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In Cinemas: Captain America – The First Avenger
I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Captain America; he’s always seemed too simplistic for my tastes. It’s this simplicity that runs through Captain America – The First Avenger’s veins, making it enjoyable on a visceral action level but fairly conventional in its narrative and utterly straightforward when it comes to its characters.
America has entered World War II and men are enlisting to fight. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to join but due to various health issues is rejected. He attracts the attention of German defector Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci’s endearing scientist) who drafts him into a super soldier program that will transform the plucky Brooklyn native into World War II hero Captain America. During the conflict he comes up against another man who’s suffered adverse effects of Erskine’s super soldier serum, Johann Schmidt, a.k.a the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving); a Nazi scientist bent on world domination through a powerful energy source called the Cosmic Cube.
What Captain America – The First Avenger really wants to be is a comic book version of Raiders of the Lost Ark and while it achieves the tone and delivers in the action beats, it’s amiss in other areas. Chris Evans is excellent in the central role, radiating a genuine authenticity and nobleness that’s the hallmark of the character but others like Sebastian ‘Bucky’ Barnes barely register. Romances simmer when they should have more of an impact. Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull feels lightweight and one-dimensional, a villain that exists because the story needs one and a foe that lacks a real threat since we know there’s no chance of him succeeding.
Its problems stem from the film’s simplistic approach to the material and the need to tie it into the larger Marvel universe. There’s little in the way of emotional attachment for the characters (Roger’s aside), with a few of them coming across as caricatures however enjoyable they may be (perhaps only Clint Eastwood does likable gruff as well as Tommy Lee Jones). When someone dies it’s inconsequential and part of that is down to the looming presence of The Avengers.
It lacks the necessary dramatic tension and suspense because most, if not all audience members will go in knowing how this story ends (if the ending wasn’t already telegraphed by the film’s modern day bookends). We know Hydra will not succeed in its plans (not even a little), that Rogers won’t get the girl and that he’ll line up alongside Iron Man and Thor next summer. It denies this story a proper ending or conclusion for its characters. In its place is a bridge to film I’m not entirely convinced by or sure that I care about yet.
The action is easily superior to Thor, X-Men: First Class or Green Lantern because of its physicality. It’s easier to accept a fist fight than a green CG punch to the face. Johnston’s finest work is in these moments with quick editing and fast choreography cementing Evans’ Rogers as a durable action hero. As I’m fond of saying, when he hits someone they stay hit. Kudos should also go to Alan Menken for his Star Spangled Man song which is pretty terrific.
There are other problems but Captain America – The First Avenger is decent adaptation of a beloved character, although it could have done without racing through World War II and spending a little more time with its characters. If judged on its action then it’s an enjoyable addition to a summer that’s had some great action. Breezy and enjoyable, even if it sacrifices its own ambition by falling in line with the rest of Marvel’s output.
7/10
Poster Round-up – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Captain America, Moneyball, Dream House and more
Poster overload, first up is…
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6′s echelons.
Moneyball
The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Hunger Games
A young girl joins a survival contest in order to save her community in a dystopian future.
In Time
In the future people stop aging at 25 and must work to buy themselves more time, but when a young man finds himself with more time than he can imagine he must run from the corrupt police force to save his life.
Dream House
Soon after moving into their seemingly idyllic new home, a family learns of a brutal crime committed against former residents of the dwelling.
The Raven
A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, in which the poet is in pursuit of a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer’s stories.
Contagion
An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.
Captain America -Olly Moss
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.
Poster Round-up – The Dark Knight Rises, Captain America, Conan, Dream House and more
Lots and lots of posters, let’s get to it…
Another Captain America remix trailer
Here’s what CelticPredator had to say on his second trailer remix
Well guys, it’s been a fun ride, I enjoyed it. I will probably let you down because the original video was just a perfect mix. I decided not to do the obvious, and take another route. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it all the same. Probably wont be as big as the other was…but most sequels arent haha.
As before, I dont want Marvel or Paramount to get mad at me…haha. So like before, I dont want money. Editing job, filmmaking job maybe….but no money please. Haha. If you guys dont approve of it, let me know, and I shall remove it.
