The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Further proof of Marc Webb's sloppy directing

Today, I look at one of the most anticipated films of the year: Marc Webb's return to the Spider-Man franchise.

(SPOILERS FOR FIRST FILM AHEAD)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2:
Two years after the end of the last film, Spider-Man/Peter Parker is doing good for himself. He's graduating high school (even though Andrew Garfield is like 30), he's in a relationship with Gwen Stacy, he's fighting crime, and he's going to be in college. Unfortunately, he still feels the need to resolve the mystery of his parents' deaths, as well as reconnect with an old friend: Harry Osborn, the estranged son of sick and dying Oscorp founder Norman Osborn, who has just moved back to the Big Apple. He also feels the need to address his guilt for pretty much getting Gwen's father (the police captain) killed by the Lizard in the last film. While all this is going down, a new villain arises: Electro. Once a sad and incredibly lonely electrical engineer named Max Dillon (who was also obsessed with Spider-Man), Electro become a being of pure electrical energy after being involved in a horrific accident at Oscorp. Realizing he's been stepped on by everyone in his life and that no one's ever cared about him (including Spider-Man), Electro uses this new found ability to wreck havoc in New York. Spider-Man has to stop Electro from destroying the city, figure out what to do about his troubling relationship with Gwen, deal with the corrupt and manipulative Oscorp, and unravel the mystery surrounding his parents' demise. Now, I will say I enjoyed this film far more than the first film. However, and I know I'm going to get shit for this: I liked Spider-Man 3 more than this movie. I really did. This movie has some big issues. First, the acting: For the most part, I actually liked Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He's a bit hipster-ish for my tastes, but he actually did far better this time around than before. I still prefer Tobey Maguire, though. Jaime Foxx was actually really good as Elector. For a guy as suave and cool as Foxx is, he actually plays the pathetic, sad, lonely weirdo role really well. I was kind of creeped out by Max Dillon at some parts, but also felt a lot of pity for him, because he's such a sad and weak person, and you do feel bad seeing him get stepped on and/or ignored by everyone in his life. And as Electro, Foxx was actually pretty threatening and tragic. Electro's new, blue look also worked out way better than if they attempted the classic yellow-and-green suit from the comics. Emma Stone is an okay actress, but here, as Gwen Stacy, I just wasn't feeling it. It's not that she was bad, just very...generic. I feel like anyone could have played her. Sally Field is great as Aunt May. Just a very caring, concerned person. Again, not as good as Rosemary Harris in the Raimi films, but Field pulls the role off. Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Place Beyond the Pines) is sort of a mixed bag in this film, something I was surprised by, considering how good he's been in previous films. He's an okay Harry Osborn, and he comes off as more intimidating than James Franco did (although I still really like Franco's Harry). Also, Garfield and DeHaan's friendship didn't feel as genuine as Franco and Maguire's did. In the originals, you really felt like these guys had been buddies for quite some time, and they has their bad spots, but they remained friends for almost the whole trilogy. DeHaan and Garfield are just kind of awkward together. It felt very forced. Okay, this kind of counts as a Spoiler, so just letting you know (even though they show it in trailers and publicity photos): Harry becomes Green Goblin near the end (Goblin actually gets less screen time than Venom in Spider-Man 3), and although the look is cool, I thought he was hamming it up a little too much. Just a tad. I wasn't really pleased with how they fucked with the comic book mythos when it come to the Goblin, and Norman Osborn, and why Harry hates Spider-Man. Speaking of which, Chris Cooper is pretty good as Norman... for the two minutes of screen time he gets! Seriously, why underplay such a big fucking character?! I can say for sure I would take Willem Dafoe's performance over this one any day. Paul Giamatti has a very small role as the Rhino in the movie (seriously, why is he even on the poster?). He basically plays a laughable cartoon character. You can't take anything he does seriously as a threat because he's so over-the-top and cheesy. Giamatti openly acknowledged he purposely over-did his Russian accent and was just having fun being so bombastic. Felicity Jones has a small role as Felicia, Harry's secretary and personal assistant (Felicia is the Black Cat of the comics). Colm Feore appears as Donald Menken, a douchey and corrupt member of Oscorp's board. Marton Csokas plays Dr. Kafka, a psychiatrist as Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. A female ally of Spider-Man in the comics, here the character is male and is portrayed as this weird, over-the-top, effeminate, mad scientist who experiments on Electro. Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz appear as Peter's parents Richard and Mary. B.J. Novak (The Office, Inglorious Basterds, Saving Mr. Banks) has a borderline cameo role as Alistair Smythe. Denis Leary cameos as George Stacy in a few hallucination sequences. Stan Lee makes a cameo as an astonished attendee of Peter's graduation. Michael Massee cameos as the mysterious "Man in the Shadows" from the last film. The supporting cast, such as Feore, Scott, and Novak do fairly well jobs for their small roles. Now, one of the main problems I had with this casting is that, like I said, a lot the actors either did bad or just okay. That's pretty fucking awful compared to your competition: perfectly cast Avengers, amazing Christopher Nolan Batman performances, and impressive Man of Steel acting. On another note: Initially, I thought the CG was gonna be a problem for me. From the looks of the trailer, it looked like something out of a PS4 game, not a live-action movie. But on the big screen, it actually looked really cool. The visuals were vibrant and colorful, and the action sequences were fast-paced and never felt cluttered or confusing like in Michael Bay movies. Many of my favorite scenes were in this category: the first encounter with Electro in Times Square, the chase between Spider-Man and the Rhino, the intense opening on a plane, and the final fight between Spider-Man and Electro and Green Goblin. However, there were also many scenes which just pissed me off a lot, like the montage of Peter searching for clues about his parents set to the song "Gone, Gone, Gone" by Phillip Phillips, which is one of the strangest uses of a pop song in a movie in recent memory. The song is so upbeat and catchy, and the scene should be more emotional. It's just kind of...off. I feel like in a decade or so, people are gonna look at that scene as the thing that dates the movie. It feels like a scene more fit for (500) Days of Summer (which Webb also directed) rather than this film. Speaking of music, the score by Hans Zimmer, The Maginficent Six, and Pharrell Williams is very bland and forgettable, save for the cool techno/dub-step Electro theme ("Paranoia"/"My Enemy"). That scene where they first play that song and you can hear Electro's inner thoughts, which are presented as increasingly intense and ghostly whispers echoing in his head ("They lied to me. They're using me. They're dead to me." etc.) was kick-ass (even though this might date the film, too). But the ending credits sucked, especially when they started playing Kendrick Lamar (which will also definitely date the movie), those pissed me off. Especially when compared to the endings of the Sam Raimi films, which always ended with Danny Elfman's iconic, rousing, and epic musical score. Besides those things, there's some other stuff I didn't like: the Uncle Ben's killer on the run plot is still left unresolved (it seems to have been forgetting among the fray of other plotlines), some character development was rushed (Harry, Max's origin, Norman, etc.), Denis Leary appearing in Peter's head isn't necessary or important to the central plot, the parents' death plot is resolved in a cool albeit rushed way, and the focus on Peter's love life was a little distracting. It's kind of frustrating how much they break up and get back together, it's just sort of annoying. Ultimately, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a fun movie, despite it's many, many flaws. The main hero and villain are cool, the visuals and costumes and effects (including Spidey's new and improved outfit) are spectacular, the darker ending is faithful to the comics, the action sequences are astonishing, the supporting cast is okay for the most part, and the redesigns of characters are kind of inventive. However, it's still a mixed bag: some of the actors ham it up way too much, some plotlines and character introductions are rushed, the music is very bland and forgettable (with the exception of the Electro theme), the relationships between characters felt forced at times, some scenes are just agonizingly awful (like the pop song montage), J. Jonah Jameson doesn't even make an on-screen appearance (which I hated a lot), and the end credits "scene" was bullshit. Is it truly amazing? Hell no. Is it entertaining (in an Iron Man 3 sort of way, which means it was cool but also kind of a let-down)? Yeah. I'd buy it on Blu-ray... maybe. 3/5 stars.
Note: Upon further thought and analysis, I change my original rating. I now feel this is more of a 2/5, at best.

