With Captain America: The Winter Soldier everything changed. If you haven’t seen the film, you probably want to stop reading. You can’t talk about the film that is being released on Blu-Ray without spoiling the historic event that takes place in the film.
You still there? Ok… don’t say we didn’t warn you.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more. This shocking event was the reason that the movie is billed as “the movie that changes everything.” I remember when I first watched the film, I couldn’t get over that they destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. The whole time I was in the theater, I kept thinking that they forgot there was a complete series on ABC depending on there being a S.H.I.E.L.D. The role Captain America: The Winter Soldier had on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t help but be a distraction.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I felt that destroying S.H.I.E.L.D. proved that what you are expecting to happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might not always happen. But now that the first season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is over and we know the impact the film had on the series, we can watch the movie and evaluate it on its own merits. Now that the film is available on home video, I can watch Cap whenever I want.
The film does not disappoint. The political thriller vision of the film was a wise decision by the creative folks at Marvel. While obviously this film is a superhero movie, Marvel is able to keep the genre fresh by making each film have a unique tone. This allows the film to feature a sub-genre that fits well with each individual hero’s characteristics. The idealism of Captain America contrasts well with a world that is less pure than he is used to. Could you imagine if they tried to use this plot with Iron Man? The film would not have worked as well if it featured Tony Stark who enjoys living in a world of grey. It would be as if Warner Brothers made a dark Superman film. It just wouldn’t work. ;)
While I am sure you have your own thoughts on the film already, the Blu-Ray has some neat bonus features that add to the home viewing experience. The audio commentary with directors Anthony & Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely is fun. It was neat to hear the directors ask screenwriters questions and vica versa. That being said, I wish Kevin Feige was a part of the audio commentary. His thoughts on Thor: The Dark World were very enlightining regarding the development of the film as well as to how Marvel opperates. As Marvel’s “show runner” I am fascinated to hear his thoughts whenever he shares them. Hopefully he will return to the audio commentarty arena soon.
There are also some neat featurettes. “On the Front Lines: An Inside Look at Captain America’s Battlefields” which explores the action scenes of the from the film. The featurette focuses on the directors explaining their thoughts on how they staged the fights. Unfortunatly, I feel that this featurette puts a spotlight on the film’s weakest attribute, which is the action sequences. The sole-use of handheld cameras during the action sequences cause a frentic pace which makes the scenes hard to follow.
“On the Set with Anthony Mackie: Cut the Check” is the most fun bonus feature. It focuses on Anthony Mackie’s performance of Falcon. During shooting, whenever he nails a shot he yells “cut the check” as he had earned his money from the scene. It makes Mackie very endearing, which may be imporant if he inherits the Captain America mantle as his comic book counterpart is about to do.
“Steve Rodgers’ Notebook” focuses on the regional versions of Steve Rogers’ notebook where he writes down the things he needs to learn about that occurred while he was a “capsicle” Each territory the film was released in had a custom list that was selected by an online poll in each region. The World Cup, Roberto Benini, Xuxa, Oktoberfest, and Daft Pank,Disco, Chup Chups, and Shakira are among the items on the list that appear in non-US prints of the film.
My favorite feature on the Blu-Ray are the deleted scenes. While the movie may be better without them for pacing reasons, I enjoyed seeing more of Sitwell, Maria Hill, Black Widow, and Nick Fury where their feeling and motivations are explored more. These deleted scenes also featured some great acting performances. I am glad that the scenes get to be seen, regardless of how they fit in the film. The actor’s deserve these performances to be seen at some point.
The best part of the gag reel was watching screen legend Robert Redford flub his lines. Whenever an actor of his caliber appears in a popcorn movie, I tend to wonder if they act as if the film is beneath him. In these glimpses into production, you get the sense that he really had a good time making this film.
I did miss not having a Marvel One-Shot which have been a staple on Marvel DVDs since Thor. I hope this is just a temporary suspension of the short subjects and that they will return in one form or another some point soon.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier showed us why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so exciting. You never know what will happen or who you can trust. It sets the stage nicely for Avengers: Age of Ultron which will undoubtedly continue Marvel’s winning streak which is currently at 10 with Guardians of the Galaxy still topping the box office. The future looks bright for Marvel.
Until next time, Hail Hydra!… I mean… uh… Avengers Assemble?