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Just Another Superhero Movie, With One or Two Differences

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 04:23:00 -0400

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

Just Another Superhero Movie, With One or Two Differences

Originitis is a common plague affecting all 4 major comic book movies of Summer 2011. All of them share the redundancy of acquainting us with who they are, how they came to be, and (yawn) their intangible adversaries, be it arrogance (Thor), prejudice (X-Men), fear or something like it (Green Lantern), and… Well, the last superhero of the summer actually doesn’t have one.

Yes, Captain America, or Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he is known, has all the character qualities of someone fit to be a superhero. He’s brave and good-hearted. Perhaps he even deserves an iron suit or a thunder-charged hammer more then their current beholders. Problem is, he doesn’t even have normal powers. Not even the customary square jaw.

In fact, with the help of some dodgy CGI, our main man is skinny and frail, regularly deemed unfit to serve the troops in World War II despite trying and failing over and over to join the army.

His persistence attracts the attention of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who sees a “good man” within Rogers and taps him up to be the first ‘Super Soldier’; a new breed of soldiers injected with a special blue serum to possess above-average human powers. Think the finest Olympian ever on the planet, and add an extra 25% to get the picture.

It is also said that the serum amplifies everything, with the good becoming great, and the bad becoming worse, as is the case with the main reason behind the allies’ usage of such a serum: to thwart the plans of the first man injected by the serum, Jonathan Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), aka Red Skull, boss of Hydra, Nazis’ specialized research division. Like every single one of us, Herr Schmidt is hellbent on world domination, this time with the aid of one glowing magical cube that’s apparently the hottest property in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

To cut a long story short, template-wise, Captain America: The First Avenger doesn’t bring forward anything exactly new within the confines of the costume hero troupe, except for its period setting and its retro-futuristic production gimmicks (director Joe Johnston also did The Rocketeer). The tone, set, and props add a nice polish to an otherwise typical action-adventure vehicle.

The movie also differs with the other three superhero offerings of the season as it doesn’t only tell the first adventure of the Captain, but rather encapsulates every single one of them during the war, highlighted in a brisk-paced second act, as he and his ‘Howling Commandos’ bring the fight to Hydra. This and the fact that the initial obstacle facing Steve Rogers is more physical than mental, add up to a origin story that doesn’t exhibit the usual symptoms of Originitis.

Having said that, it ironically suffers from a lack of Originitis, namely that intangible adversary. While Chris Evans does an admirable job of portraying an uplifting hero that we can all root for every time he raises his shield, at times the lack of personal conflict makes us feel like it’s all smooth sailing for our Captain.

Perhaps it’s just the clear-cut nature of having a white man in a black and white world, and we’ll only see more about the man as he suits up in a grayer world in The Avengers (can’t wait to see him trade lines with Mr. Stark), but earnestness alone leaves a lot left to be desired.

A heightened sense of danger would’ve increased my intrigue with the struggles of the Captain, but I have to say that the machinations of the villainous Red Skull and minions seemed too obvious, straightforward, and easy to defeat, a surprise considering the supposed difference in manpower and technology between the two sides at war. A letdown considering the way Hugo Weaving gobbles everything up with his red face and accent.

On the other side, behind the Captain you have his squad, you have Tommy Lee Jones as a military gruff seemingly shoe-horned for him, and Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, the main romance interest in the film. All of them do decent work without really knocking the ball out of the park, although it has to be said that the Captain America - Peggy Carter relationship is one of the better Marvel on screen flings, almost up there with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.

In the end, Captain America: The First Avenger sets up the bannisters pretty nicely for next summer’s superhero boyband concerto. As a standalone film it doesn’t owe up too much like Iron Man 2, has its own thing going for it, entertains with its spirit, yet falters a little bit in trying to blow us away.

By the way, don’t forget to wait until the credits are finished for a little something about that boyband concerto.

popculturebrain: The League of Extraordinary 30 Rock |...

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:06:23 -0400

popculturebrain:

The League of Extraordinary 30 Rock | Buzzfeed

By artist Alex Ross. (Via)

Why should Community and Parks and Rec get all the fan art? 30 Rock deserves some too and this is genius.

helloyoucreatives: Clean up after your dog…

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:02:36 -0400

helloyoucreatives:

Clean up after your dog…

Photo

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:05:54 -0400

The World of Harry Potter in Comic Form

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:55:23 -0400

defyingapollo:

Harry Potter and the philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Wow.

theartofanimation: Marc Simonetti

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:54:55 -0400

theartofanimation:

Marc Simonetti

Photo

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:23:23 -0400

LOL headvertising: Bench Ad Placement :) Advertising Agency:...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:26:23 -0400

LOL

headvertising:

Bench Ad Placement :)

Advertising Agency: DDB, Auckland, New Zealand
Executive Creative Director: Toby Talbot
Creative Director: Regan Grafton
Creatives: Damian Galvin, Rory Mckechnie

Can’t wait for the sequel.

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:44:48 -0400

Can’t wait for the sequel.

theartofanimation: Gregory Fromenteau

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:59:47 -0400

theartofanimation:

Gregory Fromenteau

Photo

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:23:44 -0400

magnolius: Indolo Bar by Byungryang Lee from SANG AM, South...

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:02:10 -0400

magnolius:

Indolo Bar by Byungryang Lee from SANG AM, South Korea

This advertisement for Iberia, the main airline in Spain, is ...

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:55:51 -0400

This advertisement for Iberia, the main airline in Spain, is ridiculously clever. Utilizing the normally mundane strips at the entrance of airport baggage carousels, the iconic bullfighter symbol of Spain promotes direct flights to the European nation. The vivid red not only captures the traditional cloth used by bullfighters, it makes the advertisement hard to ignore. I love design that turns something grey and regular into something really special. Genius!

Super cool. popculturebrain: The Story of Two Unused Official...

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:35:43 -0400

Super cool.

popculturebrain:

The Story of Two Unused Official ‘Super 8′ Posters | /Film

Officially commissioned by Bad Robot, by Daniel Skubal and Veronica LaPage. Click through the story behind these real, Struzan-esque one sheets.

Photo

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:30:32 -0400

designdelight: A Short Love Story in Stop Motion by Carlos...

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:25:06 -0400

designdelight:

A Short Love Story in Stop Motion by Carlos Lascano

helloyoucreatives: “A sex worker by any other name is still...

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:34:18 -0400

helloyoucreatives:

“A sex worker by any other name is still human. Respect their human rights.”

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:12:24 -0400

Three way tie between Lake Como Italy, my birthplace, Yodogawa Christian Hospital Osaka, and Ipanema Beach. Sorry I couldn’t pick a clear winner.

Fits the bill. 1000drawings: Loren is a geek (by Vero Navarro)

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 15:33:36 -0400

Fits the bill.

1000drawings:

Loren is a geek (by Vero Navarro)

My birthplace, and hopefully in the near future, my…...

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:27:53 -0400

My birthplace, and hopefully in the near future, my… chikan-place ho ho ho. Oho.