How the Russos Made Captain America Great Again | Video Essay

cap sa cap sa cap sa cap sa kappa say cap sa kappa say kappa c kappa say kappa say kappa c kappa c kappa say Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich alright nerds buckle up because you're not gonna just get one Captain America essay oh no you're gonna get two of them uh knockers and I haven't even had my morning cup of tea yet it's gonna go off do you hear me do you hear me can you dig it no I'm just kidding the truth is I've of course wanted to do this for a while but I want to get it right or at least I hope I have and that's because Steve Rogers aka Captain America means a lot to me he's up there if not in the very top spot for being my favorite superhero and more so than that he would be anywhere near there if it wasn't for Chris Evans and the Russo brothers after some stumbling blocks during his formative years in the MCU the Russo's came on board just knock out of the park with Captain America the Winter Soldier in 2014 from there the Russos just kept on going from strength to strength taking on even more characters in scale you're always keeping a keen eye on the First Avenger himself even when it seems like he was neglected he actually wasn't I see the same criticisms of the character coming up time and time again he's not powerful enough he's boring he's too much of a Boy Scout he's jingoistic well of course this essay I'm going to explain why all of that is in my humble opinion completely incorrect he's or inspiring exciting interesting and has some of the most interesting powers any superhero has ever been given before I got into Captain America I thought he only really worked in World War two and that was an inherent problem of his character after years of watching reading and loving Captain America I can safely say I was wrong Captain America only works in World War two and that is exactly why he's the most interesting character in the entire MCU across this video in its subsequent concluding part I want to talk about why exactly that is and what it means for the end of Steve Rogers story so strap in because we're going to be going through every star-spangled MCU appearance in incredibly descriptive detail cap has the best films the best supporting characters the best villains the best action sequences and despite being a still point he will have the best arc - by the end of endgame this is how the Russos made Captain America great again yes so as ever I want to point out the contributions of the writing duo Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely and since you will be looking at one of the movies that they worked on without the help of the Russos albeit I'll be criticizing some aspects I feel that they will be more directly focused on than in my previous efforts the same goes for writer and director Joss Whedon on the Avengers films in fact you know what's for at it I would like to point out the contributions of everyone in the credits of every MCU movie I'm discussing here or have discussed previously also the people that worked on the film who might have been credited because what happens to basically it takes a lot of people to make a movie work and I couldn't possibly point out all of them as down target but you get my point thank you filmmakers you're killing it sometimes during these videos we get comments accusing me of never having picked up a comic book so I'm just going saying now no I've never read a comic book I mean yes yes I have read comic books now stop whining you bunch of nerds I often don't refer to the comic book characters in these videos because I don't want to get bogged down in talking about adaptation and I'm focusing on the MCU the key letter in the acronym being the C which of course stands for curse cinematic that's right in 2009 Chris Evans was cast as Captain America and my reaction was what Johnny Storm is playing who now I don't think I was alone in my trepidation those movies weren't particularly good and Evans is fine in them but I love his Johnny Storm it was always veering on the wrong side of cocky with someone like down your Hemsworth we had no idea how they were going to be a superheroes before going in but Evans had already shown off what he could do plus it seemed like a strange choice the guy who's known for hamming it up in Scott Pilgrim and having a banana assassin Not Another Teen Movie taking on a character who is known to be stoic to the point and militaristic hmm he didn't seem like a match made in heaven but like the Joker's and Jackman's of the world Chris Evans proved he had this whole acting rigmarole down pat from the very first scene Captain America the First Avenger simply would not work without Chris Evans performance my biggest problem with cap in the comics is an outsider to a lot of his stories at the time was he looked and felt really dull really square Georges stereotypical gung-ho superhero he had the chin of a more tongue-in-cheek character like the tick or mr. incredible he everyone seemed to take him super seriously and it just put me off completely at first well Chris Evans performance swayed me on was the vulnerability brought to the character the key thing about this performance is that I believe there's a tiny little 90 pound nerd on screen even when he's amped up and full of