Captain America
Jul. 31st, 2011 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiffieBeen trying to post this since Friday. It finally worked. Yay!
So. The movie. Saw it. Surprisingly, it did not suck. Even more surprisingly, it was... actually, pretty damn good. :D
Non-spoilery thoughts:
Despite being PG-13, there's a lot of death. A lot of it. It's mostly Star Trek death (shoot-fall-down and vaporization type things), but there is one very nasty death scene that even made me hork a little. I have done necropsies and this made me queasy. If you dislike blood and/or violent deaths, go with someone who's seen the movie before, and they can tell you when to close your eyes.
Unlike a lot of other films, this one was long enough to actually feel like a real movie. There were quiet moments, silly moments, and action-y moments and none stepped on the others' toes. The pacing, too, was mostly good -- it built slowly, but when it was going, it was going.
The acting is good all-around. Typically, in action movies, men are the leads and women are added in just for eye-candy and can't act a whit. (A damn shame, because there are some great actresses out there who I'd love to see in action films.) I LOVED the female lead, and if there was a way to just get an entire movie about her and Cap being buddycop, I'd be fine with that.
The film ties in quite neatly with Thor and Iron Man. If you haven't seen those, watch them first. One of the major plot points of the film relies on the audience being in the know. Not that the movie would be unwatchable if you haven't seen them, but really, it will only help you. If you have seen them, you'll be playing "spot the reference" through the entire film. Everything is so nicely tied together.
And, as with all of the other Marvel films, be on the lookout for Stan Lee and STAY 'TIL THE END. :D
I'll try to go in chronological order with the movie, but I'm not sure how successful I'll be. On we go.
HOLY FUCKING SHIT TEENY STEVE IS SO ADORABLE MARRY ME. Feel free to add this sentence back into any part of the film. Really, Steve never stops being adorable, and I think that's the movie's strongest asset. He may be determined (gonna enlist, hrn. B|), serious (gonna save people, hrn. B|), or sad (gonna cry now, because Bucky. Hrn. B|), but he never stops being Steve. And, considering one of the big themes of the film is staying who you are, inside, I think they did an excellent job with that.
And oh hey it's Bucky. I would have preferred a bit more development with him, especially between him and Steve, but what we get isn't bad. And he certainly comes off as in-character throughout the film, which is impressive. Oh, womanizing, head-strong Bucky; I wish they'd included a Toro for you to pal around with.
Erskine was incredibly well-cast, well-acted, and well-written. For someone who has very little actual screentime, you want him to stay around forever and be Steve's father figure. Obviously, he doesn't and can't, but for a mad scientist, he's kind've sweet. He also functions as the voice to Steve's own inner monologue without being heavy-handed about it. It's a nice workaround to a film's lack of little yellow thought boxes.
World's Fair: Oh. My. God. It's Jim. I'm gonna be honest, I may have made some girly, squee-y noises in the theatre when I saw the tank. Jim is my favorite comic book character, hands-down, and I never thought I'd get to see any reference to him at all in a film. Granted, Steve and Bucky leave before the... ah... demonstration, but HE WAS THERE. RIGHT THERE. EEEEEE. Sadly, I didn't spot any references or nods to Namor. I think that he may have been left out intentionally, considering that Marvel has a Sub-Mariner project planned, and they may not know what direction it's going, but if they're gonna mention the Human Torch, why leave out ol' Fishface? Sad.
Ladies and gentlemen, Howard Stark originating the family tradition of blowing shit up. Fuck yes, flying (then exploding) car. I love that this is a set up for later. I also love that he is very clearly Howard Hughes, but without the crazy obsession with sweet, sweet Mormon blood.
The flag gag at Camp Leigh made me laugh. I was expecting a Mulan moment, but that one was both surprising and so very in-character. Steve's clever, and I'm glad they got a chance to show that.
ALAN MENKIN I WANT TO BOTH HURT YOU AND HUG YOU AT THE SAME TIME. Dear lord, that SONG. Why you do dis. Why. Totally going to play this, full-blast, on the Fourth of July, just to piss off the neighbors.
When Steve is up there, on-stage, and punches Hitler, am I the only one that thought of, "I have fun! ...Remember that time I punched Hitler? That was fun!"?
