Marvels of new Captain America film

Photo by rwoan, via WikiMedia Commons

Martell Harding/Staff Writer 

Few would argue the fact that Marvel Studios is the king of comic book films. They’ve had their share of bumps and bruises along the way but in recent years they have stepped their game up. They know what the audience wants to see and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” may just be Marvel’s best yet.

Chris Evans returns as the Steve Rogers aka Captain America in a more robust, exciting adventure. We’re past the tedious introductions and back story. This time around, Captain America faces a foe who can take him on blow for blow, the infamous Winter Soldier.

Set the day after the alien attack in  New York, Captain America struggles to fit into modern society. Consulting with fellow soldier Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and searching for meaning in his new life, he’s stricken with a personal dilemma: purpose.

All hell breaks loose when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is attacked by none other than SHIELD, using Winter Soldier as their personal weapon. The Cap teams up once again with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), this time to take out the very army they work for.

The first Captain America film was overflowing with montages of past adventures, decent villains and some pretty cool Easter Eggs.

This time around, the shielded hero is a blast to watch and a force to be reckoned with. He springs to life, proving to be a full fledged leader and hero, and earning the title as the world first Avenger, combining fluidity and finesse to every action sequence.

It’s rare for a story to hold it’s own weight in films such as this but it succeeds in delivering a captivating plot. Even the predictable spots are forgiven due to their delivery and proper pacing.

The star studded cast has finally made their super hero counterparts seem like living, breathing people…with really cool gadgets, of course.

As mentioned before, parts of the plot were highly predictable and my only other complaint is that The Falcon didn’t get more of a spot light. This didn’t seem to be an issue with Anthony Mackie.

During my luxurious stay at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, Mackie graced our presence with confidence and valor. He’s a very interesting guy, positive and upbeat.

He mentioned his respect for soldiers following the film “The Hurt Locker.” Mackie reminisced about when he visited a base in the middle east and instantly befriended one of the soldiers, a black fighter pilot.

“You really don’t understand war until you’ve been there,” his said on growing a personal relationship with the soldier. “That’s the stuff that made it real for us,” he said about his character Sam Wilson and Steve Rodgers connecting.

Mackie states his biggest challenge was fear. He was told to “do a backflip off a platform straight down inverted, into a 300 foot free-fall”, eventually leaving his amazing stuntman to get the job done.

Hopefully we’ll see more of Mackie in the next Avengers, but until then, I must say job well done on portraying the worlds first African-American superhero.

“Captain America” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, gunplay and action throughout.

martell.harding@fiusm.com