Captain America: The First Avenger

[Ezee E]

For discussion of said film.

[megladon8]

How's Spider-Man gonna fit into The Avengers?

Is Hugh Jackman gonna have a cameo?

[Henry Gale]

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/captain-america-the-first-avenger-movie-poster.jpg

This is maybe the only time I can think of a masked superhero being shown with just their bare face on such a late-in-the-game (if not final) poster.

[bac0n]

Man, every poster I've seen of Cap just has me more and more stoked for this film.

[Dukefrukem]

is this coming out this Friday?

[number8]

is this coming out this Friday?

Posters have release dates.

[megladon8]

Duke, it says July 22 right on the poster in big steel letters.

[Ezee E]

...and a new trailer

Here. (http://movies.yahoo.com/summer-movies/captain-america-the-first-avenger/1810026349#first)

[Henry Gale]

...and a new trailer

Here. (http://movies.yahoo.com/summer-movies/captain-america-the-first-avenger/1810026349#first)

Alright, this probably the first time I've genuinely felt excited about this. Good trailer.

[megladon8]

That looks so awesome.


I think it would be pretty cool if the movie shows Hayley Atwell's character being attracted to Steve Rogers before the whole super soldier thing.

So it's not like "even though you're the same guy inside, I just realized I loved you when you became hot."

[Sven]

CG skinny is distracting.

[Raiders]

CG skinny is distracting.

THANK YOU. I said this earlier and I feel like nobody agreed with me. I find it really distracting and kinda downright silly looking.

[Henry Gale]

Oh I definitely thinks it looks silly too, but now we've gotten to a point where they're actually showing us more stuff than just that, so as a complaint it's faded away a bit for me. I swear the Superbowl spot was 75% skinny Evans, then the rest was titles, quick frames of action and dialogue from other characters.

[Morris Schæffer]

This has a chance of being really good, but the music towards the end of that was just bad. Still, it's not likely to be in the movie so it's no biggie.

Hope the mission they're embarking on will be a great one, full of danger, close calls rather than something that's gonna be too easy.

Allthough it's clear this movie wants to have fun. It's not Saving private Ryan and that's allright.

[Dukefrukem]

Poster was blocked mfers

[number8]

That grenade moment is fantastic.

[DavidSeven]

Chris Evans is too inherently douchey for this part. I don't mind him as an actor, but this isn't a good fit.

[bac0n]

Chris Evans is too inherently douchey for this part. I don't mind him as an actor, but this isn't a good fit.

Ba, he's perfect for role. And that trailer has me stoked even more for this film.

[megladon8]

How the hell is he "douchey"?

[Kiusagi]

Wow, a Tool song in a trailer. There's something you don't see ever. Awesome.

[DavidSeven]

He strikes me as having an unshakable frat boy quality. I doubt I'll buy him as the natural leader of characters played by Downey Jr. or Ruffalo. This part needed a Damon or young Pitt. Or maybe an unknown.

[megladon8]

I don't see that at all.

Did you see Sunshine? Displayed fantastic leadership / honorable qualities there.

[Raiders]

Between this and the Rise of the Apes thread, it is obvious that once David pigeonholes you, there's no going back.

[Dukefrukem]

He strikes me as having an unshakable frat boy quality. I doubt I'll buy him as the natural leader of characters played by Downey Jr. or Ruffalo. This part needed a Damon or young Pitt. Or maybe an unknown.

I think you're thinking of Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern

[DavidSeven]

Between this and the Rise of the Apes thread, it is obvious that once David pigeonholes you, there's no going back.

Indeed. Just ask Daniel Craig, assuming you can spot him.

[DavidSeven]

I think you're thinking of Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds has more of a sarcastic ironic distance thing going on. But true, he was also all wrong for a Green Lantern film that was trying to be earnest.

[bac0n]

I don't see that at all.

Did you see Sunshine? Displayed fantastic leadership / honorable qualities there.

I also loved his turn in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. That was hysterical.

[number8]

I also loved his turn in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. That was hysterical.

Where he played a major douche. Kind of a bad example to refute D7's criticism.

[lovejuice]

That grenade moment is fantastic.
but does it make any sense?

Never been in an army myself, but from what I've learned in movies, an explosion from a grenade doesn't look like it has that wide of a range to kill off more than one people anyway.

[[ETM]]

It's the instinct to sacrifice himself and protect the others in a split-second decision that counts, not whether it made sense. Those who made any sort of logical choice simply ran away.

[number8]

Actually, it's pretty damn effective. Most fatal damages from frag grenades are not from explosions, but from the shrapnels that get expelled. Throwing a squishy object like a human body over the grenade is a pretty good way to contain most of those shrapnels.

[Ezee E]

;355633']It's the instinct to sacrifice himself and protect the others in a split-second decision that counts, not whether it made sense. Those who made any sort of logical choice simply ran away.
Crazy movie suspension of belief makes it awesome.

[bac0n]

Actually, it's pretty damn effective. Most fatal damages from frag grenades are not from explosions, but from the shrapnels that get expelled. Throwing a squishy object like a human body over the grenade is a pretty good way to contain most of those shrapnels.

An episode of MythBusters actually tested this whole notion, and yeah, they verified that diving on a grenade will indeed dampen the blast radius considerably, tho there's not gonna be a whole lot left of the guy who dove on the thing.