Zola's introductory shot made the comic nerd in me happy. There are so many little gags like that, little nods and shout-outs, that I am terribly glad I was such a Captain American nerd as a kid.
Speaking of evil bastards... Hugo Weaving, please continue to take villain roles. You are a creepy son of a bitch and that's awesome. The Red Skull is such a good villain, made even better by having a skilled actor behind the mask. (There are moments where the prosthetics look less-than-intimidating, but Weaving's acting makes up for any shortcomings there. I doubt a lesser actor could have worked through those spots so easily or fluidly.) They played up the idea that the Skull is a rabid dog with no master, only out to fulfill his own goals -- indeed, one of the cities on his list for total annihilation is Berlin, right along side Chicago and New York. He's also a real threat -- not just because he's physically strong (he punches a dent in Cap's steel shield), but because he's got all of Hydra-- fanatical, multitudinous Hydra, with it's futuristic tech --behind him, and they're loyal to HIM. Screw Hitler, they've found themselves a proverbial god to stand behind. In that way, the movie seems to amalgamate the more Nazi-loyal Red Skull of the books with Baron von Strucker, the more traditional Hydra leader, but it works quite well without adversely affecting the character. Indeed, given his aim (to find and utilize the Cosmic Cube), it makes sense that the Skull would want to break from Hitler and go on his own -- that kind of power is hardly shared.
The Howling Commandos. Wowza. They went all-out, didn't they? I-- Wait. Was that Brian Falsworth? *checks IMDB* Oh-ho! It's Montgomery! A bit mis-placed from his proper timeline, but what the hey. Considering what they did with the X-Men in First Class, maybe we're lucky he landed in a world war, period. Though, I wonder if that means Jackie will be a modern-age character, in the movie-verse? If she is, that means that she and Jim-- hell, most of the Invaders, proper --will never meet. Damn.
Oh, glorious fantasy Nazi tech. I had a book that had a bunch of "1946"-ish plane designs from WWII, when I was wee. That rotary-engined VTOL jet was in there. Ditto with the Horten -- albeit a smaller variant. Seeing them actually using real designs as basis for their future-tech pleases me. Stark's stuff, too, made me happy. His little remote-controlled sub (how much do you want to bet he'd named it Jarvis?) at then end, there, was a total moment of bwee. Adding: Hell, all of the dials and knobs and switches in this movie are love for the steam- and diesel-punk; I may watch it again just to see the machinery.
Bucky's death, while not a surprise, was none the less a little jarring. I'd say that it's a weak spot, if only because Steve and Bucky's friendship isn't built enough by that point. Yes, we know they were friends before Steve got zapped, but one more little moment of camaraderie would have been sufficient to add weight to Bucky's deathscene. Lacking that, it feels a little forced. Still, because we don't see him die properly, I'm guessing he'll go the Winter Soldier route and show up again in the Avengers movie. I hope we get some more character development there.
Aww, Steve can't get drunk.
Col. Phillips... Okay, I'm gonna be honest: when Tommy Lee Jones came onscreen for the first time, I was a little leery. He's a good actor, yes. He was given a good role, yes. But he just didn't seem totally into it. Then the recruits started their training and he got progressively further and further into "I must have pissed off someone in Washington to have been stationed here" mode, and everything clicked. By the end of the film, I wanted nothing more than to keep watching him be old and cranky and awesome. Possibly while driving that stolen Nazi staff car through the base. Actually, by the end of the film, you'll probably want everyone to keep being themselves, forever. Every character is enjoyable.
Of Cap's "death scene." Ah. Okay, knowing that he comes out of it, it sacrifices some of its impact (no pun intended). And being essentially the same scene as Papa Kirk biting it in Star Trek, you'd think it would be hokey or feel overdone. It's not and it doesn't. Despite it only being there to get Cap into the present-day, it's one of the more emotional spots in the film (rightly so) and you may cry. I did. I'm also a sap.