Super Soldier Serum his temperament his somewhat timid nature it all feeds in he's not charming in the same way that Tony and Thora charming he's a bit more like a puppy dog with a heart of gold he captures the steely optimism and determination of Steve Rogers from the first few scenes set on doing whatever it takes to serve as a soldier on the frontlines of World War two on the surface it might seem like something a modern audience can't relate to but the movie does a great job of establishing the climate of World War Two and the pressure to do your parts are you Bucky Bucky come on there are men laying down their lives I got no right to do any less than them that's what you don't understand yes wild on left right and center but he sticks to his principles and we see that from his very first steps into the MCU could you imagine being this bully guy by the way seeing Captain America on the news years later and finding out all the things he did for everyone including him and it feels like a massive dick for being him up do you want to kill Nazis is this a test yes the movie only gets a few scenes with dr. earth sky and the mental figure to Steve who created the serum but it does plenty with it I don't want to kill anyone I don't like bullies I don't care where they're from this line perfectly shows us white actor like cap can be so principled but still kill Batman doesn't kill but he's birthed into a scenario where he has the luxury to choose not to he's fighting street crime Captain America is a character born out of war so of course he would have to rationalize it differently I think this moment really digs into the whole war brings and it further helps the audience to place themselves into Steve's shoes and understand the context of the war that's raging on around him Steve Rogers doesn't want to kill anyone but as a great man once said sometimes the only choices you have a bad ones but you still have to choose this is why you were chosen because the strongmen who has known power all his life they lose respect for that power but a weak men loss of value lost ranks this is a relationship every bit as nuanced as ginseng and Tony in iron man and his death like Vincennes is the catalyst for Steve to put his heart to good use and become something more in most superior movies once the hero has their power we get a smattering of fun scenes where they get to grips with a newfound status quo they test the limits of what they can do and they waste no time taking a bite out of crime the First Avenger on the other hand keep Steve Rogers a loser and it's probably one of the best things about the entire movie nice boots Tinkerbell I think the only know the one song but let me I'll see what I can do [Music] despite proving himself by stopping agent Thoren the army still aren't convinced they wanted an army not a do-gooder with little choice Steve starts performing at USO shows knocking out Hitler and selling out to the max the movie takes the classic cap uniform from the comics and uses it to make Steve appear on dignified this isn't an insult to the source material who actually go outside you prefer yellow spandex to the contrary this is an ingenious way of repurposing something that wouldn't work for the screen and making it essential to Steve's story in a fresh way and we really feel for him we know how desperate he was to serve his country and do what he felt was right but instead he's forced to be another cog in the machine you want to talk about superior deconstruction this is the movie that did it right when he discovers that Bucky and a whole battalion of soldiers are imprisoned behind enemy lines Steve decides to ignore doing what he's told and trusts his guts it's a great sequence we're supposed to be Captain America we're over an hour into the movie and only now has Steve truly become the captain the confidence the First Avenger has its first half to hold off and build towards this is fantastic it's also the key to understanding when the movie falls flat Burt we'll get to that the USO show sequence and the breakout sequence both plant the seeds of Steve's relationship with the authority early in his run we see that as perhaps expected Steve Rogers is willing to trust the man and do what he's told he trusts the army to do the best thing and believes in the cause you want to serve your country and the most important battlefield of the war sir it's all I want so he's happy to take the hits and do these USO shows even if he doesn't want to but the movie also establishes that you had a line we lose more men and we'd say but I don't expect you to understand that because you're a forest girl I think I understand just fine your friend is most likely dead even so he's devising a strategy to take by the time he's done that it could be too late he's willing to break the rules if he feels it's what needs to be done and if breaking the rules involves saving Bucky well it seems he's always been keen on doing whatever it takes for his best friend there's one aspect of this movie that stood the test of time the best and informed all of caps appearances ever since Steve's relationship to Peggy Carter I said previously that Gamora and Pizza have the best relationship in the series in my last MCU video and that is true Tony and pepper a close second what's special about