[Ezee E]

An episode of MythBusters actually tested this whole notion, and yeah, they verified that diving on a grenade will indeed dampen the blast radius considerably, tho there's not gonna be a whole lot left of the guy who dove on the thing.
Kind of obvious, no?

Thanks Mythbusters.

[bac0n]

Kind of obvious, no?

Thanks Mythbusters.

Yeah, kind of a no-brainer, but sure made for an entertaining show.

[Scar]

Actually, it's pretty damn effective. Most fatal damages from frag grenades are not from explosions, but from the shrapnels that get expelled. Throwing a squishy object like a human body over the grenade is a pretty good way to contain most of those shrapnels.

This.

[MadMan]

The one preview I saw for this when I went to see Super 8 actually made it look good. I'm still not entirely sold on Chris Evans (although yes he was hilarious in Scott Pilgrim v. the World), but having Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, and Stanley Tucci as part of the cast is a good sign that this might end up being at least decent.

[Morris Schæffer]

13 minutes of Alan Silvestri's score:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50252

[Dukefrukem]

The new TV spot is stupid and teases a spoiler that I had asked about earlier in the Marvel Thread.

[Henry Gale]

The new TV spot is stupid and teases a spoiler that I had asked about earlier in the Marvel Thread.

Well, I'm almost positive that what you're referring to is the opening sequence of the movie.

[Dukefrukem]

Well, I'm almost positive that what you're referring to is the opening sequence of the movie.

Interesting.

[EyesWideOpen]

The new TV spot is stupid and teases a spoiler that I had asked about earlier in the Marvel Thread.

Would you mind spoilering what that is so I don't have to search back through that thread?

[number8]

Would you mind spoilering what that is so I don't have to search back through that thread?

It shows SHIELD finding him frozen in ice.

So not really a spoiler.

[Ezee E]

I'm pissed that we find out he goes from skinny to huge.

[Dukefrukem]

Well hey, I don't know anything about the Avengers, knew nothing about Thor and know very little about Cpt America, so any little tidbits help with my enjoyment of the series Id rather find out when I'm sitting in the theater.

[EyesWideOpen]

Well hey, I don't know anything about the Avengers, knew nothing about Thor and know very little about Cpt America, so any little tidbits help with my enjoyment of the series Id rather find out when I'm sitting in the theater.


Understandable. As a comic fan that's probably the first thing you ever learn about Captain America so I can see why they are not worried about hiding it.

[D_Davis]

Did this not open on 4th of July weekend?

[number8]

Did this not open on 4th of July weekend?

It was originally supposed to, but they moved the release date back a few months ago.

I'm guessing because it makes more sense to use the 4th of July weekend to promote it, rather than to release it.

[D_Davis]

That's like having a Friday the 13th in October, but releasing a new Jason flick on Friday the 20th.

[Raiders]

That's like having a Friday the 13th in October, but releasing a new Jason flick on Friday the 20th.

I'm sure it was financially-driven considering Transformers was already opening this weekend and now it is slated after Harry Potter destroys the box office on the weekend of the 15th.

Having seen Bay's film, I promise you it deserves the July the 4th weekend more than Captain America will.

[number8]

That's like having a Friday the 13th in October, but releasing a new Jason flick on Friday the 20th.

Nah. But you can make that argument if Independence Day 2 is released on July 25.

[Dukefrukem]

Speaking of which I really would love to see an ID4 2.

[Morris Schæffer]

Speaking of which I really would love to see an ID4 2.

I would probably also, if only to see how on Earth Emmerich is going to top the biblical destruction of 2012. Haha, "how on earth." See what I did there? :D

[Dukefrukem]

I would probably also, if only to see how on Earth Emmerich is going to top the biblical destruction of 2012. Haha, "how on earth." See what I did there? :D

Actually it would be hard if you still want Will Smith in your movie.

I'll write the whole movie in 60 seconds.

20 Years have past.
Will Smith is now President.
They're rebuilding Earth using Technology they hardnessed fom the Aliens.
Aliens come back not expecting Earth to have new technology.
Space battles ensue.
Cliffhanger after 2nd movie leaves Will Smith's life in limbo (maybe he was abducted)

2nd movie starts - 50 years after ID4-2
Aliens have started taking over cities again
All is lost...
Will Smith returns having not aged
"Welcome back to Earff"
Secret alien nuke gun that destroys all ships leaving Earth unharmed
the end

[number8]

Huh, wow, apparently the skinny Steve Rogers isn't a body double. It's Chris Evans' actual body shrunken digitally.

[Sxottlan]

Huh. Three days out and no reviews at all. That's usually not a good sign.

Usually.

[Henry Gale]

I wouldn't lose hope just yet. It seems like press screenings were just held last night, and almost everyone I saw on twitter (from Edgar Wright and Kevin Smith to Peter Sciretta and Katey Rich from /Film and Cinema Blend) tweeted nothing but love for it.

Also I don't know if you guys saw one of the recent clips that actually showed Cap fighting (the one that ends with him trapped between the flamethrowers), but it was really good.

[[ETM]]

Huh. Three days out and no reviews at all.

Not quite true. (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-captain-america-offers-sprawling-sincere-superhero-story)

Sounds like it's what we hoped for, too.:pritch:

[Morris Schæffer]

6 reviews. 40% rotten.

[Ezee E]

6 reviews. 40% rotten.
That's mathematically impossible.