Here’s the second trailer, it doesn’t quite have the impact of the first but still funny nonetheless. He even managed to make the words of the song what’s happening on screen, a nice touch
Captain America trailer – Team America remix
I’m very surprised I didn’t think of this song when I first saw the trailer.
Thoughts on the Super Bowl Trailers
I’m not much of American football fan myself, living in the UK we don’t get a lot of coverage on the NFL so the American Football (or Hand-egg) is usually out of sight, out of mind. That is until the Super Bowl rolls around and we’re inundated with reports on THE GREATEST SPORTING EVENT IN THE WORLD (/sarcasm). It gets even worse as since I live in the UK all those trailers that studios pay through the nose to get on air aren’t even available for me to see til the next day. All the glamour and glitz of the Super Bowl is lost in me as I struggle to figure whose who and why play consistently stops every thirty seconds, disappears for a minute, comes back for ten seconds and so on…
Anyhoo, the trailers, most of which run for thirty seconds, a few one minute spots and they usually represent films coming out in the Summer; setting down a marker for possible definite blockbusters that will occupy our screens for the duration of the summer. For my thoughts, read on… Read the rest of this entry
Click, watch, read
I’ve been meaning to add a sort of summary post rather than post any film news or items of interest separately so here it is, the Click, watch, read column (rubbish name, I’ll try to think of something better).
First up are a series of pictures from anticpated blockbusters for this and next year.
I must admit I think the costume looks good but I’m still not interested in the film. Whether the series needed a reboot or not and I’m sure that would depend on what you thought of Spider-Man 3 (I enjoyed it) I can’t muster any enjoyment for it. I’m still completely non-plussed to Peter going back to high school especially since the first film is barely ten years old. Why revisit this material? It smells (to me) as if Sony Pictures want a part of that Twilight money by appealing to a younger audience as I see no reason why they couldn’t have just put Garfield as Peter Parker who has left high school.
Retreading the same material whether it’s done differently or not it just seems a little redundant to go back to material we’ve already seen. The Incredible Hulk reboot managed to continue the story of Banner without having to completely reset the storyline, why not this?
I’m probably making more out of it that I should and I’m sure i’ll be a complete hyprocrite when in a year and a half line up at my nearest cinema, cash in hand, ready to give it to the cashier. And less I forget, it’ll be in $D, sorry i meant 3D as well.
Some other pics from two other fantasy films that are coming out this year, on the left we have Captain America and on the right we have Sinestro, the yellow looking David Niven wannabe.
Captain America just happens to be another film I’m not too interested in, not because of the film itself or the talent working on the film but the character itself. I find Cap to be a bit of a monumental bore. I’m not quite sure why he’s as popular as he is (I assume it may have something to do with the word America) and I’m not as well versed with the character as I am with others. It’s interesting the tone they’re taking and with Joe Johnston I’m hoping for something by the way of the Rocketeer but there’s something about this picture that makes it look rather…quaint, old fashioned. I understand totally that that’s the vibe they’re going for and if in fact they can make half as good as say…Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they’ll have a hit but again the character of Cap bores me a little. Maybe this will be the chance to make him more interesting than I perceive him to be.
I’ve watched Green Lantern: First Flight and was rather impressed by the Green Lantern mythos. I barely knew of the character before watching that animated film last year. I’ve also recently read Green Lantern: Rebirth which was slightly confusing considering that I know very little about the character and what happened previous to the events of Rebirth. Regardless, the scope and nature of the Green lanterns sounds interesting to me, basically intergalactic police. Yellow being their weakness is rather silly though but unlike most people I’m looking foward to Green Lantern mainly because it won’t take place on Earth. Hopefully the comic book genre can stretch its wings a little bit with these upcoming features.
Interesting video huh? Seeing how Hollywood takes something based in reality and changes it to suit the moment, make it more dramatic and involving. I haven’t seen The Fighter, it doesn’t open in the UK until February and I’ve heard its formulaic but well done and you can tell just a little by Wahlberg getting knocked down that it is utterly compliant to the sports movie tropes.
Some other links for you to check out
The Art of the Title interview/feature on the opening titles of Scott Pilgrim Vs the World
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2011/01/03/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/
Oswald Patton on Geek Culture
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/12/ff_angrynerd_geekculture/