Stephen Peggy is that they never get to have any proper relationship but we spend the entire movie wishing that they could Peggy Carter exhausted by the gung-ho hyper masculinity she puts up with on a daily basis encounters a breath of fresh air in the ever optimistic kind-hearted Steve Rogers she's never met anyone quite like him and that's before the serum the way she touches his pet in this bit is hilarious and similarly Steve's never met anyone quite like her she might admire his optimism but she also tests his naivety and forces him to see that the world isn't always as black and white as he might think bullies come in all shapes and sizes they could and should see where the connection might go but there's a war to win so that's why it doesn't happen in fact Peter quill already summed up why this relationship worked so well guy in a girl dig each other never say because if they do the ratings would go down sort of thing that also explains why NAT and banner working the Avengers but not at all in Avengers age of Ultron I don't know if this qualifies as a hot take or not I'll let you be the judge but I really bought the connection between NAT and banner in the first movie then being in a relationship by the start the second was too much of a jump too quickly they should have been like Peter and Gamora they should have made us want them to get together by virtue of keeping them apart anyway the first half of the movie from scarcity Rogers all the way through to his triumphant rescue of Bucky and the Howling Commandos is just the delight but unfortunately that's where the delight kind of ends the biggest problem of this movie after a strong first half it turns into a biopic well it turns into all the things that would make a bad biopic we don't see caps adventures in World War 2 this skips over we see all the bare essential glimpses to let us know what happened for Encyclopedia Creason 'he's robbing them of as much impact we don't feel the wins against hydra because they passed us by in 30 seconds we get the impression cap and Peggy's fondness is growing but is largely left untouched even when we do get to see something important for a whole scene how generous of them we now have a reason to care because Steve hasn't seemed to Bucky's death should be the most upsetting demise next to Steve itself but it's barely as a motive as Doctor Erskine's it should feel like this this is supposed to be Steve's best and only friend but it falls flat the same can be said of Red Skull was planned he frequently scoffs at Hitler and his Nazi counterparts efforts and schemes spill their blood across every field in Europe but still he is no closer to achieving his goals and his expertise seem broad and highly useful through magic science but what does this big brain think up blowing up the Allies I guess that's probably about as good as what Hitler was going to can't we've to fight the Allies so why was he so desperate to break away from the Nazi regime did he really need the tesseracts to drop a few more bombs this isn't me plot hole bashing it all makes sense it's just a bit uninspired like is this really the most interesting thing you could do with the tesseract as a plot device of course cap defeats the Red Skull who see we need to seem too great did he teleport to an unknown part of space what he's up to I guess one I'll find out and finally we hurtle towards what the movie feels like it's been itching to get to the hole two hours without really earning it Steve Rogers has to die to stop the bombs and crash the plane and as a scene it is really well done I like that they treat it as a real death it helps to give the necessary weight so that we actually empathize with Peggy in contrast that Bucky death from earlier where you can almost feel that Steve has read two movies ahead and knows that he's going to come back mullet and all I probably sound really harsh on this movie but let me assure you I've been a First Avenger apologist since 2011 I think if anything because I'm keen on it I perhaps feel like a Chabot more openly about what I perceive to be its flaws because make no mistake the First Avenger made me love the character it made me believe Chris Evans was the perfect choice for the role and it signaled the third point in a Trinity of MCU heroes that were going to anchor the entire saga in the lead-up to its cosmic crescendo on that note how did they meet [Music] the Avengers in the Winter Soldier work in tandem to paint a picture of the modern time Steve lives in what he thinks in the world around him and waiting makes him feel inside there's some great deleted scenes showing how isolated Steve is in modern NYC but joss whedon was right when he decided that all we really need to see to capture how Steve is feeling is this what do I love about Joss Whedon's Captain America the kam penis son just don't for the first Avengers movie introducing us to alien invasions Norse gods running around with ancient super weapons and the world's first superhero team-up caps optimistic and old-fashioned out of touch ways a heartwarming and Root the audience in amongst all the crazy stay with that stick is it may be magical but it looks an awful lot like a Hydra love I also loved that you can get the best out of everyone he makes Banner feel at ease and respected as a person