[Watashi]

6 reviews. 40% rotten.
Yet it has a 7.1 average rating and is getting great reviews from critics I read.

[Dukefrukem]

That's mathematically impossible.

40% average. But I think you're poking at the way Morris posted the score.

[Morris Schæffer]

That's mathematically impossible.

Are you implying I suck at maths?:D

There was something wrong with RT. Still is.

[megladon8]

IGN says it's a very, very solid effort and Chris Evans is Cap, but that it's just missing that little bit of extra "oomf" that would have made it something special.

[Morris Schæffer]

Oomph! What are movies without it? :D

But yeah, this movie looks fun darnit regardless of what the reviews are going to say, but I will admit to expecting at least something a bit more than "fun."

[DavidSeven]

When did we ever expect a Joe Johnston movie to be any good? Come on now. You guys should have known better.

[ledfloyd]

ed brubaker said it was 'pretty much perfect.'

[Fezzik]

When did we ever expect a Joe Johnston movie to be any good? Come on now. You guys should have known better.

I thought The Rocketeer was pretty nifty, to be honest.

[Scar]

There was something wrong with RT. Still is.

We've been saying that for years.

[Dead & Messed Up]

There was something wrong with RT. Still is.

RT collates binary scores. It isn't meant to be a measure of quality so much as a very loose guide of critical appraisal.

[Morris Schæffer]

RT collates binary scores. It isn't meant to be a measure of quality so much as a very loose guide of critical appraisal.

Well, yesterday there were 8 reviews, but only 6 blurbs were in fact posted.

[shaun]

Rian Johnson's Twitter...

Captain America was beautifully crafted, tight as a drum, pitch perfect. I walked out after an hour, bored to death. Still processing this.

[Dukefrukem]

This was not very good

[Ivan Drago]

Rian Johnson's Twitter...

Uhhh. . .what?

[Dukefrukem]

Uhhh. . .what?

Its the most boring super hero movie i have ever seen. However, the clip after the movie is fucking awesome.

[Ivan Drago]

Its the most boring super hero movie i have ever seen. However, the clip after the movie is fucking awesome.

That post was in response to Rian Johnson's Twitter. It boggles my mind.

[Ezee E]

Rian Johnson is right for the most part.

Impeccably crafted, but devoid of any emotion or suspense whatsoever. I'm also bothered by the fact that despite taking place during World War II, there's no mentions of the holocaust and no actual Nazis. Everything HYDRA involved is goofy looking, whether it be the lasers, the costumes, the chant.... Whatever.

With that, the acting does make it enjoyable still. Evans, Atwell, Cooper, and Jones are all very good, play it straight, and make up for Johnston's poor direction. Evans is especially good, and continues to show how good of a presence he has. Curious to see how he'll match up with Downey in The Avengers. Maybe Marvel shouldn't play with history anymore, unless they actually acknowledge some of the stuff that actually exists.

The Avengers teaser is great.

[Acapelli]

what could this movie possibly gain by referencing the holocaust. honest question

[Scar]

The American military didn't know much about the Holocaust until the very end of WWII in Europe when they discovered the 'camps'.

[megladon8]

I gotta admit I don't see any reason why referencing real-world historical events would make Marvel's movies better.

[Henry Gale]

I thought this was perfectly okay and nothing special whatsoever all at once. It merely functions as the last major puzzle piece needed before The Avengers and sadly little else. And considering it takes two hours to do that, I'm not sure it left the necessary impression to have me fully entertained otherwise.

The coolest stuff here is what the actors bring towards the characters (like E said, Evans, Jones, Atwell and Cooper are all great, and I'd even add Sebastian Stan and Tucci into that mix, though at the same time, Weaving is just doing a menacing Herzog impression behind red prosthetics, and regardless, the material rarely equals what all of them seem to be willing to bring to the table) and also where it allows itself to interweave itself into the other Marvel Studios films thus far. The first time we see Cap America in proper fighting mode, it's in a slightly incoherent montage that's way shorter than the one given to his silly military entertainment tour right beforehand, and almost seems like an accurate barometer as to what the movie seems to want to impress with: wackiness and irreverance versus building emotional stakes and genuinely admirable heroism in the intentions of its characters.

If this is generally being looked at as a triumph for Joe Johnson as a director, then I'd argue he's had an indefensively bad career to this point. I remember liking The Rocketeer (and maybe even Jurassic Park III as a kid), but here he just seems to be doing a completely agreeable job with middling material, only giving some brief awe-inspiring visual scale to the action, which seems like almost an essential storytelling flourish to have thoughout these type of movies that's just peppered in here and there. And whether it's him as he's written or the actor himself, the Rogers character is obviously given a lot of screentime, though only a halfway moving portrayl, especially during his most emotionally heightened scenes. But honestly, I'm willing to give Evans the benefit of the doubt, since he has some (intermittently) strong moments here, just again, it's all just in the middle of a movie that may otherwise not deserve him. I'm absolutely looking forward to what Whedon supplies him with for his massive (sure-to-be blockbuster), all-roads-lead-to-this epic of a film, since there's still so much potential to be mined with the character here, it's just that even when Johnson's film seems to know when to use him best at the centre of the action, or even throw out links to things like Iron Man 2 and Thor, it just seemed like it wasn't in search of a great immediate climax, and even made me anxious to re-experience those other films instead of currently being halfway disappointed with what I was seeing in front of me.

