Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 3
Suspenseful and politically astute, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior entry in the Avengers canon and is sure to thrill Marvel diehards.
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 0
Suspenseful and politically astute, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior entry in the Avengers canon and is sure to thrill Marvel diehards.
want to see
User Ratings: 135,210
Movie Info
Steve Rogers continues his journey as the super-powered American soldier who's grasping to find his place in a modern world after being frozen in ice since WWII with this Marvel Studios sequel. Chris Evans returns to star, with Community director/producers Joe and Anthony Russo helming. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
Apr 4, 2014 Wide
Walt Disney Pictures - Official Site
Cast
-
Chris Evans
Captain America/Stev... -
Anthony Mackie
Sam Wilson/Falcon -
Sebastian Stan
Bucky Barnes/Winter ... -
Samuel L. Jackson
Nick Fury -
Scarlett Johansson
Natasha Romanoff/Bla... -
Frank Grillo
Brock Rumlow -
Robert Redford
Agent Alexander Pier... -
Cobie Smulders
Agent Maria Hill -
Georges St-Pierre
Georges Batroc -
Hayley Atwell
Peggy Carter -
Toby Jones
Arnim Zola -
Emily VanCamp
Agent 13 -
Maximiliano Hernande...
Agent Jasper Sitwell
ADVERTISEMENT
Friend Ratings
No Friends? Inconceivable! Log in to see what your friends have to say.
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (3)
The Marvel faithful will turn up for the action scenes, and the directors, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, add an uncommon sharpness to sequences of urban warfare -- these Heat-grade bullet volleys have a real ping to them.
It chooses to avoid the easy gags and go for stronger drama by having Cap confront something he really wasn't prepared for: A S.H.I.E.L.D. that seems to have lost its way, and may even have a few traitors buried deep inside it.
Takes the bold (for Marvel) step of reducing CGI spectacle to a relative minimum in favor of reviving the pleasures of hard-driving old-school action, surprising character development and intriguing suspense.
Bounds along excitingly, keeping viewers guessing, launching some successful switcheroos and bringing real stakes to the game. The end results should reverberate throughout the big- and small-screen Avengers universe.
Chockfull of the breathless cliffhangers dictated by the genre, but equally rich in the quiet, tender character moments that made the first film unique among recent Marvel fare ...
This sequel fully displays the exciting power that Marvel's Phase Two is capable of.
Thanks to Johansson, Jackson and Redford, this is all good fun. It's a shame the weak link is the Captain himself.
The Winter Soldier offers plenty for franchise fanatics to chew on, but a half-baked genre switch and increasingly daft 'political' themes make Cap's transitional adventure a minor Marvel at best.
Robert Redford, laying aside Mr Liberal Sundance Nice Guy, lends sleek mischief to a dodgy Washington power-broker. Elsewhere, it's the box-office blend as before.
The result is a blockbuster with a brain and a superhero movie that feels ripped not from a comic book so much as today's headlines.
The Winter Soldier is consistently engaging, exciting in bursts, but there's not one point in which the film ever excels.
It's a spectacularly violent move into Bourne territory, with enhanced super-soldiers kicking the ever-livin' daylights out of each other over what freedom really means.
It falls short of being a masterpiece because it uses ideas from the real world to say something about its fictional characters, when it had the potential to use its fictional characters to say something about the real world.
It may climax with an overly formulaic splurge, but The Winter Soldier benefits from an old-school-thriller tone that, for its first half at least, distinguishes it from its more obviously superheroic Marvel cousins.
Chris Evans' welcome return to the superhero fold can't save this sequel from feeling like an awkward franchise mid-point.
It boasts the best of Marvel's knowing wit and and one-liners, the grandest flex of its big-dollar action muscle, and crucially, some of the boldest plot developments yet seen in its cinematic canon.
The Winter Soldier (admittedly, the best of a recent batch) feels thoroughly unremarkable. That's what happens when you get too much of a just-okay thing.
Fundamentally, this is a superhero movie with something to say. In fact it's the first Marvel entry with a truly topical sting.
