Well I guess that went down a little in my estimation. I couldn’t really find major fault with the film but it did not hold my interest as much since I knew the plot and what was going to happen. It’s got some nice character moments and I do think the acting is better this time around with richer portrayals from all involved (at least in Asgard) but the plot unfortunately suffers from “we gotta start getting these Infinity Stones out there for Avengers 3!” Guardians would do a better job at least keeping the film moving along even though it’s straddled with the same exact baggage. There are also a lot of plot contrivances to get the story to the finish line but I think the film moved briskly enough that you don’t dwell on them during the actual viewing.

Hiddleston steals the show effortlessly. I think he’s a fine enough actor but he was not very well written in the first Thor film. His motivations were pretty muddled. Post-Avengers though, he and Hemsworth can really dive into the fraught relationship between these two brothers borne out of what occurred in the films we’ve seen thus far rather than a confusing past history we’re told about. Do I hate my brother? Do I hate my father? Do I love my mother? Speaking of which, it’s Loki’s love for Frigga that really brings him to the forefront. I wish more time had been spent on the inter-personal relationships of the royal family. There is a lot to mine there but apparently we can’t let that get in the way of the action.

The visuals were also pretty well done. The funeral was a beautiful and somber sequence conveying the cost of the Dark Elves’ attack with a truly cinematic visual over some perfunctory summation at a war council. Another highlight is the final battle as Thor and Malekith battle through different portals and watching Mjolnir prepare to cross the cosmos to be reunited with its master. Asgard feels more lived in this time around rather than just a green-screen background. It felt like an actual place over some idea. If we had spent more time there and on the actual characters and their shifting alliances, it could have made for a stronger film. Game of Thrones was going strong at this time. People like the intrigue. Give us more of that!

The romantic sub-plot is . . . whatever. Thor and Jane are not really a romance for the ages. Although I will say I did like the tag where he returns on her balcony. It was a nice button to the film even if you couldn’t really care less about this romance. Skarsgård is wasted and saddled with an unnecessary insanity subplot. I guess Hawkeye was better able to handle being under kind control. And I’ll only mention Eccleston as Malekith to point out our first Doctor as villain in the MCU. This may be the worst villain yet. Utterly forgettable. Tennant will blow him out of the water in Jessica Jones. Waiting on you, Matt Smith!

I don’t really have too much else to say that others have not covered. I’m going to give Thor: The Dark World 5/10. I still think it’s worth a rental. Obviously you need it for the ultimate end game for the Infinity Stones at the finale of Phase Three, but it’s diverting enough. It just doesn’t hold up under multiple rewatches unless you really happen to love Thor. Hemsworth and Hiddleston continue to shine and will hit their peak in Ragnarok.

Current rankings:
1) Iron Man
2) The Avengers
3) The Incredible Hulk
4) Black Panther
5) Iron Man 3
6) Captain America: The First Avenger
7) Thor: The Dark World
8) Thor
9) Iron Man 2

Scores updated. Thor 2 caused a lot of averages to drop :D

It's fine, the next one will make them jump back up again.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I just rewatched this movie again for like the 5th time.  As always there are spoilers below, so don't read if you haven't seen the movie.

Pluses:

I love that the vibe of this movie is totally different from the first one, and yet both totally feel true to Captain America as a character.  In the first Avenger, Cap was the epitome of a WWII soldier.  In this movie he is the epitome of modern special forces.  He fights the good fight against the bad guys, but he also questions whether his side is really the good guys.  

The action in this movie is fantastic.  I really like the gritty, visceral feel of punches and kicks and guns and knives and so forth.  The action scenes between Cap and Winter Soldier are probably my favorite, since there is a lot of up close fighting.  Cap also beats up a plane.  That part almost goes into cheesy territory, but they manage to make it seem cool in the end.

I like that there are a couple of recurring MCU characters that we now see are Hydra: Sitwell and Senator Stern.  Now we know the real reason why Stern wanted to get the Iron Man armor in Iron Man 2.

I love Nick Fury and Samuel L. Jackson in this movie.  The part where he is in his SUV fighting off all of the Hydra agents is awesome.  This is the movie where we get to see how much of a badass Nick Fury really is, but he doesn't shine so much that it steals the movie away from Cap.

The ending to this movie may be the best in the whole MCU.  Cap gives up.  He lets Bucky "win" by letting him beat the crap out of him.  In the end Bucky comes to his senses and pulls Cap out of the water.  This is a much better ending than the classic "climactic battle between hero and villain".


Minuses:

I've seen both Winter Soldier and First Avenger about 5 times now.  I still really enjoy watching First Avenger, but I am tired of Winter Soldier at this point.



In conclusion, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an amazingly good movie in every way.  The plot, characters, action, and theme are all highly captivating.  This movie is satisfying to both the mind and the heart.  The only criticism I can raise is that you may only enjoy it the first four times you watch it.   


9/10



Current Rankings:

1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Captain America: Winter Soldier
3. Iron Man
4. Black Panther
5. The Avengers
6. Iron Man 3
7. Thor
8. Hulk
9. Iron Man 2
10. Thor 2

Just popping by, to give my scores of the movies so far and hopefully follow the thread with the next ones.

  Iron Man Score-8
  The Avengers Score-6
  The Incredible Hulk Score-6
  Black Panther Score-8
  Iron Man 3 Score-6
  Captain America: The First Avenger Score-6
  Thor: The Dark World Score-4
Thor Score-5
Iron Man 2 Score-6

My rankings would be:

1. Iron Man

2. Black Panther

3. Captain America

4. Avengers

5.Iron Man 2

6. The Incredible Hulk

7. Iron Man 3

8. Thor

9. Thor Dark World

Darn Disney moved up the release date of Avengers 3 by a week!