The final moments work, but ultimately, I'm not sure what to make of them tonally. Unless we're supposed to brace ourselves for an emotionally charged dance between Chris Evans and a 95-year-old Hayley Atwell in The Avengers, then I'm not quite sure why the emphasis for a potential payoff was forced so strongly here. The final line seemed to bring out more of a "hmm..." with my audience, including myself.

In the end, it's way less satisfying for me than Thor, and ends up feeling more like the weaker end of X-Men: First Class for most of it (in other words, the parts that had little to do with Fassbender, McAvoy and Bacon), and aside from what's immediately here, I can't help but find myself more curious and intrigued by what they may intend on doing next with the character in modern times for a potential sequel and Whedon's film instead of what's readily presented here. The movie's harmless fun, but I'm already fine with moving onto its next chapter.

**1/2

[Ezee E]

what could this movie possibly gain by referencing the holocaust. honest question
To me, it's like X-Men: First Class completely ignoring the Civil Rights Movement going on during that time period.

My criticisms of HYDRA still remain. But Scar is right. It wasn't until later in that year that the American military found out about the holocaust.

[Dukefrukem]

I did not like the whole Sky Captain feel from the get go. STEVE is thrown into battle because "he was meant for more?" Since when did become a pilot?

[Kurosawa Fan]

Well, Transformers 3 doesn't work out time-wise for us today, so instead I'm taking my oldest to see this. I'm only fractionally more satisfied with this result, although the alternative was Zookeeper, so I should be counting my blessings.

[Morris Schæffer]

Seeing these sort of okayish scores from the first few folks, I've gotta admit this is precisely what I see myself rating the movie. It always looked like very solid fun and nothing really more. I never expected suspense or emotion from it anyway. And that's fine by me.

Although I wonder if people would consider it inferior to the Rocketeer and if so, why the 1991 is the superior movie because I always thought both movies felt very, very similar.

[TGM]

This movie was actually really good, a hell of a lot better than I ever expected. It may well be my favorite of the Avengers series, it's definitely up there with Iron Man. Honestly, everything about this movie just clicks. It's well humored, well acted, the action is entertaining, and the plot, while silly at times, never comes across as overly cheesy, which it very well could have.

I just love so many little things about this movie. There's several scenes that pretty much poke fun at certain tropes that other movies go for, making you think the films headed for one direction, only to steer back on course in satisfying fashion. The love plot is especially handled well in this regard, and could have gone so horribly, but they managed to pull it off.

In the trailers, skinny Rogers really stood out as awkward and misplaced, but they seriously fixed him up for the final film, as he looks completely natural and not out of place at all. And I really don't wanna give it away, but by far my favorite part of the movie was a real throwback to the original Cap, a sequence which in itself sold me on this movie.

If there's one thing this movie didn't do right, is was the ending sequence, where they essentially moved the after credits scene to before the credits, forcing in the Avengers reference at the end. I would have preferred if this could work more as a stand alone, and they left it after the credits where it could be more easily ignored, but the last line in the movie is almost enough to save this scene, so it's not that big of a hindrance.

[Kurosawa Fan]

This was decent, much better than I expected. The film did an exceptional job avoiding the easy, corny moments that so many films in this genre seem to revel. Examples would be

the death of Erskine (seriously, when Cap was crouching above him, I thought for sure some terrible dialogue was coming), the moment of reemergence after Cap saves the 107th (which teetered on that line, but showed restraint), the bar scene with Peggy and Cap (short and sweet), and the "death" scene (which was really well performed and filmed, and surprisingly emotional). That, and a very minimal amount of corny one-liners.

Well done on those fronts. Seriously, thumbs up.

Where the film failed for me was, bizarrely, during the action sequences. Part of what has made Cap a hard super for me to accept, even as a kid, is that he doesn't really have powers, nor does he have much protection outside of the shield. Yet he seems invincible, and did in this film as well. Problem is, there were several scenes in which you could see imminent danger in the background, such as soldiers aiming at Cap from behind because he stormed into a situation in which he was vastly outnumbered, yet those soldiers don't fire, they just stand there looking at him while he fights one or two guards at a time. Now, I'm aware that this sort of suspension of disbelief is required in a movie of this sort, and that it happens all the time to action heroes, however good editing can usually mask the fact that an enemy could have fired a shot straight into our hero's back while he was fighting someone else. This film exposed those scenarios repeatedly. If Cap's suit was bulletproof, I could have been onboard, but it isn't (and frankly, once the technology of Odin's blue light energy was acquired, it wouldn't have mattered anyway). I guess my problem is that so much of what makes Cap admirable is his willingness to sacrifice himself for his friends and country, yet the film interpreted this as a willingness to be completely unreasonable and reckless in the face of danger.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I quite liked it. The whole film had the tone of those old war posters and USO shows, right down to the face-off between a hero swathed in the American flag facing off against a literally monstrous agent of the Reich. KF's right that the film never imparts a sense of danger onto Rogers, which is ironic given how willing he is to take punishment in the first third of the film. This lack of stakes also extends to obligatory scenes like Rogers kissing the wrong woman and a best friend dying in the thick of battle. Johnston moves past them so quickly he almost seems to be apologizing for their inclusion.

