[WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS]
As I finished salivating over my ticket to the midnight premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I assumed my position in the theater, complete with 3D glasses, popcorn, and an endless chasm of pent-up nerd energy. Granted, as a True Believer, the movie could fall short of its star-spangled glory and I would still enjoy the experience. But, as the previews finished out (for other Marvel movies such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, speaking of nerd energy) and the events of the plot unfolded, I was astounded.
It wasn't just the phenomenal cast.
It wasn't just the astounding action sequences and special effects.
In conjunction with these epic qualities, it was the the plot which made the movie fantastic.
No, really, I'm serious; despite being an action movie, especially that of the comic book realm, the premise of the movie was grounded in a engaging and contemplative story-arch.
Movie critic Owen Gleiberman writes on this quality of the movie, saying that,
"When the Captain is surrounded by government officials on an elevator, and he realizes that none of them are on his side, the fight scene that follows isn't just brutally exciting. It expresses the film's theme: that you can't trust anyone in a society that wants to control everyone."
Gleiberman highlights the relevance of the plot to modern times: "In his armored van, [Nick Fury] is attacked by shadow forces that want to militarize the world and make spying as common as breathing. Sound like anything you've read recently?" The critic could be referring to hot button issues such as the President's policy on drones, the security discrepancies with the NSA, et cetera, et cetera.
When audience members get a glimpse of the immense power of Project: Insight, even before the corrupt influence of H.Y.D.R.A. is revealed, Captain America raises the question: is it right to use such power on criminals without due process of the law? Should a criminal be executed from 3,000 feet via red-hot death as opposed to being arrested and processed?
The point is, Gleiberman writes, "What works here is setting up Captain America in a battle against ... America. That's the way to turn a super-square into an awesome antihero." Cap's boy-scout image gets a makeover when he's on the run from the world's largest police force. The enemy-of-the-state element of the movie "plugs you right into what's happening now."
No comments:
Post a Comment