Everybody’s probably seen this film already but thanks to the random fever that I got last Thursday, I only got the chance to watch it today. Along with the whole of Alabang, apparently, judging by the queue in front of the ticket booth earlier.

Good news though, I got to see it with Raydon, who I only now realize, I haven’t seen a movie with since Inception (I think).

Anywho, here’s the round up of (Anthony and Joe Russo, the director duo behind shows like Community and Arrested Development)’s Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Please note that there may be spoilers. Read at your own risk.

THE STORY:

The film opens up with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans – Snow Piercer) still struggling to fit into this modern world, where things aren’t so neatly divided in black and white. Good news though – he knows how to use a cellular phone and is now legitimately internet savvy. He meets and takes an instant liking to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie – The Adjustment Bureau), a soldier-turned-PTSD councilor who commiserates with Steve’s angst at losing good men while on duty.

He learns during a mission that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson – RoboCop) is not compelled to be one hundred percent honest with him or any of the other soldiers. Coming from a time when “soldiers weren’t just men with guns”, the dishonesty does not sit well with him and it makes every move Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson – Her) takes look suspicious. And since Nick Fury pretty much represents the whole of S.H.I.E.L.D., it does thrown things out of whack and Steve starts to question if he really is working for the right agency.

THE GOOD:

1. Chris Evans. Sooo pretty. And those bulging muscles, hoo-hah. He looked too much like Jake Evans from Not Another Teen Movie to be seriously but he did get the general angst of the character down. I wish he wasn’t so emo though; Chris Evans is brilliant when it comes to comedy and I wonder why they decided to do away with the wit and humor. Also, damn, those jackets that he got to wear were drool-worthy.
   
2. Scarlett Johansson. I think there’re very few roles that are tailor-fit to ScarJo; usually I find her sex appeal too overpowering that the character gets lost in the sea of sexy, or the character isn’t interesting enough that you only ever see the actress on screen. But here there is perfect balance to the witty and the sexy. We are reminded that she is actually a good actress by the little nuances (lip biting, twitchy eyes, etc) that explain so well how Black Widow is feeling right in that moment without actually speaking.
   
3. The flirty thingie happening between the Black Widow and the Captain. Is this a thing? If not, why isn’t it a thing yet? After all, I doubt that HawkEye is a steady boyfriend. They have so much chemistry together! And someone explain to me why she’s so interested in his love life again?
   
4. Sam Wilson. Because if the token black dude is Samuel (fucking) Jackson, it’s extremely difficult to be memorable. Plus, he got the best lines in the film. As an actor I do agree that he’s underused and the character itself is very much reminiscent of Rhodey from the Iron Man franchise, but hey, it works.
   
5. “I’m with you ’til the end of the line.” Excuse me while I go cry forever. Seriously though, that last confrontation scene between Captain America and the Winter Soldier almost brought me to tears, which is a hard feat since I wasn’t truly emotionally invested in the movie. While that scene did come out of nowhere, it was still very much appreciated. Also, that last five minutes or so made for some truly awesome CGI.

THE BAD:

1. Too many glasses were broken. Seriously. What the hell is up with all the shattering glass? Is that some sort of a directorial trademark or something?
2. Alexander Pierce. As a character I don’t think he was fleshed out enough. I was sort of waiting for the twist that he was actually the Winter Soldier’s son, you know? The timelines did fit, after all, and that could’ve added another layer to him and God knows that Robert Redford could do it. As it is, while the actor fleshes out the character, he is still wildly underused.
   
3. The shaky camera work during the fight scenes. Which was a shame, because those fights were choreographed well and I read that the film makers took extra care to minimize the CGI to make things more legit. Unfortunately it didn’t translate very well onscreen and the experience was a bit nausea-inducing.

THE UGLY:

1. The run time was too long considering that it had such a flimsy plot. I don’t begrudge Marvel movies for creating sub-standard films because I do understand that these are all just preludes until the next Avengers comes out but, but, but, this movie was just too darn long. Personally I think that the film could’ve survived had it shaved off a full hour from its final reel.
2. The Hydra plot. It was a stretch, come on. I understand the need to tie it up with the first film, but really? Really? Really?. This was the best they could come up with?

All in all Captain America: Winter Soldier was a passable movie but there is something that it is seriously lacking. For some reason you don’t get too invested in the movie and the Big Bad Baddie really didn’t feel like a legitimate threat. The ending is also puzzling because I saw no real point to end it with a cliffhanger; that particular “thread” could’ve been unravelled in this movie. It should tide us over until the next Marvel installment comes out, but put it side by side with the other films, this one was sort of a meh.

THE VERDICT: 6.5/10. Must see only if you’re a junkie of the franchise. If not, you’ll probably survive if you wait for it on cable.

*All photos are lifted from the film’s IMDB page.