My reviews of the other films:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/06/spiderman-movies-part-i.html
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/07/spiderman-movies-part-ii.html
A review I enjoyed quite a bit (SPOILERS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJUk8ZHckxo
Another hilarious review (SPOILERS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfXWZmtJzXA
Funny review of original movie (SPOILERS): http://blip.tv/redlettermedia/half-in-the-bag-the-amazing-spider-man-6243706

(SPOILERS BELOW POSTER)
(Image: Wikipedia)



SPOILER SEGMENT: Okay, so at the end of the film, Gwen Stacy is taken by the Green Goblin and dropped down a clock tower and Spider-Man has like a 5-second time-frame to save her. He's too far away, so he shoots a very well-placed web, and catches her by the abdomen just before she hits the ground. However, much to his dismay, the force of the fall plus the web catching her snapped her neck, killing her instantly. I was very pleased with how they handled the scene: it was true to the comics, and emotionally troubling, much better than the laughably over-the-top Uncle Ben scene from the first film. It was slightly different than in the comics, but in a good way: they changed the location from a bridge to a clock tower. Early on in the film, Gwen says "time is precious" in a speech during graduation. And where is she killed?: a building dedicated to telling time, so it was kind of symbolic. The one thing that disappointed me was that at the end (just a heads-up: if you are one of those people who are prudes when it comes to swearing, just go away because I'm about the lose my shit in a second), Spider-Man is about to fight the Rhino after five months of not being in the suit. And just as the battle begins: credits. Fuck that. Another two years to see how that battle ended... and that shit was in all the trailers and on posters and everything! Seriously, fuck that shit! Another thing: Harry is now in Ravencroft, and is communicating with the Man in the Shadows about starting the Sinister Six. That could be cool, but I hope they don't rush the shit out of Doc Ock and the Vulture, who are teased at near the end of the movie. Now for the mid-credits scene: the end credits scene is so bullshit, because actually it's just an ad for X-Men: Days of Future Past. They make you think for a second it's going to be connected and maybe Spider-Man and X-Men will team up, but nope, it was a fake-out. Almost as bad as when Captain America: The First Avenger just showed a trailer for The Avengers at the end. I think it would be better to just not have one as opposed to tricking people into thinking they're seeing when and crushing their hopes by revealing it's just an ad. Fuck that shit, too. END OF SPOILERS

Rest In Peace: Bob Hoskins

I was sad to hear that Bob Hoskins passed away recently from pneumonia. Even if you are unfamiliar with the British character actor by name, you've probably seen him in something. He was the star of films such as The Long Good Friday, Mona Lisa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Super Mario Bros. He also has major supporting roles in Unleashed, Paris je t'aime, Hook, Brazil, Mrs Anderson Presents, Neverland, A Christmas Carol, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Nixon. He also was nominated for several prestigious awards, such as Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Emmys (for his role on BBC's The Street). He won the often sought-after Prix d'interprétation masculine at the Cannes Film Festival for Mona Lisa. He was beloved and will be sorely missed.

                                                              Bob Hoskins
                                                October 26, 1942-April 29, 2014
                                                                 (age: 71)
                                           (Image: Wikipedia)

Frozen: What the fuck?

So, I know I already reviewed this film and even put a shorter summary of my thoughts in my "Top 25 Movies of 2013" list back in February. I won't retread the same ground, however, I do feel I should express how my opinions on the film have changed. I am actually kind of pissed off by the mention of the film now. It has become so aggravatingly popular that it's getting extended runs in theaters, people are racing to their nearest store to buy the Blu-Ray or DVD, and it's now the #10 highest-grossing film of all time (without taking inflation into account), as well as the highest-grossing animated film. My main questions that's been bothering me for weeks: why? Why the fuck does this movie deserve all this praise? I know it's in my favorites of the year list, but if you notice it's considerably lower than most people would consider it worthy of, and the only films below it are Side Effects, Iron Man 3, Catching Fire, and maybe one or two others. And there's a reason why: my expectations were very high when I heard just how great this movie was. I go into the theater expecting some revolutionary shit. You know what I got? A decent animated film with overrated music and some nice humor. That's it. I personally felt the climax (and plot in general) was very rushed and anti-climactic (which completely misses the point of a climax). Like I just stated: the music is grossly overrated. And I've enjoyed the music the husband-wife team has done before (The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q). But this music is just very...meh. Nothing special, could be better. Not even comparable to...well...none of the other Disney songs are particularly good per se, they're just very catchy and memorable. So maybe these fit right in with the Disney motto of: it doesn't have to be particularly good or revolutionary music, it just has to be really catchy and popular, and get over-played to the point where it becomes mind-numbingly annoying. Honestly, if I hear "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" or "Let It Go" (or even hear somebody make a pun or bad joke related to them) again, I might just go insane. Sure, Idina Menzel is a talented singer, but that doesn't mean the song is any better. That's like saying "Well Joel Schumacher has done some good stuff in the past, so that means Batman & Robin has to be good, right?" Again, the film isn't bad. It's just extremely over-rated and unnecessarily praised. it actually makes me angry when people don't admit that Frozen isn't the "greatest animated film of all time". Here's a list of much better animated films that actually deserve to be #10 highest-grossing movie:
Spirited Away
Akira
The Simpsons Movie (Yes, you're reading that correctly, The Simpsons Movie is more clever and is more entertaining than Frozen)
Finding Nemo (Even though this is also kind of over-rated)
Ghost in the Shell
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
The Incredibles
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Wreck-It-Ralph (from the same team as this film, and the vastly superior of the two)
The Princess and the Frog
Shrek 2
How to Train Your Dragon
Alice in Wonderland
The Lion King
Lilo and Stitch 
Fantasia
Howl's Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
Toy Story 3
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
Kung Fu Panda

