Features Film

Age of MCU: 6 Reasons Captain America: The Winter Solider is the Greatest MCU Film to Date

Steve Rogers’ third cinematic outing in the MCU effectively split MCU’s Phase 3 in half, closing the book on the singular, character driven sequels for the time being. Much like the way Iron Man 3 was a more brutal, straight-faced follow-up to the trashy Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Solider is perhaps the darkest, bravest and boldest entry in the MCU to date.

Particularly when compared to Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks to be the film that took it’s audience from the camp shenanigans of Captain America: The First Avenger and offered them a cinematic experience that treated it’s audience with a bit of respect and smartness. It took the Marvel world from clean cut good guys and easily identifiable baddies into something deeper, so let’s examine six specific reasons why Captain America: The Winter Solider is the best MCU film we have so far.

 

6. Robert Redford

rob

I don’t know guys, maybe it’s because my top 2 films of all time often jumps between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, so this is quite the biased reason. It’s noted how Captain America: The Winter Solider works as a superhero film with elements of a classic 1970’s political thriller, and Mr. Redford embodies that fusion of genres perfectly. His performance as Pierce has a handsomely smooth feel to it, and he remains one of the most intoxicating villains in the MCU.

 

5. “Trust no-one”

trust

Captain America: The Winter Solider was, arguably, the first MCU film where the heroes weren’t so heroic. The circumstances surrounding Nick’s assassination (before his, a-hem, miraculous recovery) gave weight to the idea that Captain America was in a position to trust nobody, and gave the film one hell of a kick into overdrive.

 

4. Choreography

choreography

From the elevator scene to the highway confrontation with the Winter Solider himself, there’s more finely crafted adrenaline in Captain America: The Winter Solider than in any other MCU film. Effectively taking the drool-inducing techno-riots of the various Iron Man films and giving them a touch of class, every fight scene in Captain America: The Winter Solider feels like it took months to produce whilst looking 100% easy and effortless.

About the author

Fred McNamara