and a scientist of value within seconds of meeting him word is you can find the cube only word I care about that's probably the first time Banner has met someone who wasn't we're interested in the Hulk in years he shows courage against a god who ends up respecting him as a fellow warrior his army background wins over the shield agents on the team and when all is said and done even Tony Stark knows deep down that he respects him a super soldier living legend who kind of lives up to the legend it's great that despite all the ego tripping throughout the entire movie when a plan needs to be hatched Tony Stark doesn't even hesitate to hand over the reins to Captain America Parker alright listen up they don't call in the Star Spangled ma'am the plan for nothing you know it's because of the stars and the Spangled other people in this room which one is it a wearing a spangly outfit and be not abuse Steve this bit always makes me laugh because it sounds like banner is actually answering Tony's jab but the people in this room which one is a wearing a spangly outfit and be not abuse intern copies the ones give Tony the impetus for his sacrifice play from earlier on in the movie well I like about their relationship is that it's never really been easy they respect each other they need each other and sometimes they even like each other there's always that air of tension in the room you know you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero you're a laboratory experiment Rogers everything special about you my love bottle they have very different ways of looking at the world and often there's no getting around that their greatest strengths are their principles but the MCU always shines just enough of a light on the idea but it might ruin them too but of course more on that later we didn't cap shines when he's leading the other Avengers the same way directs them all to their stations for the Chitauri battle ahead of course being the apex of that and Hulk smash and that's all great where I don't think we didn't get SCAP right he has no idea how to make him exciting I think Steve's usage in both this movie and age of Ultron really emphasizes Whedon's inability to juggle this particular team strengths give him a bunch of average smugglers or a selection of heroes who are all super powered and Whedon does just fine but he's always struggled with the Avengers I touched on this a little bit in my Iron Man essay he boosts Tony to the point where it feels like the rest of the team are coasting off his efforts cap is thrown around like a rag doll in pretty much every battle we see Thor fight the Hulk crossed cap fights a switch Hawkeye is taken out 2/3 of the movie we didn't rioting Thor scenes with Loki fantastic Whedon writing Thor with any other character NYU phone calls at war not so fantastic it's not hard to see why audiences joked that he was no one's favorite Avenger when you put him alongside all his teammates and he doesn't feel unique or exceptional now the biggest thing people like to complain about with capping the Avengers is the costume and I get it but I also kind of love this outfit it's this poster kite with Captain America I think you're ever going to get plus it makes a whole lot of sense for story reasons Coulson is a Captain America fanboy so of course he'd go big and bright and colorful and optimistic especially when he says that those aspects are what they're directly trying to play up Stars and Stripes a little old-fashioned everything that's happening the things that are about to come to light people might just need a little old-fashioned I also like the implication that Steve thought he wouldn't be Captain America ever again but as soon as he realizes that no this is exactly what the world needs right now he just wants to help he's all in of course he's going to wear the types again for them Plus seriously as soon as the helmet comes off it doesn't look bad at all that the helmet is the thing that is dragging the whole look down and with that here's my ranking of all of his outfits at number eight we have the USO showman outfit it's an excellent suit for story reasons and it fits the tone of the scene it's used in beautifully but for obvious reasons it's my least favorite at number seven we have the world war two outfit from the First Avenger yeah I know this one is popular but I've just never really dug it it's super clunky I know that's the point it's a period suit that I just I still don't dig it I'm sorry at number 6 we have the World War Two outfit from the Winter Soldier this one edges out the other one slightly it's got the third stripe down the middle and it's a bit more streamlined but I like the idea that it's a recreation of his suit and it's never actually been worn before he uses it in Winter Soldier and number five we have the Avengers outfit from Civil War I like this outfit a great deal it's combines the best parts of all of his looks but I don't rate it quite as much as the Ultron variant there's just not enough light going on in this one and number four we have the Avengers spandex from the Avengers don't act so surprised okay you know deep down this costume is dope as soon as he takes that ghastly helmet off and number three we have Nomad from infinity war I know this is technically the Civil War outfit after skipping