The popularity Frozen is just aggravating to me. And I hate people who instantly shut themselves off to others' valid points. For example: I tried to explain my position on the film to a few Frozen fanatics, and they just said "No, uh-uh, it's good, you're wrong." That really just irks me to no end. Again: not a terrible movie. Not even a bad movie. But deserves to be #1 highest-grossing animated film? Fuck. No.

(Image: Wikipedia)

Rest In Peace: Mickey Rooney

A few days ago, the film industry lost one of it's most iconic stars, as well as one of it's most prolific. Mickey Rooney has been in films since the end of the silent era, and on stage since he was an infant in 1922, with projects ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream to Santa Claus is Comin' to Town to The Fox and the Hound to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to Breakfast at Tiffany's to Night at the Museum and The Muppets. He had one of the longest careers in the entertainment industry, spanning from 1922 to 2014. He was a beloved actor, and it's guaranteed everyone who has seen a television show, movie, or TV special has seen this man on screen, possibly more than a few times. Even those who don't recognize the name will recognize the films he made and the characters he played. It's a shame that he passed away, even though he was over 90, it still seems too soon. It's weird... there's been more celebrity deaths than usual in the past year, and probably more to come. Truly a shame, so many great stars, just...gone.

                                                                Mickey Rooney
                                                   September 23, 1920-April 6, 2014
                                                                    (age: 93)

                               (Image: Wikipedia)

                                            

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson's latest quirky visual masterwork

Today, I'll look at Wes Anderson's newest acclaimed film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel:
In present day, a young girl holding a memoir visits the "Old Lutz Cemetery", where she finds the gravestone of "Author". Flashing back to 1985, we see the elderly Author giving an introduction to his memoir, which focuses on a trip he made to The Grand Budapest Hotel in 1968. He finds it mostly empty, except for a few employees and guests, and the owner: Monsieur Zero Moustafa. Over dinner, the Young Writer learns that Moustafa once served as a lobby boy during the 1930s, and he narrates the story of how he and his mentor and friend Monsieur Gustave, a concierge, went on an adventure through a fictional alpine state: the Republic of Zubrowka (where the hotel is located) to solve a murder mystery and avoid the authorities, as Gustave was falsely accused of the crime. Taking place during a fictitious version of WWII (complete with "ZZ" officers from a fictitious German-esque country), this film is incredible. I'm not the hugest fan of Wes Anderson, but when he does something good, I won't let my dislike of some of his other films hold me back from enjoying it immensely. Using some stop-motion techniques he picked up during the filming of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson gives this film a unique visual flare. The cast is great. Cast against type, Ralph Fiennes is excellent as the awkward, eccentric, debonair, and eloquent Gustave, who is strange but also very likeable and funny. Tony Revolori is great as the quiet and adventurous young Zero, who is loyal and close to his employer. F. Murray Abraham serves as a great narrator, and although he doesn't look at all like an older Revolori, it's his performance that makes you believe he really could be an elderly Zero. Jude Law, although his role is small, is cool as the curious and passionate Young Writer. Tom Wilkinson makes a cameo as the older and more experience Author from 1985. Sairose Ronan appears as Zero's shy and helpful love interest Agatha. Some Anderson regulars who appears in minor and supporting roles are Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton (who is nearly unrecognizable), and Edward Norton. Dafoe plays a creepy and psychotic murderer and assassin named Jopling who was hired by the film's main antagonist. Speaking of which, Adrian Brody appears as the obnoxious, foul-mouthed, and weird villain Dimitri, who utterly despises Gustave. Jeff Goldblum plays Deputy Kovacs, a smart lawyer who is an acquaintance of Gustave. Lea Seydoux, Mathieu Almaric, Harvey Keitel, and Bob Balaban appear in funny and odd supporting roles. The cast are all amazing, and do their best even in minor roles or cameos. Funny enough, I was surprised by how violent and vulgar the movie could be, but it didn't bother me at all, in fact, it made it kind of cool, as it was something fresh from Anderson, who's previous few films have all been PG to PG-13 fare. There are actually quite a lot of twists, turns, close calls and false alarms in this movie to kept anyone on the edge of their seat. But it's also quirky and hilarious, as well as touching and heart-warming at times. The dialogue is well-written and odd, and there's some vibrant visuals and beautiful sets and costumes. The camerawork is original and the editing is impressive. The soundtrack is brilliant and intriguing, and there's a cool little animated part during the end credits I'd recommend staying for. The Grand Budapest Hotel showcases Anderson's talent for making fantastic and highly entertaining and fun movies, and shows he's still got it. It's got an interesting and kind of complicated plot, and an exquisite screenplay, which is inspired by the literary works of Stefan Zweig. The performances, writing, and visuals are astounding, and even people who don't typically care for Anderson may find themselves reconsidering their positions, I know I am. 4.5/5 stars.

