Today I was afforded the opportunity to go see “Captain America: The First Avenger” in the theaters. It was (if you’ll pardon the pun) marvelous. I thought the filmmakers did a wonderful job of capturing what it is I like about the character of Captain America.
It isn’t the nationalism. Aside from the trappings of a 1940s-era PR push for war bonds, the film does a pretty good job of being American without wrapping itself in the flag. There are German, British, and French characters that are presented as heroic alongside the American ones. The writers and directors walked a fine line making an America-centric movie that would have global appeal, and I think they have probably succeeded.
Disclaimer here: I am a natural born citizen of the United States. I grew up with two grandfathers who were in the military during World War II. I loved them dearly and am sorry they are gone. I view the conflict in part through their eyes and so that may color my opinions on the matter.
What I think they got right was the idea that Steve Rogers is a hero not because he has superpowers, but because of who is is as a person. They took great care to set up the character as a particular kind of human being before turning him into a super-human. Actually if anything they beat you over the head with it a bit, especially during the scenes where Steve interacts with Dr. Erskine.
They did a wonderful job of avoiding one of my biggest fears, that Steve Rogers would turn into “wisecracking superhero number 36” or a gritty jackass. The tendency to have a character be either dark and brooding to the point of humorlessness, or be a one-liner machine has ruined a few movies lately (I’m looking at you Green Lantern). The writers and directors of this movie didn’t make him a nationalistic bully to make him “more human” and they didn’t make him a costumed star of some bad comedy for “mass appeal”.
Steve Rogers is the kind of character I like the most. His earnest desire to help others is the kind of hero that seems to have be de-emphasised in a lot of movies lately. He doesn’t have to be coerced into helping others. If anything he has to be restrained.
The movie isn’t perfect, of course. I agree with Gail Simone that Hugo Weaving made a far more effective villain before than revealing his “true” face than after. They did as good a job with the Red Skull as they could (and did his facial features far better than, say, Green Lantern did Hal’s mask), but the reveal still came off looking awkward and out-of-place in what is otherwise a pretty good looking movie.
In addition, Hydra uses far more “super science” gear than I thought they needed to. The initial uses of the Red Skull’s technology lent the group some menace, but by the end it felt a bit over-used. By the final few scenes the weapons looked more like action figure material than they did threatening. Aside from those fairly minor criticisms though the movie moved well and kept me interested from start to finish.
So, if you haven’t already I suggest you go see this movie. It’s well worth your time. It is well shot, well-directed, and it has a cast and crew worthy of the character. They did a wonderful job of taking what could have been just another superhero movie and turning it into something special.
I like the kind of selfless hero that they brought to the screen. I can only hope that the upcoming Superman movie takes a few notes.
It isn’t the nationalism. Aside from the trappings of a 1940s-era PR push for war bonds, the film does a pretty good job of being American without wrapping itself in the flag. There are German, British, and French characters that are presented as heroic alongside the American ones. The writers and directors walked a fine line making an America-centric movie that would have global appeal, and I think they have probably succeeded.
Disclaimer here: I am a natural born citizen of the United States. I grew up with two grandfathers who were in the military during World War II. I loved them dearly and am sorry they are gone. I view the conflict in part through their eyes and so that may color my opinions on the matter.
What I think they got right was the idea that Steve Rogers is a hero not because he has superpowers, but because of who is is as a person. They took great care to set up the character as a particular kind of human being before turning him into a super-human. Actually if anything they beat you over the head with it a bit, especially during the scenes where Steve interacts with Dr. Erskine.
They did a wonderful job of avoiding one of my biggest fears, that Steve Rogers would turn into “wisecracking superhero number 36” or a gritty jackass. The tendency to have a character be either dark and brooding to the point of humorlessness, or be a one-liner machine has ruined a few movies lately (I’m looking at you Green Lantern). The writers and directors of this movie didn’t make him a nationalistic bully to make him “more human” and they didn’t make him a costumed star of some bad comedy for “mass appeal”.
Steve Rogers is the kind of character I like the most. His earnest desire to help others is the kind of hero that seems to have be de-emphasised in a lot of movies lately. He doesn’t have to be coerced into helping others. If anything he has to be restrained.
The movie isn’t perfect, of course. I agree with Gail Simone that Hugo Weaving made a far more effective villain before than revealing his “true” face than after. They did as good a job with the Red Skull as they could (and did his facial features far better than, say, Green Lantern did Hal’s mask), but the reveal still came off looking awkward and out-of-place in what is otherwise a pretty good looking movie.
In addition, Hydra uses far more “super science” gear than I thought they needed to. The initial uses of the Red Skull’s technology lent the group some menace, but by the end it felt a bit over-used. By the final few scenes the weapons looked more like action figure material than they did threatening. Aside from those fairly minor criticisms though the movie moved well and kept me interested from start to finish.
So, if you haven’t already I suggest you go see this movie. It’s well worth your time. It is well shot, well-directed, and it has a cast and crew worthy of the character. They did a wonderful job of taking what could have been just another superhero movie and turning it into something special.
I like the kind of selfless hero that they brought to the screen. I can only hope that the upcoming Superman movie takes a few notes.
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