the dry cleaners but he's got a radically different look what would that sweet sweet hair and beard combo so that's got to count and number two we have the stealth suit from Winter Soldier this was the perfect outfit to signal the tonal shifts from the earlier movies to Winter Soldier and the lack of red and white is really refreshing plus it has that dope star in the middle at number one we have the Avengers outfit from age of Ultron this is the quintessential cap uniform for me it's functional the helmet is perfect but it's also got colors it's got the white on the arms which is sorely lacking in later iterations of the outfit and hey I know it's a slight change but it edges it out compared to them also note the newest endgame outfit with the scales looks dope and it will most likely take the top spot on this list come April 26 but since I haven't seen enough of it in action yet I'm not going to count it here just yet also I read it those white suits but since they're a team outfits I'm not going to count it either be sure to tell me what your costume rankings would be in the comments especially if you like the Avengers outfit when talking about what the Russos did to elevate him it's not me saying that what came before was necessarily bad or needed to be fixed nor are they some infallible messiahs of cinema that can do no wrong it's more that Steve's first and second outing did enough to make me love the character but still had room to improve in certain areas there was always a whiff of unfulfilled potential it was time to switch things up enter 2014's Captain America the Winter Soldier and here we finally enter the Russo era you might assume that Captain America was a favorite of these self-confessed type book fans but Joe and Anthony Russo felt quite the opposite HAP was not a favorite character of mine growing up the issue I had with cap as a character was I found him very square so our whole approach with the movie was how can we make cab interesting to a comic book fans such as myself who didn't like the character in much the same way JJ Abrams not being a fan of Star Trek helped him keep a level head when making the 2009 reboot while how much Smith went into the role of the eleventh Doctor with the blank slates it can be a very good thing for the people behind these movies to have an unfamiliarity with the material before diving in the Russos took a good look at cap what worked from the previous movies and what didn't and made decisions based on what they would like to see not from a good cap story but just a good story we thought okay now that he's gone away for 70 years and he's coming back to the modern world here's an opportunity for the guy he can be somebody different when cap came out of the ice and the Avengers he was thrown headfirst into a battle for the planet mace an entire team of incredible individuals and barely had time to pause for breath in the Winter Soldier he's had time it's been two years since the events of that movie he's taken up a permanent position as a member of shield his job description is unclear maybe it's heads ass kicker or something probably freelance specially in the world for a kid his age and all right this is a very different caps what we're used to he's tougher and more dangerous than ever the opening set piece on the Lemurian star is the Russos making a statement signaling to the audience that you were wrong to count cap out as a force to be reckoned with this is probably the point at which I'd really like to examine the action in the cap movies as a whole because the Winter Soldier easily represents the seismic shift between this to this they really amp up Steve Rogers in this one from a story standpoint he's been learning more modern fighting techniques in the two years since he was defrosted but it's pretty much a complete retcon of his abilities if we're really being honest he's stronger he takes way more of a beating he can jump from huge Heights without a parachute this time he wearing a parachute No no he was [Music] this iteration of CAP took what worked about the character so far established the emotional vulnerability the hearts and molded it with the hard edge action from movies like the raid cabbie is one of the heroes in the MCU that the Russos can handle the best on an action level because he has a perfect power level for their sensibilities they set pieces are bold to the action frenetic and there's always always a clear overbearing threat to overcome he's powerful enough to give you proper superhero action he's also human enough that he can get shot he can get blown up he can just get straight-up pummeled all the same rules of classic actions still apply she's got a bit of an extra kick to it the best way to show just how much the Russos revamped cap as an action hero is to compare two similar scenes in the first avenger in the Winter Soldier in both movies Captain Rogers is speeding across the screen on a motorbike directly ahead and facing down for a game of chicken is a mini-boss if you will for the former and armored tank and for the latter and armored Jets both formidable armed to the teeth and ready to blow him away in the First Avenger caps speeds towards the tank dodging cannon fire and then he pushes a button on his motorbike which happens to be a super duper gadget motorbike