Okay so first I'll talk about the characters!
I already loved Black Widow but watching this movie made me love her more! She was soooo badass during the entire movie. There was a point in it that she was separated from Cap and Falcon when they were fighting Bucky and his team of evil and the first thing I thought was "Crap... Now Cap has to come save her." I'm used to the females of the movies being the damsels and the superheroes having to save them and even though I knew how awesome she was, I still totally forgot and then she was all awesome and held her own for a while. The scene in the SHIELD building when she beat up the villains and took Pierce down was so amazing. I was seriously sooo scared for her when Pierce threatened to kill her with the pin.
Falcon was super amazing too! I loved his one-liners and his costume with the wings! He held his own too and I was so proud when he stuck the chip inside the hellacarrier! His introduction to the movie was cute and I loved the ending when he chose to stick by Cap because "he's just a solider!" I fangirled so much. Fury and Maria Hill didn't have much to do other than dialogue but I love them so it's okay! I was so glad that Fury was alive because I was so pissed when he died!
Bucky aka the Winter Solider was amazing also! I loved the way he was first revealed to Cap and how seeing Steve reminded him of his past! I almost cried when he said I think I know him!! And then they memory-wiped him... Right in the feels. I loved that Bucky could hold his own with Cap and he was killer with that knife!! The ending when he pulled Cap out of the water even though he still didn't really know who Cap was was heart wrenching and the post-credit scene where he was in the Smithsonian learning about himself almost made me cry! I really hope that they continue to show us his character but I was SO RELIEVED when they didn't make him kill Cap! I was soooo not ready for that!
You all already know how much I love Cap so if you want to skip my fangirling over him, that's fine haha. OMG he was so amazing! I really love how much Cap is simply just a solider. It's my favorite thing about the character. I mean yes, he's super strong and everything but the part that makes me love him is how human he is. You can't picture Thor or Iron Man simply fighting humans because they're much more but Cap, he brings you back down to earth and shows you how you can fight basically as a normal human being. I think that's why I love him so much. The beginning was kind of slow with him begin unsure where he fits into society but the plot quickly picked up. I liked how stunned he was when he realized that Bucky was the Winter Solider and how he refused to fight him in the end. I loved all of his fight scenes and his relationships with Black Widow and Falcon. I loved that they didn't give him a love interest because he's not in the right place right now for one even though I do ship him and Black Widow (they had a lot of chemistry!!).
Honestly I loved that the side characters weren't useless. They held their own and were important members of the team. It fit perfectly with who Cap is. He's a solider. He's the man-in-charge and works best with a team. The people he hand-chooses needs to be more than accessories and they were. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much Falcon had a role in the fight scenes!
Now for the plot...
So I knew from the trailers that Bucky was the villain but I had noooo idea that SHIELD would be too! While I was sitting in the theater, all I could think about was how amazing of an idea that was. It not only linked the first Cap movie to this one but it was ingenious! The fact that Hydra snuck into the ranks of the beginnings of SHIELD was amazing! I was stunned when Sitwell was revealed to be a part of it and the reveal was EPIC! I loved how Zola was inside the computer and how he creepishly he told them about how Hydra would win. I liked how it made you second-guess every SHIELD agent and when Cap made his speech all of the straight-SHIELD agents stood up and tried to help out. When that guy said "Captain's orders," I was so proud!
This entire plot felt so much more to me because I watch the Agents of SHIELD and the show made me love this company more than I ever thought I would so all of this hit me hard!! I'm excited to see how it continues!
I was sooo upset when Fury "died" and I couldn't focus during the next scene, I was so in shock. I mean I knew in the comics, Fury eventually dies and Maria Hill takes over but I was NOT ready! The fight scenes were beautifully choreographed and there were a lot of funny one-liners. I also knew that in the comics Bucky kills Cap and then remembers who he was and becomes Cap to keep his legacy going and I thought I was okay with the idea. But then that final fight scene happened and my heart was pounding and all I could think was if Steve dies, I will not be okay... When he was shot, and then stabbed and then lost his shield and fell into the water and I was dying. I was gasping and sitting up and gripping the seat and didn't relax until Bucky pulled him out.... Can you tell I love him to death?
The ending was great too.. I just think the order of scenes should have been switched. I think it would have been more meaningful if after Cap fell into the water, they did all of the SHIELD scenes and Fury asking Falcon to join him and Black Widow talking about how she's going to find herself and THEN did the scene with Bucky pulling him out of the water and maybe someone like Falcon could have found him. That scene was just so emotional and symbolic and it felt so final!
Things I Didn't Like
This is a very short list so bear with me! First of all, I didn't like the beginning. I do kind of wish it hadn't been as boring as it was as I didn't care much for Cap's crisis about how he should run his life. We kind of saw that in the Avengers but as soon as Fury got attacked, it picked right up. Secondly, I hated that Hawkeye wasn't in this movie! Plenty of cast made small cameos and I wanted one of him especially when he's a huge part of SHIELD! When they were meeting underground and either Fury or Maria Hill (can't remember who it was) stated that these were all the people they could trust, I was annoyed! THEY COULD TOTALLY TRUST HAWKEYE!
And finally a tally of all the times my feels were hurt!
1. Cap goes to the Smithsonian and looks at his exhibit. He watches the video with Peggy and she talks about how she married someone else.
2. Peggy has Alzheimer's and is talking to Cap and then suddenly starts crying because he finally came out.
3. Fury "dies."
4. Falcon tells Natasha and Steve that they're not alone.
5. Bucky is revealed and Cap is stunned.
6. Natasha shot.
7. Bucky is remembering who he was/who Cap was and they memory-wipe him.
8. Natasha asks Steve who Peggy was.
9. Hydra killed Howard Stark.
10. Natasha being threatened with the pin (shock to sternum thing).
11. The final fight scene with Bucky and Cap.
12. Everytime Cap gets stabbed and/or shot.
13. Cap falls into the water and is downing.
14. Bucky saves Cap and pulls him out before leaving him on the beach without staying until he wakes up.
15. When Cap tells Bucky that he will stay with him "until the end of the line."
16. Bucky learns who he is in the Smithsonian.
2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14 and 15 were the worst. I had tears in my eyes during Cap's speech and when Fury is pronounced dead.
So after that super long review, I will conclude with, I loved everything about this movie. It was much sadder than I expected it to be but it was still amazing. I love Cap and I loved this movie. Hydra here was much better than the Red Skull and much more impactful which is why I think it was better! A good movie always needs a good villain. If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend going out and watching it!! Over and out.
xoxo Allie