The actors elevate the material, though, especially Evans, Weaving, and Toby Jones - his casting was a total surprise and delight to me. One of the best scenes in the film involves Jones elaborating on the Red Skull's plans while Tommy Lee Jones offers a disinterested "Huh." Other detours keep the film vivid, like the cheery USO montage, and Evans enjoying a drink (sort of) with Stanley Tucci. I'm hoping this takes us closer to a superhero movie where the superheroes just hang out at a restaurant and enjoy some fondue. Call it My Dinner With Iron Man.

[Dead & Messed Up]

We should call that blue thing "Plot-anium."

[Dukefrukem]

This movie was actually really good, a hell of a lot better than I ever expected. It may well be my favorite of the Avengers series, it's definitely up there with Iron Man. Honestly, everything about this movie just clicks. It's well humored, well acted, the action is entertaining, and the plot, while silly at times, never comes across as overly cheesy, which it very well could have.

I just love so many little things about this movie. There's several scenes that pretty much poke fun at certain tropes that other movies go for, making you think the films headed for one direction, only to steer back on course in satisfying fashion. The love plot is especially handled well in this regard, and could have gone so horribly, but they managed to pull it off.

In the trailers, skinny Rogers really stood out as awkward and misplaced, but they seriously fixed him up for the final film, as he looks completely natural and not out of place at all. And I really don't wanna give it away, but by far my favorite part of the movie was a real throwback to the original Cap, a sequence which in itself sold me on this movie.

If there's one thing this movie didn't do right, is was the ending sequence, where they essentially moved the after credits scene to before the credits, forcing in the Avengers reference at the end. I would have preferred if this could work more as a stand alone, and they left it after the credits where it could be more easily ignored, but the last line in the movie is almost enough to save this scene, so it's not that big of a hindrance.


I thought skinny rogers looked bad in every scene that wasn't in the trailer. Sometimes it looked so bad, it reminded me of a Conan O'brien skit.

Insallt taptalk plz raiders

[Sxottlan]

I really enjoyed this. Maybe a shade less than Iron Man and Thor, but it's a matter of degrees. Enough so that I'd give them the same rating.

I have to admit that I'm real impressed with the Avengers saga so far. Just the scope and ambition, even if at times it's merely been solid or serviceable, has been unique in my opinion. And I say this as someone who has never picked up a Marvel comic (or any real comic for that matter) and was not remotely familiar with Iron Man or Thor before their films. Cap I was more leery about even though I'm not really familiar with the character's origins. I was more concerned with the ra-ra-sis-boom-ba, but it was nicely underplayed in favor of good old optimism and idealism.

That's why I think my favorite scene might be the 1941's World's Fair where Stark unveils his flying car, only to have it fail. The crowd does kind of recoil and Stark is mortified, but no one laughs at his failure and everyone eventually starts applauding the damn effort.

That said, this was also an incredibly gorgeous film. The USO montage was glorious (would have loved a reference to John Ford in the making of those old movies) and the fact that he was used as propaganda was played straight with the good, the bad and the awkward.

Alas, the montage does go a little too far with the action scenes, leading to some detachment. Also, while the romance was nice here, its bittersweet ending comes at the painful cliche of the hero being caught with the wrong woman. And seriously, could Natalie Dormer get cast as something other than a home wrecker? First The Tudors and now this!

Just as an aside, it does seem as though Bruce Banner is being left somewhat on the sidelines here. They've really drawn close connections here with Iron Man (Stark, the World's Fair setting from Part 2), Thor (the whole McGuffin), but aside from the obscure mention of Banner in Thor, there's really been nothing.

I'm wondering if the Norwegian town we saw here was the same village where centuries before the frost giants fought Odin? I couldn't recall.



If there's one thing this movie didn't do right, is was the ending sequence, where they essentially moved the after credits scene to before the credits, forcing in the Avengers reference at the end.

Really? I actually wanted more. I really dig characters out-of-time plots. So I wanted to see him try to track Peggy down (the film does end on a sad note). See him try to adjust. The post credit scene implied perhaps he was being kept hidden, but whether that he was choice or Fury's, we aren't told.

When he woke up, I thought the scene was appropriately creepy enough as well.

[Fezzik]

I really liked this. To me, its greatest successes were in its subverting of expectations - presenting a situation that had been beaten like a dead horse in other movies, making us expect it to follow suit, only to say "nope, but you thought we'd gone there, huh?"

Best examples:


*After the german spy throws the kid into the water, it looks like its setting up a 'he has to make the choice - get the bad guy or save the kid' only to have the kid tell him that he could swim...and to go get the spy.

* The scene in the army camp when the soldier's started to throw tomatoes at him - I expected one (or more) of them to say something like "you're not a real soldier, we don't respect you blah blah" but the only mention of anything like that was Peggy's "you were meant for more" line.

* Bucky's death - I actually expected him to show up at the end and was pleasantly surprised when he didn't.

* Never once do Peggy and Cap say they love each other. Its clear they care for one another but it never goes that far into it - and for that I'm glad.

* When Peggy sees that girl kissing Cap, I was groaning, waiting for the movie to fall into some overwrought romantic/misunderstanding subplot, only to have Peggy get it out of her system by shooting Cap's shield. I thought that was pretty well handled.

The acting was pretty great. Jones was a scene-stealer, as was Tucci, and Evans simply was the perfect choice for Steve Rogers, but the one who surprised me the most was Hayley Atwell. I didn't know much of her and expected her to be the typical 'pretty face' but the girl's got chops. I liked her a lot in this.

And it was so much funnier than I expected. Jones had most of the best lines (my favorite being "I ain't kissing you" near the end).