and he blows up the tank instantly in the Winter Soldier all he has are his wits and his trusty shield he dodges fire hits the brakes and sends himself hurling through the air on top of the Jets he froze his shield full pelt at the engines and zips left right and center as it crashes to the ground he combines his agility his strength and his tactical mastery to beat it but to mention finishing with a nice little superior landing this is the perfect display of caps power underestimated is just a man of Frisbee seconds later you're eating his dust this scene exemplifies the aspects of caps powers that make him exciting to watch whereas the first Avengers scene sees him relying on gadgets to beat his foes he doesn't out think them he just brings better equipment that's right even mentioning how both of these things starts the first avenger sees cap coming up with an idea and then we cut to it the Winter Soldier sees cap on edge where of the people around him tension is already in the air and then he gets into an elevator so does everyone else more and more in fact at each passing floor until well you know the line before we get started does anyone want to get out the way both movies build up to an exciting action set piece on night and day difference cap might be a square but it's his relationships with the people around him from the goofballs to the silent killers that are what make his ideals and his way of thinking so engrossing in the Winter Soldier there's three key relationships that drive the entire movie Steve's relationship to Sam Wilson aka the Falcon his relationship to Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow and his relationships the Winter Soldier aka his best friend from 70 years ago lucky who the hell's Bucky I touched on this a little bit previously in my Iron Man se but since we're focusing on the big man himself this time let's actually really look at these relationships I don't know how Anthony Mackie does it but somehow he's made one the lamest characters on paper a total blast the Falcon is an entertaining addition to the film and provides it with some real levity I mean breakfast you guys eat that sort of thing but there's also a deeper emotional cortes interactions with cap Steve Rogers might be a man out of time but both of them are struggling to adjust to the world after fighting I'm home lying in my bed and it's like lying on a marshmallow I feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor Sam gives Steve a friendship he's not had since the 1940s and Steve gives Sam a renewed sense of purpose Steve sees the good in Sam Wilson and when he's on the run it makes perfect sense did he turn up on his doorstep even though they've only just met he works his caps best friend and sidekick for all the reasons the war machine doesn't I'm sorry to anyone the life's war machine but I sucks even the people his own universe think that I'm like boom you looking for this boom you looking for this boom you looking for this boom are you looking why do I even talk to you guys everywhere else that story kills that's the whole story yes war machine story oh this is very good then I'm like rody he was just a palette swap clone of Iron Man no having slightly bigger guns doesn't equate so much the Falcon skill set is completely different two caps and they complement each other perfectly the on-screen bands was just a lot of fun to watch and their personalities have a much clearer contrast like we know is one of many characters who got Roux sowed for the first time in the MCU Natasha Romanov feels like a genuine threat and we also see her finally really in trouble - lost it was nice to see a little bit of her friendship with Clint in the last movie there just wasn't enough of it Jews the fact that he spent almost the entire time under Loki's spell she's not swooning over Bruce Banner and worrying about the implications of supposedly being a monster because she can't have children in the Winter Soldier she's faced with the realization that her job means she will forever straddle the line between right and wrong even if she doesn't realize it I first joined shell death and I was going straight I guess I just traded in the KGB for Hydra this moral conundrum helps to remind us that she's a spy first superhero second or at least she is at this point in the franchise just like with Sam Wilson that skill set really contributes to the adventure and their contrasting styles make some neat moments the scene in the shopping mall is where she shines steve has no idea how to sneak their way out but that leads the way effortlessly Stevie tag team - behind him cross shut up and let your homeroom you laugh at something I said do it on top of all that good stuff Stephen NAT have a really genuine rapport putting a man who never lies with the woman who lies for a living is a great choice that's alright you just make something up what like you know the truth is matter of circumstance it's not all things don't we get the kind of friendship that we're told a lot about in the Avengers in that in Clint's but we don't so much see I've seen some criticism levelled at the Russos that all they really did was improve the action and I think that's only true if you willfully ignore all the character interactions they've excelled at putting on screen and it's