(Image: Wikipedia)

The Muppets Movies: A modern take on timeless and iconic characters.

Today, I look at the new Muppet films, including the latest release. (I know this is a bit late.)

The Muppets:
In a small town in America, two brothers (Gary and Walter, who are fans of the Muppets, and the latter of which is a muppet himself, along with Gary's girlfriend Mary) decide to go on a trip around the world to recollect the original Muppets so they can put on a live show to raise money to save Muppets Studios, which is in danger of being shut down and destroyed by a rich oil company owner due to lack of business. Filled with the series' trademark plethora of celebrity cameos, musical numbers, slapstick, and jokes that will probably go unnoticed by most kids, this was surprisingly good. I would have reviewed it when it was first released in 2011, but I wasn't actually a movie reviewer back then, so I figured with the release of the sequel I might as well touch upon it now. The main human characters are actually pretty well-written. Jason Segel and Amy Adams (who play Gary and Mary, respectively) have good chemistry on-screen, and are relatable leads. Chris Cooper serves as the over-the-top villain, and does a surprisingly good job, he's basically just a prick. Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation, The Office) has a supporting role as a network executive at a television network. The new muppet character Walter seemed (from the promos I saw) like he was going to be irritating and a forced new character. But he actually was a welcome addition to an already massive cast of characters. He's kind of an outsider to both the muppets and the humans, so he kind of has to find his place in the world, which makes him surprisingly a relatable lead, as everyone kind of goes through a similar thing. The celebrity cameos are funny and well-done, and there's so damn many, here's just a few: Zach Galifianakis, Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, Jack Black, Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, Ken Jeong, Judd Hirsch, James Carville, Donald Glover, Jim Parsons, John Krasinski, Micky Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Dave Grohl, and Selena Gomez. A lot of them are self-deprecating, and those are definitely the funniest. The whole movie is just really entertaining and is the definition of a "family movie". As much as I hate the term, as many films have kind of shat on that genre (The Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, etc.), it is technically a "family film", as it can entertain anyone of any age group. It's just a well-written movie. Props to Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller for penning a great screenplay. Christophe Beck also composes an upbeat and fun score, which is modern and new, but also very reminiscent of the old Muppets TV show of the 1960's and 70's. Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie wrote most of the songs in the film, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Man or Muppet". I didn't love the music in the movie, but it was catchy and was better than most of the shit we see in musicals today. (Admit it people, "Let It Go" is overrated!) The Muppets is a great movie. It's heartfelt, uplifting, and genuinely touching and funny. 4/5 stars.