So, in all, yeah, a great time. I'd put it below Iron Man on my Marvel-o-meter, but not by much.

[TGM]

Really? I actually wanted more. I really dig characters out-of-time plots. So I wanted to see him try to track Peggy down (the film does end on a sad note). See him try to adjust. The post credit scene implied perhaps he was being kept hidden, but whether that he was choice or Fury's, we aren't told.

The thing is, it wasn't that the scene was bad, it's that it was misplaced. This scene just didn't seem to fit well in the movie that came before it. I wouldn't mind seeing this scene continued in, say, the next movie, or even after the credits as the obligatory sequel bait that it is.

But tacking it on to the end of an otherwise unrelated film just rubs me the wrong way. It annoyed me when they did it in The Incredible Hulk, but as much better as this movie was, it annoys me that much more here.

But like I said, Cap's last line is almost enough to save this otherwise misplaced scene, so it's a fairly minor complaint.

[Skitch]

I owe Joe Jonston an apology for doubting him. I'm stunned how much I enjoyed this. Everything I wanted in a Captain America origin story was there. I would've preferred a little better score, but it was fine.

[[ETM]]

I would've preferred a little better score, but it was fine.

What I heard of Silvestri's score was wonderful. Perfect old-timey feel.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I would've preferred a little better score, but it was fine.

Yeah, at certain moments it was pretty weak, and became distracting rather than elevating what was taking place on screen.

[Ivan Drago]

How was Hugo Weaving as Red Skull?

[Dead & Messed Up]

How was Hugo Weaving as Red Skull?

Better with his face than with scab face. Overall damned good. He and Toby Jones have a fun Greenstreet/Lorre chemistry.

[Pop Trash]

This was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed how all the formal elements are appropriately retro-future. From the lighting/color timing, the campy acting, the music, the costumes, most of the camera angles/movements and editing (though it got 21st century choppy editing with short ASLs towards the end-my least favorite part). I'll give credit where credit is due and say Joe Johnston did a great job going back to his Rocketeer roots (another retro-future movie I've always enjoyed).

Of the proto-Avengers flicks, I liked this more than Thor (which itself isn't bad) and the rather overrated Iron Man (didn't bother with the sequel).

Good acting here too. Chris Evans held his own against all the notable character actors.

[TGM]

So after re-watching Iron Man, I can now safely say that this is definitely the best of the Avengers movies. Should be going to see this again with a friend later this week. :)

[Dukefrukem]

So after re-watching Iron Man, I can now safely say that this is definitely the best of the Avengers movies. Should be going to see this again with a friend later this week. :)

Thor > Iron Man > The Incredible Hulk > >>>>> Captain America > Iron Man 2

[TGM]

Thor > Iron Man > The Incredible Hulk > >>>>> Captain America > Iron Man 2

Well we can agree on our placements of the Iron Man films at least. :P

Captain America > Iron Man > Incredible Hulk > Thor > Iron Man 2

[Dukefrukem]

Well we can agree on our placements of the Iron Man films at least. :P

Captain America > Iron Man > Incredible Hulk > Thor > Iron Man 2

And the Incredible Hulk

Personally, I don't ever want to watch that Captain America movie ever again it bored me that much. Thor on the other hand was, funnier, more action packed from a hero that actually has powers, has a more sinister villain (barely I suppose), and has done a better job overall as a super hero movie than anything listed above. What attracts you to CA more than Thor?

[TGM]

And the Incredible Hulk

Personally, I don't ever want to watch that Captain America movie ever again it bored me that much. Thor on the other hand was, funnier, more action packed from a hero that actually has powers, has a more sinister villain (barely I suppose), and has done a better job overall as a super hero movie than anything listed above. What attracts you to CA more than Thor?

I thought the Cap movie was more well-rounded. I liked pretty much every aspect about it, like I mentioned in my write-up on the previous page. It was fun, funny, well acted, the action was entertaining, and the story was handled much more respectably.

With Thor, though, I've mentioned it in the Thor thread, but I really only liked it as a comedy. It's still by far the funniest movie I've seen this year, but other than the comedy, it honestly didn't have much else going for it.

The action was largely underwhelming, the love story was forced and given far too much importance, and it felt overall rushed. I still enjoyed it, but its overall quality falls on the lower end of the Marvel spectrum (still not anywhere near as bad as Iron Man 2, mind you).

I'll agree that Thor had the better villain, though. Loki is definitely one of the most interesting and unique villains to come out of these comic movies in some time.

[Pop Trash]

Thor was entertaining, but a little messy and tonally inconsistent between the surreal Shakespeare in space (alliteration!) and the fish-out-of-water humor in the scenes on Earth. Captain America flowed better and kept a consistent tone. Plus as I mentioned in my write up, it seems like Johnston kept all of the film elements on the same page for his retro-future vision.

[Dukefrukem]

Plus as I mentioned in my write up, it seems like Johnston kept all of the film elements on the same page for his retro-future vision.

What does this mean?

[Fezzik]

Of the 'official' Marvel movies, I prefer Iron Man over Captain America, but that might be solely due to my man crush on RDJ.

If I had to rank them:

Iron Man > Captain America > Thor > The Incredible Hulk >>>>>> Iron Man 2

If we're tossing in Marvel movies made by other studios...we'd have a list way too long to take seriously, so I'll just stick with the five above.

