Movie of the Week: Captain America

[jacey]

A hideously early showing at 12.10 p.m. so H and I could catch the 2D verion of this. I can't imagine seeing this in 3D would add anything.

I never read Capt. America comic books so I'm not sure how faithful this is to the original story, but it didn't matter. It was a good story, well done. I don't remember seeing Chris Evans in anything previously (turns out he was The Human Torch in the two Fantastic Four Movies, so that shows you how much of an impression they made on me) but he was convincing in this as both the runt who continuously tries and fails to pass the physical for army enlistment during WW2, and as the scientifically enhanced super soldier who becomes Captain America.

The supporting cast was excellent. Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving are always worth watching, though I completely failed to recognise Richard Armirage as the spy, Kruger. Hayley Atwell was the love interest, Peggy, looking almost unrecognisable in 1940s red lipstick.

Verdict: unexpectedly good. Much better characterisation than most of the recent batch of comic book films and a gazillion times better than Green Lantern.

Comments

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I agree on all points with your review, expect the last line. The only thing wrong with the Green Lantern movie was that it was a Green Lantern movie. He (in all his incarnations) is just so boring (even though he is green, which is the best color).

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen it yet, but I gather it is the straight origin story with a bit a retcon from some recent retellings, but not enough for anyone to quibble with.

Steve Rogers, fond as I am of him, is a very straightforward character, and much more fun when, on occasion, he gets disgusted with various real or imagined US governments. (I'll never forget when, during the Nixon era, he decided to become "Nomad, the Man Without a Country", my favourite scene being when he was sewing his new costume and thinking, "I'll have a cape. I've always wanted a cape." Then, of course, he tripped over it much to the amusement of the super-villains he was chasing.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

I disagree entirely. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow sequence was great, so was Ganthet's Tale and the retcon work of the early Johns era. There is, after all, a Green Lantern for every taste - not forgetting, of corse, G'nort, the dog Green Lantern who was so determined to be a member of the Giffen/DeMattis Justice League, who disgraced J'onn J'onzz at a performance of Cats and was banished to JLI (Ant) where he encountered the herd of killer penguins.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Steve Rogers sounds like fun in the comics. I look forward to future outings for capt. America.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Steve is very much the straight talking, straightforward, highly moral, natural leader - in character standing in much the same position in Marvel as Superman stands in DC. He was very interesting in the early Avengers (starting in #4 Captain American Lives Again!) where he is deeply distressed by the death of his kid sidekick - of course he had a kid sidekick - and struggling to cope with the modern world and, in particular, modern morality.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

They tried to get permission to film the WWII scenes in Captain America at our local disused munitions factory (the one we're surveying) but unfortunately they got turned down:-(