THAT'S IT CAP PUNCH THOSE GUARDS. AAAAAA YOU'RE ON A MOVIE SET. EVERYTHING'S A MOVIE. YOUR LIFE IS A LIIIEEEEE. I may have actually said this in the theatre. So sue me. SLIGHTLY disappointed that Cap's escape was not stopped by Hank Pym ("Don't worry... he's still wriggling."), but eh. Though the scene is played for humor, I think Chris Evans' expression, which I read as closer to fear than determination or anger, makes it a bit more depressing than anything else. You really do want to just hug Steve and tell him everything's fine, even though that's utter bullshit and everything is fucked up and horrible and everyone he knew is DEEEEEEEEAD.
Finally, the after-credits scene: Dear lord, why did they ever let Robert Downey, Jr. play himself? This will only end inbeers tears. Also Thor. Seriously. Just. Thor. Unf.
Almost forgot -- the end credits, themselves! These were amazing and I wholeheartedly adore whoever decided to add them to the film. They're exactly the type of thing I would have put in there. Further, they're just great-looking on their own -- if I could get a "blank" copy of them, I'd be happy for a long while.
So. The movie. Saw it. Surprisingly, it did not suck. Even more surprisingly, it was... actually, pretty damn good. :D
Non-spoilery thoughts:
Despite being PG-13, there's a lot of death. A lot of it. It's mostly Star Trek death (shoot-fall-down and vaporization type things), but there is one very nasty death scene that even made me hork a little. I have done necropsies and this made me queasy. If you dislike blood and/or violent deaths, go with someone who's seen the movie before, and they can tell you when to close your eyes.
Unlike a lot of other films, this one was long enough to actually feel like a real movie. There were quiet moments, silly moments, and action-y moments and none stepped on the others' toes. The pacing, too, was mostly good -- it built slowly, but when it was going, it was going.
The acting is good all-around. Typically, in action movies, men are the leads and women are added in just for eye-candy and can't act a whit. (A damn shame, because there are some great actresses out there who I'd love to see in action films.) I LOVED the female lead, and if there was a way to just get an entire movie about her and Cap being buddycop, I'd be fine with that.
The film ties in quite neatly with Thor and Iron Man. If you haven't seen those, watch them first. One of the major plot points of the film relies on the audience being in the know. Not that the movie would be unwatchable if you haven't seen them, but really, it will only help you. If you have seen them, you'll be playing "spot the reference" through the entire film. Everything is so nicely tied together.
And, as with all of the other Marvel films, be on the lookout for Stan Lee and STAY 'TIL THE END. :D
I'll try to go in chronological order with the movie, but I'm not sure how successful I'll be. On we go.
HOLY FUCKING SHIT TEENY STEVE IS SO ADORABLE MARRY ME. Feel free to add this sentence back into any part of the film. Really, Steve never stops being adorable, and I think that's the movie's strongest asset. He may be determined (gonna enlist, hrn. B|), serious (gonna save people, hrn. B|), or sad (gonna cry now, because Bucky. Hrn. B|), but he never stops being Steve. And, considering one of the big themes of the film is staying who you are, inside, I think they did an excellent job with that.
And oh hey it's Bucky. I would have preferred a bit more development with him, especially between him and Steve, but what we get isn't bad. And he certainly comes off as in-character throughout the film, which is impressive. Oh, womanizing, head-strong Bucky; I wish they'd included a Toro for you to pal around with.
Erskine was incredibly well-cast, well-acted, and well-written. For someone who has very little actual screentime, you want him to stay around forever and be Steve's father figure. Obviously, he doesn't and can't, but for a mad scientist, he's kind've sweet. He also functions as the voice to Steve's own inner monologue without being heavy-handed about it. It's a nice workaround to a film's lack of little yellow thought boxes.
World's Fair: Oh. My. God. It's Jim. I'm gonna be honest, I may have made some girly, squee-y noises in the theatre when I saw the tank. Jim is my favorite comic book character, hands-down, and I never thought I'd get to see any reference to him at all in a film. Granted, Steve and Bucky leave before the... ah... demonstration, but HE WAS THERE. RIGHT THERE. EEEEEE. Sadly, I didn't spot any references or nods to Namor. I think that he may have been left out intentionally, considering that Marvel has a Sub-Mariner project planned, and they may not know what direction it's going, but if they're gonna mention the Human Torch, why leave out ol' Fishface? Sad.
