Easter Tidings.^^/
The other day I watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier at the cinema. In my humble opinion, it was beyond amazing. =D
I really enjoyed the first film: Captain America: First Avenger but it wasn’t as exciting as the other Marvel films as I felt there wasn’t much intensity or suspense, especially in the fights.
NICK FURY
In this film though there was a lot of intensity, suspense and plenty of nail-biting fights. At times I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Captain America and his companions wouldn’t get hurt. There was one scene where Nick Fury Jr. (Mr Samuel L. Jackson himself) was toppled over in his car thanks to Hydra, aka, the Winter Soldier. I knew he would have a plan to try and escape but carrying through that plan was a different issue. Thankfully, he was able to escape.
I sort of had the inkling that Nick’s death appeared to be staged, and even if it wasn’t, the good people would find a way to bring him back to life somehow. Still, glad he eventually got back on his feet. I felt that we learnt a lot about Nick Fury. We got a bit of an insight as to why he doesn’t trust people and why he has a black eye patch. Personally, whether he needs it or not he still looks mighty cool with it. 😉 He revealed his eye in the film…my word. I’m more intrigued to know what happened to that eye.
FALCON
One certain character made his debut, Falcon. I really, really like him. I think he has a cool personality and I love the wings technology/parachute thing. I’m slightly gutted because I had a similar idea in mind for one of my stories, still, never mind. XD! Anyway I had an inkling that he was going to be the ally of Steve Rogers but I didn’t know that they were going to fight side by side. I assumed that it would be like Bruce Wayne and John Blake. They’re allies who will help each other out but not necessarily fight side by side as super-human equals… I was quite wrong. XD Now, I really hope that we see Falcon in the Avengers: Age of Ultron.^^/
VILLAINS
When I first saw Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford, I knew instantly that he was going to be the villain. A good ally on the surface who is secretly plotting something underneath the floorboards. XD It was a bit like the first Iron Man film when Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) appeared to be a goody but really he was a baddy. Apart from anything else I couldn’t really see Robert Redford having a small role; he is quite a big movie star.
It turns out that Zola, who played a sort of sidekick in the first Captain America film, played quite a significant role in the end. I understand he was recruited to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and this gave him the opportunity to bring in his allies, associated with the Red Skull, so they could do his bidding. It looks like the he transferred his consciousness into some ancient computer so whilst he actually died, his consciousness was still alive.
I must admit, I was slightly freaked out by Zola and his computers. It was like he was ahead of his own time, even back in the days when technology was in its infancy.
I was quite blown away when it was revealed that Bucky was alive. When I first heard the title “Winter Soldier” I thought it alluded to Captain America since he was frozen for so many years. I was wrong. When Bucky was revealed as Hydra, when his mask came off, I shouted “damn!” …I slightly attracted attention, albeit, unintentionally. XD! I would describe Hydra as an Anti-Villain, he isn’t a true villain by heart but he’s working with them for the sake of working with them.
I wonder if we’ll see any more of the Red Skull army? That dude that got burned, [I think his name was Brock?] I wonder if he is actually the alias Crossbones? I wouldn’t be surprised if this were the case.
ROMANCE
The romance was quite interesting in this one. It seemed to tease a potential relationship between Steve Rogers and Black Widow. Personally, if I was the Captain, I’d go after that blonde lady who lived in his apartment block. Agent Carter I think was her name? Apparently in the comics she was the niece of Captain America’s first love interest but was eventually ret conned. Anyway, I’d still go after the blonde girl regardless. She seems more affectionate then Black Widow. XD
FIGHTS
I really liked the plot overall, I liked how there was a conspiracy within SHIELD and the enemies plans kept on failing. It’s like how Scotland Yard and the FBI solve murder cases, haha. My favourite parts of the film though have to be the fights. To me good fights aren’t about throwing punches, there’s a bunch of factors that can lead to your victory. For example, the styles and fighting techniques of the soldier and how they use the terrain and knowledge of each other’s skills to their advantage.
I loved the way Captain America kept throwing his shield and how fast he ran, it’s really entertaining to watch. I enjoyed how Falcon kept on flying about the place, with his technical type of wings.
FILMED IN MANCHESTER INSTEAD OF NEW YORK?
I’ve been told by a friend that parts of Captain America were filmed in Manchester. Apparently, it costs $10,000,000 to close a whole street in New York, however, it only costs £100,000 to close down one whole street in Manchester. So, they filmed shots in Manchester which they pretended were in New York. It was apparently based in the 1930’s / 40’s. My friend said that he watched the filming from his friend’s flat. I was quite gutted when I heard this. Had I known this was being filmed in Manchester, I would have wanted a walk on part! XD
I didn’t really spot any location in the film that resembled Manchester. Perhaps it was that one flashback scene with Steve Rogers and Bucky? Apparently, parts of the new Avengers film was filmed at the same time as the second Captain America film. So, maybe there will be flashbacks of the 1940s (where Manchester was pretending to be NewYork XD) in the Avengers: Age of Ultron.
CONCLUSION
This film was beyond amazing. Captain America was awesome and a new set of characters have been introduced. Apparently Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who are set to appear in the new Avengers film, made small cameos in this film. I didn’t really see them, although I probably wouldn’t know who they were anyway! XD! Falcon was especially good, Bucky being alive was awesome and I suspect that Zola is the true mastermind behind all of this Red Skull business.
Stan Lee making that cameo had me laughing for a good while. In a way he’s like the modern Alfred Hitchcock where Alfred used to appear in his own films, albeit, a lot more surreptitiously. Now, I’m expecting to see Stan Lee in every single Marvel film from now on. XD I recall him making a small cameo in one of the recent Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes. It wouldn’t be a Marvel film if there was no Stan Lee to make a small cameo. Haha.
Is this the best Marvel film to date? Who can say? In the given moment I thought “yes”. In retrospect, I still prefer Iron Man. But, take nothing away from this film; it’s mind-blowing and very engaging. I would watch this numerous times.. =)
So, I won’t hesitate to give this two thumbs up.
CHALLENGING MYSELF
That very evening, going to watch Captain America at the cinema, put me to the test.
On that Friday evening I planned to do this complicated painting after self-studying and to chill out watching some Blood Lad. However, I receive a call that same moment asking if I, along with Mum, would like to go and watch Captain America. It was on screen at 9 and I was asked at half 8… Some of you may guess or not but I don’t handle sudden surprises too well. I get cross in fact. XD We did speak about watching Captain America but no date was set in stone. I mulled over for a matter of minutes…
I eventually decided to go and watch Captain America since theoretically I have all day to paint, write and watch Anime. Whereas I don’t really get the opportunity to go to the cinema with friends and family. So, with this in mind, I decided to leap upon that opportunity. I literally had to get dressed and what have you inside ten minutes.
I’m usually anxious whenever I go out, especially to the cinema. But when I got ready, got out and went straight to my seat I didn’t really feel anxious at all. Rather, I was more thinking about the film itself, which is quite unusual. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t given the time to feel anxious, as strange as that sounds. Haha. I think this is a good step to take, and really, as anxious as I get I can handle these types of last minute situations.
I saw the trailer of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men; both of Marvel, both was shown before the film started. I fancy X-Men but for some strange reason I don’t really fancy Guardians of the Galaxy. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I get the feeling that I won’t enjoy it. I think it’s because it may look too sci-fi, I.E., Planet Earth won’t feature, at all.^^/
I’m now going to watch Only Fools and Horses on UK GOLD followed by Brand New Simpsons. =D
Happy Easter everyone^^/
Ryan
Ryan's World 