Captain America: The First Avenger

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
featofstrength said:
Here's a review of Cap that highlights it's overall lack and ridicule of patriotism: http://www.popgunchaos.com/2011/07/25/captain-america-movie-review/#more-2315

I hear ya. (Assuming the article is right. It seems like there's room for there to be patriotism isn't the film that isn't just dependent on flag-waving, literal or figurative.) I suppose that's the fact of an international market as much as it is patriotism being out of fashion, to whatever extent that's accurate to say. And it's a shame. Because where film is the medium most capable of reaching a broad audience, and thereby manage to actually say something to a people as a broader entity, the fact that big movies like this are made for a global audience makes that sort of thing difficult. This is odd, in some ways - the French, for example, loved John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Jerry Lewis, who are surely examples of people doing art and entertainment at the same time. Ford in particular is about as American a filmmaker as there is. And yet he translated, and remained fashionable abroad even once he wasn't any longer in the States.

Of course, the difference there is that the American trappings of something like a John Ford movie are different than the Star-Spangled Banners - musical or physical - that something like Captain America requires.

Come to think of it, the global audience bit probably has something to do with the overall lack of swastikas as well. The German market is huge, and you can only do so much of that there, legally. But then, to have dozens of swastikas without any American flags would be the more absurd option. Care to get upset about that, Nurhachi?

Still, I look forward to seeing it, whether I do so this summer or wait for home video. I hear the World's Fair stuff is great.

featofstrength said:
...oh, and I dislike ScarJo...

Now, that's hard to defend. ;)
 
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Lance Quazar

Well-known member
featofstrength said:
That's Marvel for ya...rush rush rush! cram it all in there, gotta get to the Avengers! For this reason, I hope the Avengers falls flat....oh, and I dislike Joss Whedon...and ScarJo...and little hope for "revolving door" Hulk...and...:p

Here's a review of Cap that highlights it's overall lack and ridicule of patriotism: http://www.popgunchaos.com/2011/07/25/captain-america-movie-review/#more-2315

I don't agree with that at all, but I don't have time to write a counter essay.

featofstrength said:
oh, and I dislike ScarJo.

And this, of course, is sheer madness.
 
Attila the Professor said:
I suppose that's the fact of an international market as much as it is patriotism being out of fashion...

Still, I look forward to seeing it, whether I do so this summer or wait for home video. I hear the World's Fair stuff is great.
I was waiting til I see the movie on Tuesday to respond to the patriotism thing, but, yeah, the international market...money makes the world go round, eh?

Im still looking forward to it seeing it as well, more than any other superhero movie in years.(y)

PS- did you know that ScarJo was replaced by a duplicate Real Doll halfway thru Iron Man 2, when it was discovered they could get the same stiff performance at a one time price? They got the idea when pondering the Terrence Howard replacement, but it turned out that Don Cheadle was just too good a deal. :p
 
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Indy's brother

New member
featofstrength said:
PS- did you know that ScarJo was replaced by a duplicate Real Doll after seeing the first takes of Iron Man 2, when it was discovered they could get the same stiff performance at a one time price? :p

I hear that a Mannequin remake is in the works. The Real Doll will portray ScarJo coming to life.

How they are going to make wood transforming to rubber seem believable is anyone's guess.
 

JP Jones

New member
I wasn't planning on seeing this one in theaters, since I'm not much of a fan of the cap, but the film was enjoyable. What I liked the most was the atmosphere of a "campy"(but not "campy") WWII. It was refreshing to see that time period played out more playfully. I'm sure there are some directors and maybe some fans who would've wanted some sort of dark, serious Nazi drama, but I'm glad Joe Johnston kept it old fashioned and fun.

I started out with little interest in the character of Captain America, it just seemed all too routine how he became "super", but he really grows on you during the film. I find myself to almost be a fan after seeing the movie.

The action here is great; the bit with the motorcycle was almost on par with something from Indiana Jones, and like I said, by the end, you find yourself wanting to jump up and yell "AMERICA!" The cap's journey is full of excitment and adventure and it is a refreshing blast from the past.
 
Theres so much to like, for all the talk about Raiders I really didn't see the parallels...and I see them everywhere!

There was a certain style which fit Captain America well...not as experimental as an Ang Lee vision and not as cut rate as a Tim Burton mish mash.

I liked the montage approach used, but in addition to and not an alternative to laying out and executing a plan. The film would have benefitted from a well established dilema. It seemed as if everything was played by ear which left so many promising additions unexploited.

Some odd/clumsy cuts put the breaks on potential character moments from Cap's team, (which came off like the roll call from Top Secret!), to the ultimate fate of Zola...who should have been used to set the stage for the finale.

I know why they put an end to the period piece, but there was no real reason given why he pulled a "Great Santini."