Muppets Most Wanted:
After wrapping up the filming of 2011's The Muppets (a fourth wall break which one expects from the franchise by now), Walter and the Muppets immediately sign on for a sequel and get a new agent: the manipulative criminal Dominic Badguy. He is working with Constantine, the "world's most dangerous frog", who disguises himself as Kermit and gets the real Kermit locked up in the Gulag. Without a proper leader, the Muppets run wild as Dominic and Constantine begin their quest to steal the British crown jewels. Kermit all the while, must survive the harshness of the Gulag and try to escape. Sam the Eagle reluctantly teams up with an Interpol agent to track down the thieves and catch them before it's too late. This, while not as good as the first film (which the movie openly acknowledges), still manages to capture the fun spirit of the franchise, especially as a sort of spiritual successor/reboot of the film The Great Muppet Caper. But, now that I think about it, it's not even technically a sequel, as it ret-cons the original by revealing that even in the universe of this film, the first movie was just that: a movie. The human leads are great. Ricky Gervais brings his sarcastic British wit to the franchise as Badguy, and Ty Burrell is great as the obnoxious Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon. He and Sam Eagle have such great chemistry they deserve their own fucking movie! Tina Fey has a supporting role as Nadya, the head of the prison guards at the Gulag, who seems to have a strange interest in Kermit. There are even more celeb cameos this time around, including: Tony Bennett, Ray Liotta, Jemaine Clement, Frank Langella, Hugh Bonneville, Sean Combs (P. Diddy), Rob Corddry, Mackenzie Crook, Celine Dion Dexter Fletcher, Lady Gaga, Zach Galifianakis, James McAvoy, Chloe Grace-Moretz, Sairose Ronan, Usher, Danny Trejo (as a Gulag prisoner who is also known as Danny Trejo), Ross Lynch, Dylan Postl, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hollander, Salma Hayek, Christoph Waltz, Josh Groban, and Stanley Tucci. They aren't as good as the ones from the previous film, but they're pretty funny. This movie is also full of clever film references (including The Shawshank Redemption and even 2011's The Muppets) and has a cool end credits moment. Nicholas Stoller returns as writer and James Bobin as director. Bret McKenzie and Christophe Beck also return for songs and musical score, respectively. They are better than in the previous film, so hopefully they win some awards. McKenzie's Flight of the Conchords buddy Jemaine Clement (as mentioned above) makes a cameo in the film. Although this film is a little too fast-paced, it's filled with slapstick, subtextual jokes, and visual gags. Muppets Most Wanted may be a little disappointing, but it's a sequel, it's kind of common sense it wouldn't be as good. Putting the negatives aside, it's a funny and charming film I would definitely recommend if you enjoyed the first one. 3.5/5 stars.

  (Images: Wikipedia)

Captain America- The Winter Soldier: Marvel Studios' latest superhero sequel, and definitely it's best

