Captain America 2 The Winter Soldier
Mar. 30th, 2014 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThumbs up.
What follows is, unsurprisingly, probably quite a rambling reaction post.
I went in hoping it would be good (expecting it to be, really, because the fact that reviews were positive had filtered through) and that it wouldn’t stuff Natasha up – it really, really didn’t, and left hints of backstory. So, I hope that this time Feige and Marvel will see sense and pencil in a Black Widow solo movie in phase sooner rather than later (once Johansson’s had her maternity leave).
Main thing, for most of this film, I wanted someone to hug Steve. Loved his brand of heroism and how he’s still struggling with the new world and his place in it, specifically with doing the right thing with SHIELD. Plus I appreciated how much he used his head. And how he always ends up being the Captain – because of course he gained Sam’s respect and got him to follow him.
I didn’t think we’d see an aged Peggy, but that was so touching contrasted with the glimpse of her in the fifties. She’d got on with her life – could Steve? And then having to fight Bucky. WAAAAH. I had my hand on my heart for vast swathes of the film. And of course that emotional core was what reeled us in when he could beat most people without robot arms easily. I really enjoyed the opening action scene on the boat.
Also that moment he went to the hospital in the hoodie made me think of Nick Gant.
Evans was obviously very good (and so easy on the eye, especially on the bike).
And the ladies were so fierce! Pretty much everything Natasha did was flawless, from the counter-surveillance stuff, to how she fought and the banter. I loved the Steve-Natasha, how it was obvious they’d worked together enough to build some rapport since Avengers Assemble, but not trust, because she was SHIELD and Fury’s, although here she let her guard down to give Steve a glimpse of why she’d joined them and why the realisation of its infiltration hurt her. The running matchmaking thing was amusing – and textually, I suppose we’re meant to read it as a no romance thing, underlined by the kissing critique but I thought there was actually plenty of leeway for Steve/Natasha. Just watching them fight and work together and building a basis for getting to know each other better as team members and friends is enough for me. They epitomised the whole business of him being a Soldier among Spies (and assassins) as an examination of the question of identity and role.
I am delighted that I can hope for Steve/Natasha fic building on this, and would love for her to turn up in Captain America 3 and look forward to their interaction in Age of Ultron, while also being able to decide whether she goes and finds Bruce or Clint and hooks up with them after this film, because, like she said, they may arrest her, but they’re going to need the Avengers.
Basically, the love for Natasha that really happened in the Avengers movie is as strong and unwavering and as soon as there are icons from more than the trailer, I’ll be updating.
And then there was the delight of Maria’s role in this. It wasn’t a surprise that she’d turn up but she has a juicy role. The moment where she knew that Steve was on the helijet and he was ordering her to press the red button to destroy them AND SHE DID (followed by Natasha activiating the biometrics weapon for Fury to shoot Pearce) was the one that got to me most. I assumed he’d survive physically, but still, I winced every time Steve hit something. I loved that she turned up to rescue the trio from the van and backed Steve up on the need to bring SHIELD down. As she was interviewing at Stark industries , I’m presuming she’ll turn up in the Iron Man strands (her and Pepper or her and Happy would be a force to be reckoned with) and interact with Tony.
And what is Marvel going to do with its TV show now that SHIELD has gone bust? (This is perhaps the question that it exercising me the most. Perhaps they can rename it with a less cumbersome title.)
I think the movie would have gone differently if one Agent Melinda May had been assigned ‘Nurse Sharon’’s job. VanCamp was fine, but her role was far less significant than that of women we are already invested in. The shooting range moment reminded me too much of Emily Thorne.
But they went and destroyed SHIELD, and it’s perfect that it was Steve who did so, the soldier who had his doubts, which were vindicated by the reveal of HYDRA’s infiltration. (I am amused that they’ve cut in from of Transference.) The whole examination of what lines get to be crossed and the pre-emptive use of technology was thoroughly gripping and of our day.
I liked the flashes of wit (Mackie as Sam in particular was great) and how funny Steve was allowed to me, liked most of the hand-to-hand fighting although admittedly my attention wandered in some of the big, long set piece action scenes, loved the emotional heft of the whole, possibly more than the first film? I don’t know if that’s the immediate reaction talking. I haven’t really rewatched Captain America.
Nice set-up for Age of Ultron in the mid credits scene (nice credit artwork) and so-so set up for Cap 3 with the Winter Soldier maybe accepting that he might be Bucky (but the comedown when he remembers everything must be angst-tastic. Meanwhile, I thought there were hints of what I know of the comics arc. Certainly it was clear that we don’t know everything of Natasha’s past. Her being born in 1984 may be official, but it may not be the truth. And the Winter Soldier has been around for a long time, plus the use of Soviet bullets suggests that he didn’t just go from HYDRA’s labs to working for HYDRA-in-SHIELD.) There was also potential set-up for Peggy’s backstory series, which I would love to happen, if only for someone to write the The Bletchley Circle crossover.
Speaking of crossovers, Jim Robinson turned up and I like to think that as a member of the world security council with the confusing relationship to the US, he’d have been briefed on what Mike from Neighbours did in IM3. Some day, those two are going to share a movie in a big Hollywood movie and all the Neighbours fans are going to have a field day.
I gasped with glee when Abed turned up. I got the impression that I was the only one in the cinema who did. But that was brilliant.