Alan Silvestri's music had no hooks, carried no emotion, which is really odd considering Back to the Future and Predator...

Lots of great moments, images, and ideas but it was too loose.

Equal parts excellent and mediocre...
 
It was an okay movie, one of the better Marvel movies. But my interest in Cap ends with the war.

Wish the ending had been a little better. After the obligitory anti-climactic duel with Red Skull, all we get is an Avengers commercial. Would have liked to had the feel of a stand-alone movie, even if we all know what its all leading up to. Dead horse. As if the subtitle wasnt subtle enough...

PS- the Howling Commandos are worthless without Nick Fury...the real one. Sam Jackson is boring...and has been since around 1998.
 

Joe Brody

Well-known member
Couple points:

- I disagree on the whole lack of patriotism angle. My favorite part of the film was the bond selling tour and Cap's performance on stage and how Rogers is shown growing into the role and taking it seriously. Not questioning authority and always doing what he's told by the Government (and doing it to the best of his ability) is the classic Captain America dilemma. The bond selling sequence is the best part of the film because (i) it introduces the authority dilemma, (ii) shows the origins of the Captain America name and uniform (in a clever way), (iii) provides a neat break from the standard comic book movie activity and transitions the action to Europe (any self respecting Temple of Doom Fan should love anything with girls and a dance number), and (iv) acknowledges real combat veterans (and the gap between them and comic book heroes). This is really solid writing and earnestly patriotic.

-I agree we got shortchanged on the overall story -- I didn't even bother discussing it my earlier post. I guess I didn't expect much considering that the screen time consumed by the origin story and knowing that the final scene had to get us to present day. At the end of the day there weren't that many minutes to devote to the Red Skull. It's a shame considering they wasted a few minutes in the stupid opening scene in "Norway". Have to wonder if that nut job saw Captain America before he went on his little spree.

-Winter Soldier: if there's enough room in the future Marvel Film Universe, I bet we do see him at some point. Sad thing is that future films are in a post-Soviet environment though.

-Scarlett Johansson: I've always been of two minds on her. Sometimes she struck me as really having it going on. Other times, not so much.
 
Red Skull looked good and Weaving sounded typically fine but the character wasn't fleshed out.

He only really killed his own...they introduced the threat, but no more.
 

IAdventurer01

Well-known member
featofstrength said:
Wish the ending had been a little better. After the obligitory anti-climactic duel with Red Skull, all we get is an Avengers commercial.

Again, I see this is seemingly becoming the popular consensus, but I have to disagree. With the exception of the literal Avengers commercial at the very end and maybe a bit for the after-credit sequence, both which I see as tack-ons and not part of the actual film, the whole reawakening bit with the closing lines, "I had a date," as Cap's mind wanders off was a terrific conclusion. Just enough to help close out the love story without being left completely hanging after he crash lands.
 
IAdventurer01 said:
the whole reawakening bit with the closing lines, "I had a date," as Cap's mind wanders off was a terrific conclusion. Just enough to help close out the love story without being left completely hanging after he crash lands.

But I feel Cap really deserved another film before the Avengers. I didn't know if "I had a date" was supposed to be sad or funny because its most likely that is where it all stops for Cap to grow as a character. No time to see him adapting to the modern world, maybe meeting up with his 90 year old date to apologize for being late. Too bad, Cap, because here comes Nick Fury, and he doesn't give a damn about your feelings. 70 years of being frozen? Walk it off. No, I don't care that all your old buddies are dead and you've never been laid, you've got work to do!:D
 

TheMutt92

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
Read of a sequel in the writing process which promises "flashbacks" to WWII.

One can hope...

Perhaps a Godfather Part II style parallel story? Perhaps that's how the Winter Soldier storyline can fit in.
 

Nurhachi1991

Well-known member
I saw it and actually really liked it! The lack of proper Nazis was lame but other than that it was pure 100 percent grade A American fun! You would have to be a commie not to enjoy this film


Who'll finish what they began? Who'll kick the Krouts to Japan?? The Staaaaar Spaaaangleeed Maaaaaan with a plaaaaaan (y)
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
I thought it was thoroughly enjoyable. Again, I'm the guy who doesn't go for the superhero movies unless there's some other hook that captures my interest, and this one had it. It was enough that me and mine are considering bothering to see the other Marvel movies to fill in to the series. (Yeah, I know, I'm the only person around who hasn't seen Iron Man.)

I'm with IAdventurer01 in mostly finding the ending satisfying. I think he played the jolt properly.

And I also came out of it thinking the lack of patriotism criticism is pretty ridiculous. So there's not literal flag-waving. I think it managed more than that. Joe's comments about the bond selling tour are dead-on.
 
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