Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

8/10

Starring

Chris Evans

Scarlett Johansson

Sebastian Stan

Anthony Mackie

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Winter Soldier is everything you need in a movie: fun, suspense, thrills, magical fights, and falls. I have a friend who loves this movie so much, that he believes this is the apex of the MCU.

The lines will stick in your mind, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo put together scenes that are hard to forget. What an awesome way to prep us for Captain America: Civil War (2016). Another highlight is Robert Redford—his performance is so strong it’ll make you respect this legendary actor. (If you don’t know who Robert Redford is, I suggest looking him up on Wikipedia.)

This is a memorable movie, and the effects are so good they earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

I took my time watching this movie because of the bad aftertaste I had from Thor: The Dark World (2013). After seeing Marvel struggle with Thor’s comeback, I assumed Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) would be a letdown—until a friend convinced me otherwise. This also kept me from watching Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), though I did see Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), which turned out to be awesome.

The moment I finished this fantastic flick, I was eager to watch Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) to stay updated on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure I understood what would happen when Civil War kicked off in 2016.

The movie starts with Captain America (Chris Evans) and his team successfully completing a mission. The aftermath introduces the Winter Soldier and leads to the assassination attempt on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

The Winter Soldier turns out to be an old friend of Captain America from World War II, who was captured and experimented on by Hydra.

Yes, Hydra is back—and this time, they’ve been hiding in plain sight, infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. They’ve been growing and plotting a world takeover, starting with taking control of S.H.I.E.L.D. They kick things off by sending the Winter Soldier to kill Nick Fury and turning Captain America and Black Widow into fugitives.

Captain America and Black Widow seek help from Cap’s new friend, Sam Wilson, aka Falcon. Together, the three of them—with a surprise assist from beyond the grave—must infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and take down Hydra from the inside.

The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $714 million on a $170 million budget. You need to see this movie.

The Maze Runner: The Scotch Trials (2015)

The Maze Runner: The Scotch Trials (2015)

6/10

Starring

Dylan O'Brien

Kaya Scodelario

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Ki Hong Lee

Will Poulter

Directed by Wes Ball

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials feels like a loaded gun waiting to explode but just misses the mark. This follow-up to The Maze Runner (2014) plays out like a cycle of: get free, get captured; break free, get captured; break free again, and—you guessed it—get captured. Even in captivity, they somehow manage to get captured again.

After seeing the first movie, I had to watch the second to find out what happens to the young adults after they escape the maze. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials introduces us to a new world that feels suspicious from the start. While the first movie was exciting, the second isn’t as thrilling, though it tries hard to mess with your mind and keep you as intrigued as you were during the first film.

This second installment in the Maze Runner trilogy takes a while to get going, but once the running and fighting start, I found myself sitting up, eager to see where it was all headed.

And guys—I saw zombies. The end of the first movie hinted at what was coming next, but zombies wanting to eat humans wasn’t what I expected. I’m glad I didn’t read up on the movie beforehand because zombies aren’t really my thing. Still, I have to give credit to the director for not making the movie entirely about zombies and people running from them (though there is a long scene where our leads are chased by these creatures). Instead, the focus is on the young adults who escaped the maze and the people who captured them afterward.

The Scorch Trials, released in 2010, is James Dashner’s follow-up to The Maze Runner. The movie picks up where the first left off. The group of teens is picked up by the same people who trapped them in the maze, though they don’t realize it at first. Things feel off, especially when Thomas isn’t allowed to see Teresa. His search for her leads him and the others to uncover what their captors really want. They escape, only to run into zombie-like creatures. They escape again and find a group of survivors. Then their old captors, WCKD, show up. They escape once more, run into another group of survivors, and are betrayed by someone in their own group. WCKD finds them again, leading to a mild bloodbath—and some of them get captured again.

Now, Thomas is determined to take the fight to WCKD.

The movie finally introduces some familiar faces, as the adult characters are more recognizable. I wouldn’t rate this movie lower than the first, but I’m hoping the third installment packs a bigger punch. This was a decent follow-up, but it could have been better.

The Maze Runner (2014)

The Maze Runner (2014)

6/10

Starring

Dylan O'Brien

Kaya Scodelario

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Ki Hong Lee

Will Poulter

Directed by Wes Ball

This movie hit me with a cliché setup: people trapped in what seems like an island or enclosure with no memory of why they’re there. Then, someone who thinks differently shows up and shakes everything up. Honestly, I would have turned it off right then if I wasn’t curious about what was beyond the maze walls.

The maze itself is well-crafted, the CGI is impressive, and the directing is solid. Once you start watching, it’s hard to stop—not just because of the actors, but because the story is captivating enough to keep you hooked. And trust me, there’s more to come.

The mystery of what’s really going on will keep you glued to the screen, and the deaths of some characters are heartbreaking enough to make you root for the young adults trapped in the maze. The thrills the movie delivers are enough to make your day.

It also makes you think a little: if you were in the maze, would you want out, or would you settle and make a life there?

I watched this movie based on a recommendation, knowing nothing about it or the book. I took a chance, and I’m glad I did.

Based on James Dashner’s 2009 book, this is the first installment in The Maze Runner trilogy.

The movie starts with a teenage boy waking up in a rising box. He finds himself in a place called the Glade, where a group of young men have been living together for years. His memory is wiped, and the only thing he remembers is his name: Thomas.

The Glade is surrounded by towering walls, with an exit that opens and closes daily. That exit leads to a maze—a maze no one has ever solved or escaped from.

Thomas is curious and rebellious. He wants out and breaks all the rules of the Glade’s society. There’s a group called the Runners who enter the maze daily to map it and search for a way out. One day, Thomas follows them in, even though the Runners might not make it back before the doors close, leaving them trapped and at the mercy of the maze’s deadly creatures.

Thomas does the impossible: he survives a full day in the maze, something no one has ever done. He also kills one of the maze’s creatures—giant, terrifying things no one has ever lived to describe. His actions change everything.

The cast includes some familiar faces, like Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who plays Newt, the Glade’s second-in-command. I remember him from Doctor Who and a few other movies. Ki Hong Lee, who plays Minho, a Runner, is also someone I’ve seen in TV shows like Modern Family, Victorious, and The Nine Lives of Chloe King. The rest of the cast was new to me, but they delivered strong performances, and after looking them up, I found they’re well-seasoned actors.

You have to watch this movie with a friend—it’s awesome.