Marvel understands that throwing moral mud at Captain America is exactly what makes his red, white and blue costume all the brighter.
Be prepared for a game changer!
The Winter Soldier isn't overly existential, but the way it teases at those deeper questions allows Evans to give his performance a welcome bit of shading.
Stuns me with its scathing commentary on what is happening in the real world today, wrapped up in what is some of the most delicious, most comic-booky fantasy ever.
The second Captain America movie is a terrific, stand-alone thriller that delivers exciting action sequences and engaging characters wrapped up in a satisfying and cleverly resonant plot.
The most interesting Avengers film yet.
Audience Reviews for Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Super Reviewer
The film ends up being really convincing in a genre most prominent in the 1970s, where people are shot through apartment walls shortly before revealing the traitor and everyone starts mistrusting anyone else. At the same time, it is still delivering over the top superhero action and funny one-liners, while the ultimate revelation is nothing less than Marvel's biggest game changer to date. Especially the TV show Agents of SHIELD, that found its footing in recent weeks, will most certainly have to react to the puzzling and breathtaking events unveiled here. It would go too far to call this film realistic, especially if you consider the way Cap takes down a jet all by himself, but the underlying message is based on current world events much more than before: don't take away my freedom in favor of a false sense of security.
The film effortlessly includes characters as antithetic as Robert Redford's excellently performed politician and the stone cold bionic assassin Winter Soldier while still flowing perfectly. The creators are also smart enough to have other hero characters enter the spotlight every now and then for their moments to shine, which is just massive fun. Some of the fast-cut shootouts feel like coming from a Michael Mann film, while the showdown is almost as huge and spectacular as the Avengers' battle of New York. This perfect balance of thriller and action sequences makes this just outstanding popcorn entertainment and raises the bar once again.
Watch out for Stan Lee's as well as a Community cameo plus a great Pulp Fiction Easter egg. There are two post credits scenes, the first goose-bump inducing one setting up Avengers: Age of Ultron next year while the other one is teasing what Cap's solo return could deal with in 2016. Keep 'em coming, Marvel. Apparently you can do no wrong.
Super Reviewer
-
- Nick Fury: We're gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen.
- Captain America/Steve Rogers: I thought the punishment usually came after the crime.
-
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Hey fellas, either one of you know where The Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil.
- Captain America/Steve Rogers: That's hilarious.
-
- Sam Wilson/Falcon: How do we know the good guys from the bad guys?!
- Captain America/Steve Rogers: If they're shooting at you they're bad!
-
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: You doing anything fun Saturday night?
- Captain America/Steve Rogers: Well, all the guys in my barbershop quartet are dead, so...no, not really.
-
- Captain America/Steve Rogers: The price of freedom is high... and it's a price I'm willing to pay.
-
- Sam Wilson/Falcon: Captain America needs my help...
Discussion Forum
Discuss Captain America: The Winter Soldier on our Movie forum!
What's Hot On RT
Noah's a Fresh Take on an Old Tale
An Epic List of Bible Epics
Memorable Directorial Debuts From Stars
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Watch: Live Another Day trailer
Latest News on Captain America: The Winter Soldier
March 20, 2014:
Disney Plans IMAX Releases for Star Wars: Episode VII and More"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" will also bow on the big, big...
March 14, 2014:
Weekly Ketchup: Captain America 3 Officially AnnouncedThe Weekly Ketchup celebrates Pi Day by... mentioning it here and then never again. That's because...
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: Noah is a Fresh Take on an Old Tale 20
- Weekly Binge: Nurse Jackie 0
- Community: 10 Highlights from PaleyFest 2014 0
- Enemy Giveaway: Win a Signed Poster 2
- Video: Schwarzenegger Doesn't Do Cornrows 1
- Total Recall: An Epic List of Bible Epics 41
- Poster Breakdown: X-Men: Days of Future Past 10
Top Headlines
Foreign Titles
- Captain America 2: The Return Of The First Avenger (DE)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (UK)
Supersedes the first by a long shot ! Great cast and glad Black Widow has joined.
This amusing action movie is really worth the watch!