clear as day from their first foray into the MCU finally we have Bucky in many ways the final piece of the action puzzle what would any of these scenes be without him there to terrify our heroes and pursue them relentlessly Bucky's got all the intimidating swagger a terminator bird the speed and agility to rival caps own they do a really great job of balancing their power levels there's not one encounter in the movie where I feel like Steve's just got this and the same goes for Bucky - they both knock seven shades of [ __ ] out of each other and it's glorious to watch their fight on the streets at the end of the second act is the single best practical one-on-one in the MCU and it's not even close every impact every dodge we get to see cap let loose and then underpinning it all is the reveal at the Winter Soldier is his long-lost best friend cap has a hard enough time trying to beat the Winter Soldier with his fists but it becomes something else entirely when he's asked to beat his best friend he simply can't punch his way out of the final battle so instead he does the most Captain America thing he can possibly do he stands his ground and fights for t believes in he stands there and says no you move gives him with you to the end of the line he wrists his life to the very edge just to prove to Bucky Barnes that he's a person and not a tool of destruction and it's just enough to turn the tide a little bit he doesn't snap his mind back into place for good though far from it as will no doubt cover but that's just enough on it for now plus the flashback scene set before the events of the First Avenger is a perfect window into their friendship I'm with you to the end of the line pal Bucky declaring that he's with Steve to the end of the line is a sentiment as unwavering and determined as caps I could do this all day and it becomes apparent that their friendship is born out of mutual conviction to stand up for themselves and keep moving forward no matter what happens Steve is only the person that he is because of the best friend that lent his support every step of the way which helps to explain to us just why he's so damn hell-bent on getting him back these three characters all solidify the central emotional theme of the movie friendship from the very first scene with Steven Sam to the last dramatic moment Captain America the Winter Soldier is all about CAPA justing - the hardest thing about the modern world finding people he can trust there's a chance you might be in the wrong business Rogers finding people that can make him feel like he's not alone it's not about catching up on all the pop culture phenomenon that will make him feel at home in the 21st century unless they've been recommended to him by his newfound friend of course on your left Nick Fury also shares a key relationship with Steve and offers a humanizing rationale behind shields darkest ideas project insight is revealed to be an evil plan on the path Hydra but at the start of the movie it's something Nick Fury is justifying as a logical countermeasure in not only a post Chitauri invasion worlds but also a post Avengers world the world's filling up with people who can be matched they can't be controlled high school valedictorian Iowa City Bruce Banner Stephen strange anyone who's a threat to Hydra Nick and hydras thinking isn't so different which is partly why it's been so easy for them to remain right under his nose for so long this was the first time we saw Nick Fury is more than a cameo or a mentor he's a character that sees his ideals tested and he ends up in real danger not to mention he wields some premium straight from the cow kind of milk [Music] the confidence the movie has to leave cap out of a huge action sequence like the Nick Fury car chase scene was an early indicator that the Russos were adept at knowing when to use certain characters in certain situations juggling them as and when they should appear in the story without bloating it full of gratuitous unnecessary appearances he for-sure that all important character trifecta because well four people would stop it being a trifecta Durr and mainly because he should've stayed dead not I don't like Nick Fury I love Nick Fury but the way they sell his death so hard only for him to come back and then contribute so little to the MCU ever seen this just feels redundant I don't even mind the idea of him going underground for a while but they straight-up ruin that and age of Ultron just a year later really the only two characters the Russos don't quite nail in my opinion a Sharon Carter and Alexander Pierce with everything else going on in the movie Sharon Carter doesn't really have an important role to play and it feels much more like an introduction to her character rather than a substantial outing in its own right plus they just have zero chemistry I know Sharon Steve is a direct holdover from the comics but it's always been pretty freaking weird especially when his feelings for Peggy have remained a constant throughout the series is he trying to move on with Sharon is a flirtationship we don't know really both of our appearances don't have enough room to breathe this ever to be explored and then she's dropped entirely an infinity war which is probably for the best the Russos can't get it all right of course and this is one instance where