Ladies and gentlemen, Howard Stark originating the family tradition of blowing shit up. Fuck yes, flying (then exploding) car. I love that this is a set up for later. I also love that he is very clearly Howard Hughes, but without the crazy obsession with sweet, sweet Mormon blood.
The flag gag at Camp Leigh made me laugh. I was expecting a Mulan moment, but that one was both surprising and so very in-character. Steve's clever, and I'm glad they got a chance to show that.
ALAN MENKIN I WANT TO BOTH HURT YOU AND HUG YOU AT THE SAME TIME. Dear lord, that SONG. Why you do dis. Why. Totally going to play this, full-blast, on the Fourth of July, just to piss off the neighbors.
When Steve is up there, on-stage, and punches Hitler, am I the only one that thought of, "I have fun! ...Remember that time I punched Hitler? That was fun!"?
Zola's introductory shot made the comic nerd in me happy. There are so many little gags like that, little nods and shout-outs, that I am terribly glad I was such a Captain American nerd as a kid.
Speaking of evil bastards... Hugo Weaving, please continue to take villain roles. You are a creepy son of a bitch and that's awesome. The Red Skull is such a good villain, made even better by having a skilled actor behind the mask. (There are moments where the prosthetics look less-than-intimidating, but Weaving's acting makes up for any shortcomings there. I doubt a lesser actor could have worked through those spots so easily or fluidly.) They played up the idea that the Skull is a rabid dog with no master, only out to fulfill his own goals -- indeed, one of the cities on his list for total annihilation is Berlin, right along side Chicago and New York. He's also a real threat -- not just because he's physically strong (he punches a dent in Cap's steel shield), but because he's got all of Hydra-- fanatical, multitudinous Hydra, with it's futuristic tech --behind him, and they're loyal to HIM. Screw Hitler, they've found themselves a proverbial god to stand behind. In that way, the movie seems to amalgamate the more Nazi-loyal Red Skull of the books with Baron von Strucker, the more traditional Hydra leader, but it works quite well without adversely affecting the character. Indeed, given his aim (to find and utilize the Cosmic Cube), it makes sense that the Skull would want to break from Hitler and go on his own -- that kind of power is hardly shared.
The Howling Commandos. Wowza. They went all-out, didn't they? I-- Wait. Was that Brian Falsworth? *checks IMDB* Oh-ho! It's Montgomery! A bit mis-placed from his proper timeline, but what the hey. Considering what they did with the X-Men in First Class, maybe we're lucky he landed in a world war, period. Though, I wonder if that means Jackie will be a modern-age character, in the movie-verse? If she is, that means that she and Jim-- hell, most of the Invaders, proper --will never meet. Damn.
Oh, glorious fantasy Nazi tech. I had a book that had a bunch of "1946"-ish plane designs from WWII, when I was wee. That rotary-engined VTOL jet was in there. Ditto with the Horten -- albeit a smaller variant. Seeing them actually using real designs as basis for their future-tech pleases me. Stark's stuff, too, made me happy. His little remote-controlled sub (how much do you want to bet he'd named it Jarvis?) at then end, there, was a total moment of bwee. Adding: Hell, all of the dials and knobs and switches in this movie are love for the steam- and diesel-punk; I may watch it again just to see the machinery.
Bucky's death, while not a surprise, was none the less a little jarring. I'd say that it's a weak spot, if only because Steve and Bucky's friendship isn't built enough by that point. Yes, we know they were friends before Steve got zapped, but one more little moment of camaraderie would have been sufficient to add weight to Bucky's deathscene. Lacking that, it feels a little forced. Still, because we don't see him die properly, I'm guessing he'll go the Winter Soldier route and show up again in the Avengers movie. I hope we get some more character development there.
Aww, Steve can't get drunk.
Col. Phillips... Okay, I'm gonna be honest: when Tommy Lee Jones came onscreen for the first time, I was a little leery. He's a good actor, yes. He was given a good role, yes. But he just didn't seem totally into it. Then the recruits started their training and he got progressively further and further into "I must have pissed off someone in Washington to have been stationed here" mode, and everything clicked. By the end of the film, I wanted nothing more than to keep watching him be old and cranky and awesome. Possibly while driving that stolen Nazi staff car through the base. Actually, by the end of the film, you'll probably want everyone to keep being themselves, forever. Every character is enjoyable.