(Are there other Marvel Studios films? Was Punisher 2 from Marvel Studios?)

[TGM]

(Are there other Marvel Studios films? Was Punisher 2 from Marvel Studios?)

When talking "Marvel" movies in this thread, I believe we were only speaking of the Avengers series specifically. But yeah, I'm not sure that Punisher 2 was Marvel Studios, nor am I sure that outside of the Avengers series they've done anything else.

Edit: After looking it up, nope, it looks like all they've done is the Avengers movies so far.

[Pop Trash]

What does this mean?

See post #99

[Ezee E]

How does Captain America's shield have the boomerang effect?

[Henry Gale]

How does Captain America's shield have the boomerang effect?

I feel like there may have been a line that briefly tried to explain it, since it's obviously an unusual thing to just accept otherwise, but I really can't remember what the explanation might have been (if it was even there at all). I know they talked about how it was made of "the rarest metal on earth" or something, but I don't remember much else. It probably doesn't help that I have little to no familiarity with the comics either.

[Sxottlan]

I feel like there may have been a line that briefly tried to explain it, since it's obviously an unusual thing to just accept otherwise, but I really can't remember what the explanation might have been.

I think Stark said something about the shield's composition being able to absorb and deflect energy. I guess somehow that's supposed to translate to the shield's ability to bounce around. That Cap is able to just start doing it without comment does make for some disjointedness.

I wonder why Stark would make a prototype of the shield with this rare metal and then try to scrape it.

[Dukefrukem]

I think Stark said something about the shield's composition being able to absorb and deflect energy. I guess somehow that's supposed to translate to the shield's ability to bounce around. That Cap is able to just start doing it without comment does make for some disjointedness.

I wonder why Stark would make a prototype of the shield with this rare metal and then try to scrape it.

Or how he is able to pilot strange aircraft. Isn't that an continuity issue?

[Thirdmango]

I had heard people on facebook say the coda was the best one yet, so I of course stayed through it and it was by far and away the worst one. A preview? Really? Even Iron Man 2 for being a vastly inferior movie, it's Coda was better in that it had a brief moment of Thor. They could have greatly improved this if he was say boxing and Thor walks in and they look at each other confused. Or the first what I'm sure is going to be many looks between Thor and Stark. But no, it's a 10 month from now preview.

[Ivan Drago]

A superhero movie with the tone of a 40s film? Very well casted, well directed, and well shot. Great film despite the terribly obvious green screen CGI, aside from the aerial action sequence.

Thor > Captain America > Iron Man > The Incredible Hulk > Iron Man 2


And I really don't wanna give it away, but by far my favorite part of the movie was a real throwback to the original Cap, a sequence which in itself sold me on this movie.

Please tell me you're referring to the USO show montage.

If so, yep, it was awesome. I can't get the song out of my head.

[TGM]

Please tell me you're referring to the USO show montage.

If so, yep, it was awesome. I can't get the song out of my head.

Yup, that's the scene. :D

[Henry Gale]

Thor > Captain America > Iron Man > The Incredible Hulk > Iron Man 2

Swap Captain America and Iron Man 2, and then just push Leterrier's Hulk last, and this would be my order.

I'm pretty sure I had more fun with just Rockwell and Downey's dialogue in IM2 than I did with all of the Cap movie.

[Dukefrukem]

For some reason Paramount is showing the end of Cap as well as a bit of the after credits scene....it's on yahoo and link in spoiler

http://blastr.com/2011/07/paramount-spoils-captain.php

[[ETM]]

They wanted to show the teaser, and it would have made no sense without that bit from the end of Captain America. Which we already knew, right? It's comic canon.

[Raiders]

To carry this over...


The first half is easily the best part. Once Rogers becomes Cap, then it becomes a borefest.

You may be right, actually. The stuff with Tucci's scientist and the aforementioned USO stuff are the highlights of the film. But still, I hated the mythmaking crap in the first half (all those scenes proving he is in fact the ultimate boy scout--hey, he's 90 pounds but look at that heart and courage!). I just don't know if he works as his own film. He's not dynamic at all as presented. He literally has like, two traits. He's courageous and he's American. At least Superman has Lois Lane and dual identities to combat his inherent, dull-ish goodness. There just isn't any fire underneath the surface here.

[Ezee E]

To carry this over...



You may be right, actually. The stuff with Tucci's scientist and the aforementioned USO stuff are the highlights of the film. But still, I hated the mythmaking crap in the first half (all those scenes proving he is in fact the ultimate boy scout--hey, he's 90 pounds but look at that heart and courage!). I just don't know if he works as his own film. He's not dynamic at all as presented. He literally has like, two traits. He's courageous and he's American. At least Superman has Lois Lane and dual identities to combat his inherent, dull-ish goodness. There just isn't any fire underneath the surface here.
There could have been. But it's all contained in a montage and a brief (and quickly forgotten) scene with his brother. That second hour just gets worse and worse as I think about it.

[Henry Gale]

I think a gaping hole in the flow of the storytelling is the fact that the USO tour montage is done perfectly well, but arguably takes too long, and maybe injecting even more humour than what came before it. Then not too long after that we get a ridiculously rushed montage of Cap's first actual heroic endeavours with the team, with a disconnected, trailer-edited feel to it, leaving me to feel like the character is way ahead of the audience. Rogers is then suddenly fully established as a superhero amongst them, though I feel like they fail to show us how, even though that should be the most important part of the movie.

