Two For Tuesday: Under The Skin / Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Next on my 12 Days of Christmas, my Number 11 and Number 10 favourite film this year, and wouldn't you know it, they both star Ms Scarlett Johansson!  No, this is not an excuse to get her beautiful face on my page... but I'm going to anyway...

Ahh that's better.

Whilst one film is a Hollywood blockbuster from the Marvel building-block franchise, the other is a small, independent art film about aliens killing Celtic supporters in Scotland.  Let's start with the former.

#11 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I wasn't the biggest fan of the first Captain America film that was released back in 2011.  At all.  The First Avenger told the origins of Steve Rogers, a weedy, yet earnest young man who was deemed unsuitable for the American army during the Second World War.  He came across as a lovable loser-turned-superhero, but the film on a whole just rubbed me the wrong way.

Maybe because I'm a die-hard British patriot and I didn't care for the typical American view of the Second World War being all but fruitless without the saviour coming from across the pond.  Either way, when The Avengers (Avengers Assemble to us Brits) was released a year later, I was very excited to see how Iron Man, Thor and Hulk coped but was drastically less interested in the Captain.  Yeah, his shield reflects things, he's strong and fast... and ... he's a good war strategist... I guess?  But other than that, I had no idea why he was on this team of misfit heroes.  It was nothing against Chris Evans, the man portraying Steve Rogers.  He's a fantastic actor who played the role very earnestly and gives 110% in all of his roles (particularly Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).  Something was just lacking in this one Avengers prequel.

Three years later and it's sequel time!  Taking place after The Avengers' Battle of New York, Rogers is still working for Nick Fury and the S.H.I.E.L.D. spy agency, all whilst adjusting to contemporary society.  However after investigating into some shady operations, Rogers, Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are branded as enemies of the state and must fight their own colleagues to stay alive.

Shrouded in political mystery, The Winter Soldier manages to outdo nearly all of the previous Marvel films in it's quality by finally making the transition from simple comic-book fare to an all-out conspiracy thriller.  More impressively, for the first time, the film made me sympathise with Steve Rogers as a man-out-of-time who just wants to transfer the camaraderie of his army days into today's secular "Don't Trust Anyone" society.  The characters of Black Widow and Nick Fury are just as preposterous as ever, but their so-far secretive back stories are finally touched upon and partially revealed to finally give them a bit more fleshing out, rather than "They're just super-spies...".  The funny thing about this film is that the titular Winter Soldier barely features in the film, and yet you are more-than-adequately served a healthy dose of narrative, filled with suspense and intrigue throughout.  No one is truly what they seem and it gives the film a fantastic edge, similar to the Mandarin-twist of Iron Man 3.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things wrong with some of the plot contrivances, (Nick Fury cutting himself out of a car whilst it's upside-down is one such example) but you forgive the film for still being the disbelief-suspending film it is at heart.  Despite it's standard of ratcheting up the action, the action scenes are incredibly choreographed whilst the pacing is constant, yet not overwhelming. Whilst Fury, Black Widow and the new character of The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) are fleshed out appropriately, there are other characters that don't get their due, such as the undercover Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) and S.H.I.E.L.D. director Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford).  I imagine these roles will be increased in future Captain America films but it just gives a tiny feeling of dissatisfaction. However, this is a tiny gripe.

In any case, bravo Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  You managed to turn this Captain America doubter into a full supporter.  Now that the flag-waving, Nazi-puncher has been replaced with a genuinely interesting and troubled character (which still cannot be said of Henry Cavill's Superman), the only weak link in the Marvel chain has been fixed.  I highly recommend this film to those of you out there who aren't just looking for a superhero film, but an interesting commentary on today's paranoid society.  Also to those haters of The First Avenger.  It might just surprise you, as it did me.

#10 - Under The Skin

Similar to The Winter Soldier, I approached Under The Skin with some trepidation.  I had heard some details of the plot and it's filming style and I was a tad nervous.

The plot follows Scarlett Johansson as a nameless woman, who is actually an alien in human form.  We follow her travelling around Glasgow picking up lonely men for some alien reason.  However the nameless woman starts to begin to question her actions and the usefulness of her human body.  The film is wholly from the alien's perspective and is an outsider's view on the human species.

I normally hate films such as Under The Skin.  The phrase 'style over substance' usually gets thrown around with 'artistic' films like this.  However, the film just blew me away.  It is disturbing, and yet beautiful.  It is haunting, and yet poetic.  It is fantastic, and yet arty.

The main praise is laid definitely at Scarlett Johansson's feet.  Similarly to The Winter Soldier, her role in Under The Skin is openly intended as sexual appeal as she plays an alien intended on being attractive to the men of Glasgow, so that they can harvest their bodies.  What for?  We're never told, although their methods are as disturbing as they are mesmerising.  However as she starts to relate to the humans she is luring into traps, she begins to question her role and starts making mistakes in her kidnapping attempts.  She displays the innocence of a child, all in a eerily hollow and yet curious way.

The film interestingly delves into how we treat each other as people, from an outsider's perspective. Admittedly it does it at a slow pace, sometimes leaving me wondering where the plot was going. However that is not where the beauty lies.  Whilst style over substance may be argued, I believe that the style is the substance and the other-worldly aspects of the film bolster the film's atmosphere and alien point-of-view.  The beautiful shots of the Scottish countryside and the Highlands, as well as some of the most realistic and documentary-like shots of British culture add to the realism of the situation, as well as ground some of the lofty sci-fi aspects of the script.

I went into both films expecting the worst, and both films definitely managed to subvert my expectations.  The Winter Soldier provided social commentary as well as a action-packed conspiracy thriller, and whilst Under The Skin  featured no car chases or explosions, I was hooked throughout. However I'd say the former is better with a bucket of popcorn.

Tomorrow?  My 9th favourite film of 2014!  Be sure to check it out!

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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