Behold! The Awesomeness of Captain America: The Winter Soldier!

PHASE TWO

Miracles

"The price of freedom is high....and it's a price I'm willing to pay."

Continuing the saga of the three individual Avengers with ongoing franchises after the release of The Avengers was a daunting task, but it's interesting to see how each of the post-Battle of New York continuations went in a unique direction with their respective superheroes. Iron Man 3 went deeper into the existentialism of its titular character, while Thor: The Dark World took time to look at how a massive event like the one that brought The Avengers together would affect Thor and Loki as brothers.

And then there was Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which took everyone by surprise and delivered a film quite unlike both the first Captain America movie and The Avengers. Taking cues from 70's political thrillers, this entry in Steve Rogers epic saga simultaneously tosses Caps world upside down while also keeping the sort of "gung-ho"spirit that made the character so engaging in the first place. This isn't a story of him being a brooding, gritty anti-hero, but rather, a tale of how Steve sticking to his principles affects those around him like Black Widow and The Winter Soldier.

Interestingly, even though this one carries over more Avengers character than any other Phase Two film (aside from the Avengers sequel Age of Ultron of course) this one works extremely well as a standalone adventure, one which just so happens to feature previously established identities like Black Widow and Nick Fury. Both of those characters are played by Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, respectivly, again, and good God, does Johansson shine in her turn as Black Widow here. She and Chris Evans apparently have a real life friendship that makes the duo have a warm, friendly dynamic that's endlessly entertaining, especially since their different approaches to super heroics (he's upright and moral, she does whatever it takes to get the mission done) makes for interesting dialogue exchanges.

The two have to take on HYDRA, which as resurfaced with the help of Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford). I never ever would have thought five years ago that Redford would wind up being the bad guy in a Captain America movie, but by God, he shows up here and actually does excellently playing a foe who believes he's really a savior for the world with his advanced weaponry. It helps that he plays off Samuel L. Jackson well, making their respect for one and another at the start of the picture feel real, which of course, makes the events that transpire afterwards all the more emotionally brutal.

It's fascinating to look at The Winter Soldier in the MCU pantheon in terms of action, since this one relies on more smaller scale action sequences than past features. That's no complaint though; variety is the spice of life as they say, and the scenes of combat found in this particular movie are incredibly well done. They're shot in an engaging manner, and certain environments they take place in (like a small elevator in one of the films standout moments) are cleverly chosen.

I'm particularly partial to how well done Steve Rogers hand-to-hand fighting is; just look at a single take done at the start of the motion picture where he infiltrates an enemy boat and takes out several foes with his shield bouncing off the walls and his immensely coordinated kicks and punches. He moves like a true warrior, making it believable that this guy is not only a super soldier but also serves a specific purpose within the modern day world he finds himself occasionally being uncomfortable in.

His discomfort with 2014 America can help be offset by his new chums, including Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) AKA The Falcon, a charming character that gets to be at the center of one of the movies best scenes, where he and Steve Rogers discuss the woes of coming home from military duty. There's an exceedingly large amount of pain in how they both connect over the idea of being unable to sleep in a bed after sleeping on rocks and other terrain as soldiers, and it helps demonstrate the hardship these two (and courageous real life soldiers as well) face when coming as home, as well as efficiently setting up the duo as immediate pals.

The friendship between Sam and Steve is part of a central theme within Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is how valuable the connection between other people is. Under normal circumstances, maybe Black Widow and Captain America wouldn't be so friendly, but the immensely important events that get the plot of The Winter Soldier going not only allow these two to be comrades in battle, but also allow them to see each other as more than just a man wearing a flag or just a spy. The idea of our connection to those we care about being crucial can be found in the titular character, whose a brainwashed version of Steve's WWII buddy Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

Steve Rogers notes before they go into the movies epic finale he won't kill Bucky, and he lives up to that promise when, after an extraordinary amount of fighting between the two, Steve allows his former ally the chance to kill him. As Captain America lies there, in immense pain, and Bucky stands above him, contemplating if he should take this opportunity to finish Cap off, Steve then repeats an axiom Bucky once told him all those centuries ago: "I'm with ya until the end of the line." Their bond from decades back still resonates with Bucky, despite his brainwashing, and demonstrates Captain America: The Winter Soldiers primary thoughtful thesis.

You may have noticed I dubbed this Phase of the MCU with the word Miracle. It's a reference to the post-credits scene found in this film, where Baron Wolfgang van Strucker dubs this modern era "the age of miracles", but it also works with themes like the ones present in this 2014 effort from The Russo Brothers. It's a miracle Steve Rogers was given the chance to become Captain America, it's a miracle he survived in the ice so long, but even the tiniest things, like the friendships he makes with Natasha, Sam and Bucky, can also be seen as miracles. The smallest moments we have with the ones we care about can be looked back on years later as what they truly are: miracles.

It may be corny to some, but I love the song by Sarah McLachlan Ordinary Miracle, which seems to pair wonderfully with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It may seem odd saying that McLachlans vocals are a perfect accompaniment to Steve Rogers knocking out several HYDRA soldiers with his awesome shield, but the ideas found in the lyrics of that song match perfectly with the themes present in this film. This movie may have some stunning action, but it also uses Steve's unusual situation of being 70 years out of time to create emotional resonance like few other MCU movies have been able to concoct. The sequence where Steve visits an elderly Peggy alone shows the miracle of well crafted cinematic personalities and human connection.