builds upon their relationship and is hopefully
something that will be referenced in future films.
Overall, this is very enjoyable film
and is essential viewing if you’re interested in watching the next films in the
franchise, and the end leaves you asking: what next? It feels good to be back
amongst familiar characters, and hopefully we’ll see more of Falcon in the
future. It’s engaging, and action packed and the three main characters are all
very attractive, so it’s not a bad way to pass an evening.
Comments
Post a Comment