My investment in it just seemed to drain from that section on.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I think a gaping hole in the flow of the storytelling is the fact that the USO tour montage is done perfectly well, but arguably takes too long, and maybe injecting even more humour than what came before it. Then not too long after that we get a ridiculously rushed montage of Cap's first actual heroic endeavours with the team, with a disconnected, trailer-edited feel to it, leaving me to feel like the character is way ahead of the audience. Rogers is then suddenly fully established as a superhero amongst them, though I feel like they fail to show us how, even though that should be the most important part of the movie.

My investment in it just seemed to drain from that section on.

Something that increasingly infuriates me about such movies is their inability to communicate the level of dedication and study necessary to become a terrific fighter. All of a sudden, bam, expert. Like Neo mastering kung fu during a cutaway (although that's at least excusable). I think it was David Wong on Cracked.com who traced this back to the Karate Kid montage.

I know it's all wish fulfillment silliness anyway, but come on.

Come on.

[Fezzik]

I think it was David Wong on Cracked.com who traced this back to the Karate Kid montage.

This is one aspect that I think the remake handled a lot better than the original. It actually felt like time had passed, like a lot of hard work had actually occurred.

[Pop Trash]

I just want to tell everyone: YOU'RE THE BEST!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBktYJsJq-E

[megladon8]

Movie starts in 10 minutes.

Stoked!

[megladon8]

This was great. Really dug it.

Marvel deserves some kind of special award for casting. Every casting decision they make is just pitch-perfect.

The movie wasn't without its flaws - some of the action felt a little rushed (not in the 10,0000 frames a second way, but in the "felt like a lot was cut out" way), and a little over-use of CGI.

But overall just great, with some moments of genuine, un-cheated emotion.

[megladon8]

Oh, and Hayley Atwell is gorgeous.

God, is she gorgeous.

That red dress. :eek:

[Kiusagi]

Yeah, she was stunning in this. I know she's been around for a few years in smaller British films, but I haven't seen those. She definitely has my attention.

Peggy Carter is probably my favorite out of all the superhero (or at least Marvel) love interests so far. Yeah she was fairly "badass", which I admit I'm a sucker for, but she also had a personality and the relationship between her and Rogers felt real to me.

[megladon8]

Yeah, she was stunning in this. I know she's been around for a few years in smaller British films, but I haven't seen those. She definitely has my attention.

Peggy Carter is probably my favorite out of all the superhero (or at least Marvel) love interests so far. Yeah she was fairly "badass", which I admit I'm a sucker for, but she also had a personality and the relationship between her and Rogers felt real to me.


It was much better than the terribly rushed romance between Thor and Jane, that's for certain.

I liked, too, that she cared and was even showing the beginnings of attraction to mini Steve.

[[ETM]]

Oh, and Hayley Atwell is gorgeous.

God, is she gorgeous.

That red dress. :eek:

I've had her on my radar ever since "Pillars of the Earth". I'm glad she's hitting the big time with this.

[Dukefrukem]

bwhaha

ruMO9SXto0Q

..."and I'm Batman"

[Dukefrukem]

Posting only because they used my quote at the end at 3:11.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ist0v3Xhqzk

[MadMan]

My review, which I choose to post on my old blog back in in Feb. 6th, 2012 instead of here because why the hell not?

http://www.kahramanlarsinemada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/captain_america_2011.jpg

2011 was the year of the superhero movies, although 2012 has plenty more in store. Even though Captain America isn't one of the year's best movies, it is one of the best superhero movies of the year. Chris Evans proves to be a fantastic choice to play Captain America, going from a nobody to someone who ends up saving the day, although he naturally gets in over his head. Joe Johnston acknowledges that this is a origin story, and clearly had fun directing it, making it not only an entertaining action/adventure film but also one that pays great homage to the 1940s.

Really the look and feel of the movie reminds one of old school 1940s adventure serials, or at least movies such as the Raiders of the Lost Ark that embodied the clever spirit of those shows that played in the old days, when things seemed a bit more simple and good guys and bad guys were very obvious. Red Skull, the villain of this movie, is a great counterbalance to the Captain, and he's played with cold hearted cruelty by famed character actor Hugo Weaving, who gives him just the right amount of sneer. Having Hayley Atwell play the gorgeous Peggy Carter was also an inspired and right choice, as was featuring Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Phillips and other famous actors such as Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones. Basically giving this movie a fantastic cast enables one to overlook some of its clear flaws, as well.

Since he also directed The Rocketeer, another enjoyable action/adventure movie set in the 1940s, Johnston was a good choice. Its kind of a shame that the next Captain America adventure will be The Avengers in terms of sticking him merely in the 21st century when watching him, say, fight commies or battle the forces of neo-fascism in America would be really cool to see. Still its interestingly enough this movie that makes me excited for The Avengers, if only to see how the Captain handles a new age, and in addition to actually having more help than he's normally used to for once. 80


I would like to note that after reading this review I'm not sure I agree with most of what I wrote. Or all of it. Or any of it. You know what? Fuck it. I liked the damn movie. There.

[MadMan]

A better review would have featured me discussing Captain America's obsession with the country itself, his patriotism, how he is really supposed to be embodying Audie Murphy, the fact that half the movie is utterly ridiculous yet never gets too silly, etc.....I think I wrote the damn thing like I was trying to submit something for my local paper. Yikes.