You'd think a $150 billion dollar company would be more conscious of VGChartz rewatches.

Doc’s recommendation: we double down on Easter weekend. That's Civil War and Doctor Strange, both on Netflix.

I thought it was weird that they were releasing Infinity War so close to the Han Solo movie.  Doubling down on Easter weekend is probably as good of a plan as any.

OK, Winter Soldier time.

When I first saw WS, I was turned off a lot by the twist, which seemed so unlikely. I still maintain that retconning Zola from an opportunist to a true HYDRA believer is a stretch, but during the second viewing I was much more forgiving. I focused on the good parts, which are many. Great action direction, remarkable character development for Cap, and strong relationship development between Cap and Falcon & Black Widow. Moreover, WS isn't a mere power fantasy, as so many of these superhero movies are. It's also an interesting take on weapons/surveillance technology, and on the conflict between loyalty to friends and duty to country.

See you on the other side.

"Project Insight requires insight."

How do you turn a orange android with a screen for a face and camera to see into something movie goers will not laugh at? You turn him into the same thing just no body. I was spoiler free for this film, nearly perfectly and seeing this scene. Having Toby Jones deliver his lines with perfection (like he always does) gave me goose bumbs. I sat forward in my seat at the time.

This film is what Marvel films should be, the characterisations were good, the plot fantastic and action great. It actually showed Caps power, his speed, when he kicked people were forcefully moved, when he broke through doors they flew off while he was fine. Avengers did none of this. The car chase scene was brilliant. The idea that everyone was hiding something from everyone. It has it's fun moments, great friendly moments between characters showing Cap his great self, Falcon being the buddy he is and Fury being... well Fury.

We had 3 Cap villains in 1 film, Batroc the Leaper, Crossbones, Armin Zola and all done really well. Pierce was a change to his comic self but his comic self isn't a big character.

The only things I would want more from a Cap film is Nomad and Rachel. (I'm from from the Gruenwald era of stories.... Cap Wolf rules :P)


My only 2 issues were the "I'm ill so I'll cough." Peggy Carter and I don't think Seb Stan is a very good actor but these don't change the fact the film is the best Marvel film made yet.


10/10

PS, I still think the fact Black Widow doesn't have a Russian accent a big crime. It's like she couldn't even be bothered.

Ah, Winter Soldier: the movie I was cool on and then, after a trademark change of heart, fell in love with.

This is definitely a top 5 or 6 superhero movie, alongside greats like Superman: The Movie, Spider-Man 2, and The Dark Knight.

The Russo brothers knocked it out of the park here, with focused, efficient direction built on a politically-savvy and intelligent screenplay by Markus & McFeely. The action choreography is some of the best in the MCU (in fact, I'd say its only real rival is Civil War, another Russo bros. production). The street shoot-outs are especially good -- and remind be of Mann's work in Heat. You never, ever get lost in the chaos of battle, and practical sets and special effects are blended together smoothly.

As good as the action is, the drama might be even better. Cap is a conflicted man here. We see him as unable to lead a life outside of war, reluctant to give away freedom for security, and protective of those closest to him. There are so, so, so many tender little character moments here, from Cap dealing with Peggy's Alzheimer's, to his brotherly affection for Sam ("on your left" is such a perfect line), to his conversations with Black Widow on his stalled love life.

Speaking of Widow, Markus & McFeely finally give her a character worth having. In all these MCU movies, Widow plays the part the plot needs her to play. Here, we start to see a window into her personality: mercurial, proud of her ability to survive regimes and political winds but regretful that no one truly trusts her. The little road trip scene with she and Cap is one of my favorite parts of the movie. You get the sense that maybe she wants to be closer to Cap, but doesn't think she deserves it. 

Supporting cast is great here. Redford as Pierce is one of the better MCU villains -- not saying much, I know -- and newcomers Mackie, VanCamp, and Grillo hold their own, and then some.

Obviously, the emotional linchpin of the movie is Cap and Bucky, and the chemistry there is outstanding. Characters are defined most of all by their decisions, and 1) Cap's decision to die rather than fight his best friend; and 2) Bucky's decision to rescue the man he's ordered to kill says everything about their bond.

Music is surprisingly good in this one, too. Not something I usually notice in these Marvel flicks.

I really can't say enough good things about the movie.

I can, however, say some negative things.

The mid-movie twist STILL ruffles my feathers. Zola is written in the first Captain America as a brilliant scientist who was, essentially, working for HYDRA for a pay check. Here, he's treated like a true believer. I still don't fully buy it. It's also around this part of the movie that the previously perfect pacing of the film slows down for a lot of exposition. What else? There's some dodgy CGI here and there, most notably with old Peggy. The final helicarrier battle isn't as effective as the close-quarters elevator fights or the intense urban shoot-outs (I think the Russos are better with small-scale action) and it goes on just a little too long. Finally, for a movie called The Winter Soldier, the character is almost an after-thought.  Of course, we know that that arc will be continued in Civil War.

8/10

Updated rankings:

GREAT
1) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2) Iron Man

GOOD
3) The Avengers
4) Iron Man 3

DECENT
5) Black Panther
6) Captain America
7) The Incredible Hulk

MEDIOCRE
8) Iron Man 2

POOR
9) Thor
10) Thor: The Dark World