Either because Marvel are merely trying to cater to the expectations of the sorts of people who seek out blockbuster movies about costumed superheroes fighting crime in a big way, or because explosions and fire and massive things getting blown up seems like a genuinely good way to end all MCU movies, it has to be said: the overblown finales are becoming a bit tiresome, and it's been feeling that way ever since Iron Man 3. After all, the Battle of New York - featured at the end of The Avengers - was so overblown (in a good way), that it's proved impossible to beat. There's nothing wrong with a big, fiery finale, of course: it's sort of what you agree to when you buy a ticket to a blockbuster. And though there's certainly nothing inherently terrible about the finale in The Winter Soldier, it's a shame that the filmmakers felt they needed to go down this route again (three gargantuan helicarriers the size of the one featured in The Avengers, shooting and blasting at one another, whilst Captain America battles The Winter Soldier from inside). Because for most of its runtime, this had been more cerebral, low-key action thriller. Yes, explosions and bullets filled the screen, but the special effects seemed minimal (or as minimal as possible for a movie in this vein). To go from small, well-rendered set-pieces to a huge, CGI-clad finale that literally tries to be three times as big as any overblown finale we witnessed in Iron Man 3 or Thor: The Dark World, felt like a sort of betrayal of all the good things that The Winter Soldier had done up until that point. No, it didn't ruin the movie, and yes, it was fun to watch. Still, it's obvious that a far quieter, more intimate finale would have sufficed. Like this article? Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments section below.