What follows is, unsurprisingly, probably quite a rambling reaction post.
I went in hoping it would be good (expecting it to be, really, because the fact that reviews were positive had filtered through) and that it wouldn’t stuff Natasha up – it really, really didn’t, and left hints of backstory. So, I hope that this time Feige and Marvel will see sense and pencil in a Black Widow solo movie in phase sooner rather than later (once Johansson’s had her maternity leave).
Main thing, for most of this film, I wanted someone to hug Steve. Loved his brand of heroism and how he’s still struggling with the new world and his place in it, specifically with doing the right thing with SHIELD. Plus I appreciated how much he used his head. And how he always ends up being the Captain – because of course he gained Sam’s respect and got him to follow him.
I didn’t think we’d see an aged Peggy, but that was so touching contrasted with the glimpse of her in the fifties. She’d got on with her life – could Steve? And then having to fight Bucky. WAAAAH. I had my hand on my heart for vast swathes of the film. And of course that emotional core was what reeled us in when he could beat most people without robot arms easily. I really enjoyed the opening action scene on the boat.
Also that moment he went to the hospital in the hoodie made me think of Nick Gant.
Evans was obviously very good (and so easy on the eye, especially on the bike).
And the ladies were so fierce! Pretty much everything Natasha did was flawless, from the counter-surveillance stuff, to how she fought and the banter. I loved the Steve-Natasha, how it was obvious they’d worked together enough to build some rapport since Avengers Assemble, but not trust, because she was SHIELD and Fury’s, although here she let her guard down to give Steve a glimpse of why she’d joined them and why the realisation of its infiltration hurt her. The running matchmaking thing was amusing – and textually, I suppose we’re meant to read it as a no romance thing, underlined by the kissing critique but I thought there was actually plenty of leeway for Steve/Natasha. Just watching them fight and work together and building a basis for getting to know each other better as team members and friends is enough for me. They epitomised the whole business of him being a Soldier among Spies (and assassins) as an examination of the question of identity and role.
I am delighted that I can hope for Steve/Natasha fic building on this, and would love for her to turn up in Captain America 3 and look forward to their interaction in Age of Ultron, while also being able to decide whether she goes and finds Bruce or Clint and hooks up with them after this film, because, like she said, they may arrest her, but they’re going to need the Avengers.
Basically, the love for Natasha that really happened in the Avengers movie is as strong and unwavering and as soon as there are icons from more than the trailer, I’ll be updating.
And then there was the delight of Maria’s role in this. It wasn’t a surprise that she’d turn up but she has a juicy role. The moment where she knew that Steve was on the helijet and he was ordering her to press the red button to destroy them AND SHE DID (followed by Natasha activiating the biometrics weapon for Fury to shoot Pearce) was the one that got to me most. I assumed he’d survive physically, but still, I winced every time Steve hit something. I loved that she turned up to rescue the trio from the van and backed Steve up on the need to bring SHIELD down. As she was interviewing at Stark industries , I’m presuming she’ll turn up in the Iron Man strands (her and Pepper or her and Happy would be a force to be reckoned with) and interact with Tony.
And what is Marvel going to do with its TV show now that SHIELD has gone bust? (This is perhaps the question that it exercising me the most. Perhaps they can rename it with a less cumbersome title.)
I think the movie would have gone differently if one Agent Melinda May had been assigned ‘Nurse Sharon’’s job. VanCamp was fine, but her role was far less significant than that of women we are already invested in. The shooting range moment reminded me too much of Emily Thorne.
But they went and destroyed SHIELD, and it’s perfect that it was Steve who did so, the soldier who had his doubts, which were vindicated by the reveal of HYDRA’s infiltration. (I am amused that they’ve cut in from of Transference.) The whole examination of what lines get to be crossed and the pre-emptive use of technology was thoroughly gripping and of our day.
I liked the flashes of wit (Mackie as Sam in particular was great) and how funny Steve was allowed to me, liked most of the hand-to-hand fighting although admittedly my attention wandered in some of the big, long set piece action scenes, loved the emotional heft of the whole, possibly more than the first film? I don’t know if that’s the immediate reaction talking. I haven’t really rewatched Captain America.
Nice set-up for Age of Ultron in the mid credits scene (nice credit artwork) and so-so set up for Cap 3 with the Winter Soldier maybe accepting that he might be Bucky (but the comedown when he remembers everything must be angst-tastic. Meanwhile, I thought there were hints of what I know of the comics arc. Certainly it was clear that we don’t know everything of Natasha’s past. Her being born in 1984 may be official, but it may not be the truth. And the Winter Soldier has been around for a long time, plus the use of Soviet bullets suggests that he didn’t just go from HYDRA’s labs to working for HYDRA-in-SHIELD.) There was also potential set-up for Peggy’s backstory series, which I would love to happen, if only for someone to write the The Bletchley Circle crossover.
Speaking of crossovers, Jim Robinson turned up and I like to think that as a member of the world security council with the confusing relationship to the US, he’d have been briefed on what Mike from Neighbours did in IM3. Some day, those two are going to share a movie in a big Hollywood movie and all the Neighbours fans are going to have a field day.
I gasped with glee when Abed turned up. I got the impression that I was the only one in the cinema who did. But that was brilliant.