Of Cap's "death scene." Ah. Okay, knowing that he comes out of it, it sacrifices some of its impact (no pun intended). And being essentially the same scene as Papa Kirk biting it in Star Trek, you'd think it would be hokey or feel overdone. It's not and it doesn't. Despite it only being there to get Cap into the present-day, it's one of the more emotional spots in the film (rightly so) and you may cry. I did. I'm also a sap.
THAT'S IT CAP PUNCH THOSE GUARDS. AAAAAA YOU'RE ON A MOVIE SET. EVERYTHING'S A MOVIE. YOUR LIFE IS A LIIIEEEEE. I may have actually said this in the theatre. So sue me. SLIGHTLY disappointed that Cap's escape was not stopped by Hank Pym ("Don't worry... he's still wriggling."), but eh. Though the scene is played for humor, I think Chris Evans' expression, which I read as closer to fear than determination or anger, makes it a bit more depressing than anything else. You really do want to just hug Steve and tell him everything's fine, even though that's utter bullshit and everything is fucked up and horrible and everyone he knew is DEEEEEEEEAD.
Finally, the after-credits scene: Dear lord, why did they ever let Robert Downey, Jr. play himself? This will only end in
Almost forgot -- the end credits, themselves! These were amazing and I wholeheartedly adore whoever decided to add them to the film. They're exactly the type of thing I would have put in there. Further, they're just great-looking on their own -- if I could get a "blank" copy of them, I'd be happy for a long while.
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I will comment moe later because I must RUN to work now, but:
Date: 2011-08-01 10:12 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2011-08-01 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 01:09 pm (UTC)I'm glad they put in the thing about the bonds X3
I'm less glad over how they handled Bucky, especially the end. Rather perfunctory, and then the whole thing is just a blip with the one moment in the ruined saloon (granted we get the no-drunk quip there); but I blame the montage syndrome for that. It's a very very weak point though, because anyone not familiar with these characters already will likely be "... okay?" because there's not as much development as there could be.
Which death was the one that made you want to hork? I guess I must be kind of desensitized or something, I'm literally drawing a blank on anything too horrible >.>;;
no subject
Date: 2011-08-01 05:11 pm (UTC)Then we shall disagree. I liked it well enough, though -- yes, I will agree that they could have trimmed something from the beginning, but as I thoroughly enjoyed everything, I'd be at a loss as to what. Some of the buildup with Agent Carter? Some of the Stark gags (as we get him a lot later)? I don't know. v(._.)v
B-but! Steve being a fail-been at the camp was awesome! His reaction to "GRENADE!" made me smile like an idiot. :D
As for Bucky-- yes. Totally. He needed more showing and less telling. We get Carter saying he was Steve's friend -- well, hell, we only saw them together for a little while! How do we know?
For everyone else: I can't say. I was very familiar with only Dum Dum and Falsworth. The others were a blank. I still enjoyed them. I think, considering the time constraints, they gave what they could to make them likable, but any more info and it would have taken time away from plot.
Which death was the one that made you want to hork?
When Cap and the Hydra goon are fighting, mid-air, on the pusher plane? The one launched from the flying wing? The goon gets knocked off and falls into the propeller, turning into a fine, red mist. I was this close to heaving, there. Ugh.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 03:32 am (UTC)And the grenade bit was awesome X3 But some handfuls of minutes could have been trimmed if one or two or so of the more generic "dude is a 98lb weakling yo" scenes were skipped -- we already had that established more than once earlier, what with the alley ambush and the repeated health exam failings etc etc ...
Much as I love the Howling Commandos I could have done without a good deal of what we had for them if it meant better and less disjointed scenes with the actual lead of the movie X3
... Aah, that death scene. I admit I was more "duuuuuude red mist :o" *is a horrible human being*
no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 06:44 am (UTC)Yeah. XD
no subject
Date: 2011-08-02 09:20 am (UTC)