Like every decade, there is a thematic concept for the blockbuster film. It used to be ingenuity in ideas, advancement in big scale emotional roller coasters, then surprise twists, then that dreaded time somewhere within the last ten years when every movie needed a sequel (such as: Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Daddy Day Camp... both of which are not quite Troll 2).Then somehow, Marvel Studios decided to be the next big thing and started churning out superhero flicks at a more rapid rate. Sure, they had a hit with Spider-Man, but can we really forgive Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer? Luckily they've gotten better, arguably so much so that they decided to take on a big property that Voltrons it's big characters into one super force called the Avengers.
This would seem like a lark, but take some time to count box office tallies and Rotten Tomatoes scores. If Marvel plans on striking gold, it might as well do it now. Hence, the infomercial known as Iron Man 2, in which we begin a three year arc that should be called The Avengers for Dummies featuring Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk (revamped yet again), and...
CAPTAIN AMERICA!
Hailed as the first Avenger, this is the final puzzle piece into that big puzzle. Now, my relationship with this character is very faint. I haven't seen him as more than a piece of super propaganda to get unbeknownst teens to sign up for the war. I couldn't tell you who his metaphorical (Nazi) enemies are, but damn if he looks good kicking ass.
This origin story focuses around Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he fails to get recruited by the army before joining a group to become a super soldier through unorthodox testing. Yadda, yadda, yadda... he becomes the strong and athletic every man that America longs to be.
So, he does road shows before finally deciding to break out of the war bonds business and actually fight the enemy, Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). It's then that not only does he find his perfect uniform, but also the courage and crew to make Americans proud.
The movie is directed by Joe Johnston, whose magnificent work on the Rocketeer, can clearly be seen as influence in these scenes. While it lacks the enthusiasm (and James Horner score) of that film, Captain America manages to play on the campier, more ridiculous aspects of the perceived character of the time with newsreel footage and serials, as well as ridiculous costumes and witty one liners that make him all the more complex and interesting as a character.
However, while I enjoyed the initial character (and using a shield as a boomerang? Brilliant), it's the plot that keeps this from beating Thor for the best pre-Avengers film (next to Iron Man, of course). He is essentially an interesting guy who has some great defects from the medicine, but there seems to be a lack of chemistry with women. Also, when it comes to the big action sequences, they at times feel pointless and go nowhere for long stretches of time (often times awkwardly cut as to confuse the viewer during transition).
Despite all of it's small flaws, it does manage to be the least upfront about the Avengers mythology. While it draws influences from Thor and Iron Man's worlds, there are not blatant shout outs to their product placement. The most we get is a reveal of Howard Stark, Tony's father and creator of many life altering inventions. He manages to bring so much charm and charisma into the story with what few lines he's given that you almost wish he was a more central character.
Overall, the movie suffers from overlong action sequences featuring an otherwise very entertaining performance by Chris Evans and the cast of some of the better supporting characters in this Avengers hoopla. It does it's job on clarifying any loopholes those who lack the comic book cred would not understand without being downright insulting about it.
Is it the best in the series? No? Is it a strong entry? For the most part. Does it make the Avengers seem more promising? Yes. However, it's hard to think that the Avengers movie will not suffer the Three Stooges syndrome and have too many personalities choking air for screen time. It may be good, but better than any that we've seen this summer? Seems doubtful, especially with this level of hype.
True, I am just some guy who never read comics until Daniel Clowes came along, so the fact that I've sat through so many superhero flicks shows some merit. I judge by what I see, and what I've seen is not nearly as interesting as, say, Ghost World.
I may never get superheroes entirely, but I hope that if anything, Marvel Studios will continue to at least impress me on the entry level of making compelling characters that live interesting lives. I commend them for that and congratulate them on at least having some cohesive structure in their franchise this summer. They've managed to make me care about these characters (more-so than Green Lantern, anyways) enough to make me forgive their past mistakes. Are these my favorites? No (though I did like the first two Spider-Man movies a lot), but I can at least appreciate them as quality blockbuster faire that should be paving over the trite path that has become the lowbrow nonsense of summer movies.
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