Review: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Blu-ray

Over the last few years, Marvel has released so many great films that we’ve had a hard time deciding on our favorite. The success of the films are actually quite amazing and the debates are a lot of fun as to which is the best. “Guardians of the Galaxy” was so much fun, “The Avengers” was simply awesome, but one thing I think all of us agree on is that “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is the best sequel Marvel has done to date.

Before it’s release to theaters, early reviews and social media were abuzz with various concepts from the film. The common thread of most of the discussion were that the movie was more 1970’s thriller than superhero film. While I don’t completely disagree with that, I think Winter Soldier would better be described as an espionage thriller that feels more like James Bond or Jason Borne than a superhero film; complete with fast paced car chases, shootouts on city streets and great fight scenes. Overall, it’s a bit more gritty than the other Marvel films and acts as a great “story advancer” for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. This really seems fitting as Steve Rogers is the reliable, old fashioned, lunchbox-toting, everyday Joe member of the Avengers, and that’s exactly what the movie is too — and I mean that in a very good way.

Set two years after the Battle of New York in “The Avengers,” Steve Rogers/Captain America is struggling with trying to adjust to this new and much more complex world. He’s not troubled by just the idea of aliens, super heroes and the like that were first exposed a short while ago; rather, he’s struggling with adjusting to contemporary life. He’s working with espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington D.C. alongside Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). It doesn’t take long before he discovers an entire hidden world of double agents, secret bases, and struggles trying to figure out who the good guys and bad guys really are.

Along with Cap, there are several other characters that are squeezed into the film, which surprisingly, makes it that much more enjoyable. Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson (Falcon) is a very welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and as Cap is so straight-laced, he provides a very much needed comic relief throughout the movie. Sam Wilson/Falcon is not there just for comedy as he provides plenty of substance and is someone that Steve Rogers feels a certain camaraderie with. As such, he is an integral part of the story and you can see that Marvel has something good to work with as they further expand this character in future films. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) plays an equally important part in yet another Marvel film, and perhaps they are setting up a standalone Black Widow film. It seems like it would be a perfect time for it, and I’m sure audiences would show up to support it. Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill makes a few appearances several times in the film and is excellent once again. Sebastian Stan returns to his previous role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, and even with all of the other great performances in “Winter Soldier,” he manages to shine.

There’s a lot to like about “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” on Blu-ray. It looks great and sounds fantastic, which is really not surpassing coming from Marvel. We expect to see those levels of excellence. One slightly disappointing aspect of the release is the small amount of Bonus Features, although the features that are there are good. We especially enjoyed the commentary from directors Joe and Anthony Russo along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. There are some behind-the-scenes featurettes, a 3 minute gag reel which were very humorous, and some deleted/extended scenes.

To sum this up: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a great film and I’d highly recommend purchasing it on Blu-ray, and it’s available tomorrow, September 9, 2014. What more could you possible want in another Marvel action-packed movie? It’s a really fantastic cast, a well-rounded story and directing. We know Captain America 3 has already been announced, and with the bar raised so high in this film, it will certainly be tough to match.

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Disclosure: We received a complimentary copy of this movie. All opinions are our own.