Marvel Studios’ finest film to date, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” hit Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download yesterday (9/09/2014) and now sits on me shelf after I brought it home and watched the movie for the third time.
For a long time, we as a society have been having a debate about freedom versus security. Is it worth protecting our ideals to keep people safe? As our freedoms erode little by little every year, it’s clear which side is winning. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” takes Steve Rogers, the comic book character who represents our ideals more than any other, and thrusts him head first into the midst of this debate. Seventy years ago, he fought a war to preserve freedom… what some have called the last clean war. The last war that needed to be fought. In the present day, after what happened in New York (the beauty of this line is that it describes both Loki’s attack and the events of September 11th), things have changed… and more and more people are willingly handing their freedom over so they can be protected from the bad guys. Is the trade off worth it? Can those in power be trusted with the responsibility? Who decides who is and isn’t a threat to society? These questions are what make this a perfect Captain America story.
Chris Evans turns in his best performance as Steve Rogers, I’ve wanted to see him adjust to the modern era and this film handles it beautifully. Scarlett Johansson should finally silence all critics who have doubted whether she is suited to the role of Black Widow as she really gets to show off the master assassin’s human side… combine this with the trailer for “Lucy” that was attached to the movie, and it’s a crime that there still isn’t a “Black Widow” movie. Sebastian Stan’s turn as the Winter Soldier lives up the hype; a silent and deadly killer akin to the Terminator. And, of course, a great performance by screen legend, Robert Redford as head of SHIELD, Alexander Pierce.