Last night, I got the chance to see the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Captain America, The Winter Soldier:
After the events of The Avengers, Captain America and Black Widow have been doing special ops missions for Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. They've been building a friendship, and Cap has been trying to get reacquainted with the world, considering he's missed over 70 years of history and pop culture. He's also become friends with an ex-soldier named Sam Wilson. Unfortunately, Cap soon finds out that S.H.I.E.L.D. may have been compromised, and that he can trust no one, not even Nick Fury or Black Widow. He also finds himself a fugitive on the run from corrupt politician Alexander Pierce and many S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. All the while, Cap must face his past when a mysterious figure known only as "The Winter Soldier" (who bears a striking resemblance to someone from his WWII days) attempts to assassinate him and his colleagues on several occasions. Cap and Black Widow must hide out from S.H.I.E.L.D. and unravel the mystery of who's behind this government conspiracy, and, even more interesting, who is this Winter Soldier? This movie was surprisingly good. After the satisfying but also somewhat lackluster Iron Man sequels and the disappointing Thor: The Dark World, I was curious how they were going to follow up to the first Captain America, which I initially was indifferent towards but have grown to like over the last three years. Somehow they did it. In my opinion this is the best sequel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and my favorite of the "Phase Two" films so far. It's the best of them besides Iron Man and The Avengers. It's more of an espionage thriller with some superheroes thrown in the mix, a sort of Jason Bourne and Skyfall meet Marvel. The cast were excellent. Chris Evans continues to show he is the ideal person to play Captain America. He's humorous, heroic, charming, quick-witted, and all around bad-ass, and he has that aura of an action hero from an old movie that you kind of need for Captain America (which is kind of obvious considering he's a hero from days gone by). Scarlett Johansson is always great as Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow. She honestly made the movie ten times better, not just for her looks (but those definitely helped, too) but because she has a really great personality and wit in this movie. She and Evans have excellent on-screen chemistry, despite that she's kind of a tease, as she leads him on while also telling him to date other women. On another note, I liked how the filmmakers didn't go with the route from the comics, where she turns out to be a secret HYDRA operative, because I felt that would have been a bit dumb considering how this film universe has been set up. Anthony Mackie was fantastic as Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon. Although you could say he's just a rehash of Rhodes from Iron Man (i.e. the hero's cool black friend/sidekick), I thought he was a great addition to the series and he and Evans genuinely seemed like good buddies on screen. Sebastian Stan reprises his role as Bucky Barnes, Cap's best friend from his WWII days, now long dead. He appears in flashbacks and archive footage (the latter of which is shown in the fictitious Captain American exhibit in the Smithsonian). Cobie Smulders reappears as Maria Hill, Fury's right-hand woman and a dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Emily VanCamp appears in a supporting role as Sharon Carter, aka Agent 13, another tough female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who is assigned to look out for Captain America. Frank Grillo portrays Brock Rumlow (known as Crossbones in the comics), a member of Captain America's elite team of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. He's a pretty bad-ass character, actually, whether or not you agree with his decisions is a completely different story. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Cap's former lover interest and British secret agent Peggy Carter, now an elderly woman. It was nice to see their relationship have closure. Veteran actor and director Robert Redford portrays the film's main antagonist: Alexander Pierce. A supporting character in the comics who is loyal to Nick Fury, in the film he is portrayed as a corrupt politician working withing S.H.I.E.L.D. who betrays Cap and Black Widow and brands them as fugitives. He's one of the few Marvel Cinematic Universe bad guys (besides The Mandarin, Loki, and Obidiah Stane) who wasn't all that disappointing and was actually a real threat. He's not the first character to be completely changed for the Cinematic Universe, but I think he's the first major villain to be based on a completely non-villainous character. Of course, you can't deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. without dealing with it's director. Samuel L. Jackson returns in full-force as the bad-ass, one-eyed, stern, and secretive Nick Fury. He's honestly one of the best supporting characters in the series, and he never ceases to be cool. Eagle-eyes may spot a cool easter egg: near the end of the film, something belonging to Fury has a quote from the Bible on it (Ezekiel 25:17), the very same he quote he famously recites in Pulp Fiction (which is 20 years old this year). Toby Jones reappears as Arnim Zola, Red Skull's Swiss scientist partner, who is closer to his comic book counterpart this time around. Maximiliano Hernandez appears as Jasper Sitwell, a higher-up in S.H.I.E.L.D. Having appeared in numerous Marvel "One-Shots" and in The Avengers, he should be a familiar character with many fans by now. Garry Shandling reprises his minor role as smug politician Senator Stern from Iron Man 2. Georges St. Pierre appears as Georges Betroc, a French mercenary and skilled martial artist who has an intense fight with Captain America in the film's opening action sequence. He is based on the classic Captain America villain Batroc the Leaper. Callan Mulvey appears as Jack Rollins, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best counter-terrorism strike force operatives and Rumlow's colleague. The World Security Council are portrayed by Bernard White, Chin Han (The Dark Knight), Alan Dale, and Jenny Agutter, who is the only one to also appear as a council member in The Avengers. Gary Sinise has a voice-over cameo as the narrator of the Smithsonian's Cap exhibit, and Stan Lee cameos as a museum security guard. Ed Brubaker, the creator of the Winter Soldier, cameos as an evil scientist working with the assassin. Joe Russo (one of the directors) appears as a doctor, and the writers cameo as interrogators. This movie is actually one of my favorite films of the year so far. It feels fresh and new for a Marvel film, and is tied in directly with The Avengers: Age of Ultron, but doesn't feel forced, like in the way Iron Man 2 shoved the upcoming Avengers down the viewer's throat. It has enough superhero action and sci-fi tech to keep fans of the series and comics happy, but also enough intriguing spy fare and twists to keep general audiences entertained. The music by Henry Jackman may be very similar to the score of The Avengers, but it does a good job getting you excited during an action sequence or just before a huge action set-piece. Speaking of which, the action and fight sequences are stunning and exhilarating. The mind-blowing special effects blend in seamlessly, too. From the opening sequence on a shipping freighter, to the well-choreographed one-on-one fight between Cap and Batroc, to the car chase between Nick Fury and some corrupt cops/S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, to the close-quarters fight between Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in an elevator and his subsequent escape, to the gun battle between the Winter Solider and Cap & Black Widow, to the final battle sequence aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriers and inside The Triskelion (S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ), every one of the these sequences is entertaining and explosive, with tons of intense hand-to-hand combat and fire-fights. Joe and Anthony Russo are mostly known for their work on comedy series such as Arrested Development and Happy Endings, so I was surprised they could pull off a violent and fast-paced superhero film so well. The writers (Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus) do a great job adapting the material to the big screen, and putting their own original twist on it. I also felt they got the tone right. As much as I love The Avengers (and don't get me wrong, I really fucking love it), you do get the sense it's too light-hearted at times, example: putting jokes in inappropriate places (like having a character say a funny line moments after Agent Coulson is stabbed by Loki), this one was closer to the original Iron Man (and the intended tone of the series before Disney took over): has humor and fun flashy visuals, but knows too much will drown out the more serious parts. It also realizes that when shit gets real, you can't put jokes in immediately afterwards, you have to let the seriousness of the situations at hand sink in, or else you'll be accused of not taking the material seriously yourself. Captain America: The Winter Soldier just got it right. It's got a great cast, a surprisingly intriguing plot, a darker tone, more mind-blowing action set-pieces, a decent musical score, and some excellent writing for an action film. The only problems: a few logical flaws (which are common in action films), but mainly it's the release date. Why early April and not May like usual? What the fuck, Marvel Studios? That's almost as bad as Thor 2's November release date. 4.5/5 stars.

