CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER DVD (2014)

SYNOPSIS: From the Studio that brought you the greatest Super Hero movie of all time, Marvel’s The Avengers, comes Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the global phenomenon that teams Captain America (Chris Evans) with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and a new ally, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), in a fight for the future of mankind. Following the cataclysmic events in New York with the Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the entire world at risk. As the conspiracy deepens and it’s no longer clear whom to trust, Captain America, Black Widow and the Falcon must join forces to overthrow their insidious enemy’s most mysterious and powerful weapon yet : The Winter Soldier.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Marvel has come to a stage where they can’t afford to fail. Simply put, there’s too much at stake and we are talking a billion dollars worth market out there. Captain America; The Winter Soldier while being a standalone movie has to be connected to a much larger universe at the same time. Amazingly, the sequel not only progresses Captain America as a character but stands out as the best Marvel movie in the entire MCU to date.   

After the events of Avengers, Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) is still struggling with daily life as he navigates the reality of the modern world. His work in S.H.I.E.L.D with plenty of complex work hierarchy and procedures doesn’t make it any better. When Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) is assassinated by a mysterious assailant dubbed The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Rogers must attempt to uncover the conspiracy and the alarming fact that Hydra still exists in present day!

What’s really great about Captain America; The Winter Soldier is that it’s both a popcorn and ambitious political action thriller. The level of intensity is undeniable and for every twist and turn, there’s a furious shootout and an effects-laden spectacle to go with it. We especially love the edgy, dark nods to the real-world issues and credit has to go to serious actor/director Robert Redford’s performance as ambiguous S.H.I.E.L.D senior official, Alexander Pierce. His presence alone effectively pushes up the believability of the existence of government conspiracies and shadow organizations.

It’s bewildering that Marvel can successfully find ways to include various comic characters whether big or small, known or unknown to be in the Marvel movies. So besides the usual familiar Nick Fury and Black Widow acting as Roger’s sidekick (Scarlett Johansson), Cobie Smulders in a short appearance as Maria Hill, we have Stan as the Winter Soldier who is also Roger’s ex-buddy, Bucky, Anthony Mackie as the Falcon and also Frank Grillo as counter-terrorism strike team member who will turned into another villain character in future.

The visual effects by ILM are close to realism (especially the huge Helicarriers), the many old-school action sequences a pleasure to watch and there’s always room for a funny Garry Shandling cameo. In short, the Russo brothers and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have accomplished an impressive feat worthy to be one of the best movies of 2014.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Only one Deleted Scene: "In Pursuit of Captain America" is included.

Steve Rogers' Notebook detailed the slight differences of the notebook scene in the international versions of the movie. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Dialogue and sound effects are presented in the best possible way for the home audience to enjoy. Subwoofer activity, directional panning effects aplenty while skintones and overall images are striking and impressive with no visible banding. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee



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