I think they dropped the ball just a little let's talk about that Hydra twist because it is ballsy shield had been an important building block towards crafting a cohesive cinematic universe in the first phase of the MCU so to take it away was the kind of bold switch up once thought to be strictly reserved for the big team-up movies this change made the Winter Soldier a solo movie just as important as a team-up feature if you want to catch all the seismic shifts going forward it meant the shield couldn't be used as a crutch or a get-out-of-jail-free card it meant that the Avengers would have to save the world alone apart from that really dumb time and age of Ultron where Nick Fury somehow mobilizes a Helicarrier and it briefly ruins that but it doesn't just improve upon what's to come the Hydra twist also makes us re-examine the previous films in a new light any movie that can retroactively lis make Iron Man 2 better by virtue of having a secret hydrogen in it is a genius move in my book unlike the twisting Iron Man free the reveal gives us something after the fact beyond just surprise although Alexander P is underwhelming as the face of hydra hydra is an entity are really terrifying in this movie they feel like they're everywhere they're highly efficient and organized at every turn what's Alexander Pierce isn't all that great by himself I don't you neither is the Winter Soldier it's the combination of the face mind and the hand of Hydra coming together to provide cap of a substantial foe it's also a neat continuation of the relationship Steve has with shield in the Avengers he's wholly subservient to them until he gets his first taste of the potential misuse of authority we have orders we should follow in the Winter Soldier his relationship with shield is uneasy he doesn't approve of Nick Fury's methods and he's pretty horrified by the concept behind project insight this isn't freedom this is fear somehow did the writers take this set up and craft an arc for Steve in the movie well they didn't Steve keeps his resolve as the world changes around him the price of freedom is high always has been its price I'm willing to pay and if I'm the only one then so be it I'm willing to bet I'm not he spent the whole movie sneaking around trying to make sense of what the modern world really is and this or inspiring speech he faces down Hydra right in the open know in the shadows like they would be to declare his intentions this is another instant classic cat moment in a movie chock-full of them on Steve's role in the movie Christopher Markus stated he's kind of distill Center and things happen around him and are influenced by him it can make it difficult with executives who often want arcs it's very difficult not to sound lazy when you go well he does already have an arc know the arc the change there is no illusion would be yet to come and we'll of course explore all of that in part 2 Captain America the Winter Soldier came off the back of the post Avengers solo movies Iron Man 3 and Thor the dark world they both ranged from having great moments to kind of terrible moments and I think they gave off the impression that standalone adventures wouldn't be as well thought out as the big team-up pictures thankfully Captain America the Winter Soldier laid all of that to rest it felt like an essential chapter in the MCU a real game-changer that dissolved franchise mainstays like shield and Nick Fury well it's also establishing cap is the heart and soul of the MCU the Winter Soldier still remains is one of my favorite MCU hell one of my favorite superhero movies of all time the Russos would go on to capitalize on all the threads they left open-ended with the 2016 sequel Captain America Civil War which was simultaneously a very different movie whilst also being more of a Winter Soldier - than I think anyone realized it would be what kind of toll did it take on cap where does it take him in Phase three and beyond and where is he going from age of Ultron to Civil War to homecoming to infinity war and looking ahead to his swan song an endgame will be looking into all of that next time so we don't think we'd be doing this but someone has actually donated $100 which is incredible thank you very much dr. cheek' and yeah yeah honestly that's awesome you are as we said our patreon video that you're keeping the lights on so never Cecily thank you very much and yeah we're just something for our videos is going to strange new places full fat videos just got upgraded and along with that we're upgrading our patreon with new tiers and rewards just for you we don't 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Channel: Full Fat Videos

Views: 1,310,340

Rating: 4.9105511 out of 5

Keywords: Video, Essay, Discussion, Review, Problem, Debate, Analysis, Full Fat Videos, entertainment, tony stark, fixed, fixing, review, breakdown, MCU, Marvel, age of ultron, infinity war, thanos, redeemed, writing, film, structure, character arc, plot, summary, iron man, captain america, russo, russo brothers, hulk, avengers, phase 4, phase 3, avengers 4, character, development, marvel cinematic universe, screenwriting, film criticism, winter soldier, end game, Steve Roger, Bucky, Winter Soldier

Id: feeEnNFotZQ

Length: 40min 27sec (2427 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 05 2019