My reviews of the original film and the other Phase One movies:  http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-movies.html
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-movies-part-ii.html
My review of "Iron Man 3": http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/05/iron-man-3-is-it-possible-to-really.html
My review of "Thor- The Dark World": http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2013/11/thor-dark-world-marvels-latest.html

(SPOILERS BELOW POSTER)
(Image: Wikipedia)




(SPOILER SEGMENT): About halfway through the film, Captain America discovers The Winter Soldier is his best friend Bucky Barnes, who, after having "died" during WWII, has been genetically enhanced, cryogenically frozen, and has had his memory wiped. He is now a stone-cold killer and an unstoppable force. For people like me, who've read the comics, this was not a surprise, but I figured I'd put it down here anyway in case people who haven't read into it want to see the film. Also, Cap and Black Widow discover Red Skull's right-hand man Arnim Zola had transported his consciousness into an old supercomputer before he died in 1972. He reveals he was recruited by the SSR after WWII to found S.H.I.E.L.D. Unfortunately for the heroes, he used this as an opportunity to regrow HYDRA (Red Skull's Nazi-supporting terrorist organization) and that's why most of the agency has been compromised. He developed a genius "algorithm" to detect people who could possibly be threats to S.H.I.E.L.D./HYDRA, and had the hypnotized Bucky/Winter Soldier dispose of them. It is implied he is responsible for the "accidental" deaths of many of Cap's old friends, including Howard Stark. This is closer to his comic book counterpart than in the previous film, as in the comics he is a disembodied head inside of a robotic body who controls other organisms using his knowledge of biology. Here he is a disembodied mind inside a computer who used his intellect to control an entire organization. He is accidentally destroyed in an explosion meant to kill Cap and Black Widow. Characters such as Senator Stern, Rumlow, Rollins, and Jasper Sitwell are revealed to be secret HYDRA operatives, and Sitwell is brutally taken out by Winter Soldier for revealing Zola and HYDRA's plans to the heroes. By the end, the villains are stopped, S.H.I.E.L.D. is shut down, Cap, Hill, Widow, and Wilson look for new occupations (Hill applies for a job at Stark Industries), the remaining HYDRA supporters (including Senator Stern) are arrested, and Nick Fury fakes his own death so he can live a peaceful life away from all this government conspiracy and espionage stuff. Cap and Black Widow have a moment, and Cap and Falcon vow to track down Bucky and save him from his horrible existence as the Winter Soldier. In a mid-credits sequence, we see an underground facility run by the villainous HYDRA leader Baron von Strucker (played by Thomas Kretschmann). He is talking with one of his associates, who is concerned about them being exposed as HYDRA operatives. Strucker tells him not to worry, as they have something valuable. They look on as scientists study the staff used by Loki in The Avengers. They also discuss the dangers of genetic experimentation, and discuss disposing of the bodies of failed test subjects. They also discuss what will happen to the "Twins", the two surviving test subjects: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olson, respectively). Strucker looks on with evil glee as they experience their strange new powers while locked in containment cells. (They are no longer Magneto's mutant children as in the comics, but rather the product of experimentation, as Fox has the rights to X-Men). The second end-credits sequences shows the confused and traumatized Bucky in casual clothes looking at pictures of him and Cap from the 1940's in the Smithsonian museum exhibit, and begins to realize the gravity of the situation he's in. The film then has a text that reads: "Steve Rogers will return in The Avengers: Age of Ultron". I personally feel the Bucky one should have gone first, because it feels lackluster after the Strucker one. But it was still really satisfying and leaves me super excited for Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2. (END OF SPOILERS)