Captain America: The First Avenger Review Thread (Spoilers)

[vegeta88]

Originally Posted by GreenScar

With Marvel Studios running independently, the international box office success is essential to it's over all success. I'm sure they'll still do Cap justice. As far as the actual story of where it begins in time and ends (with him being frozen or found), it's all been speculation in these boards up until know. The only thing we know for sure is that the movie will mostly (at least) take place during WWII and that Bucky will be in the movie. Everything else right now is unconfirmed.

One things for sure, Marvel Studios is 2 for 2 with it's movies.

I'm fine with Marvel switching the story up a bit from the first origins, they did that with Hulk and Iron Man. I don't want comic book movies to be exactly like the source material with the exception of certain finite series like Watchmen. It's not like MArvel is just making stuff up either, they are drawing from a huge background of different source material.

Yeah, Marvel is 2 for 2; The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man are on a short list of the top comic book movies. They're just really good movies in general.

[Darkhawk9587]

Hmm. That sure sounds interesting. I'm not sure about the Invaders aspect if they're in there. I hope they don't screw this movie up. Cap is one of my top five favorite comic characters. Looking forward to more info on this, like maybe some casting announcements perhaps...

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by Darkhawk9587

Hmm. That sure sounds interesting. I'm not sure about the Invaders aspect if they're in there. I hope they don't screw this movie up. Cap is one of my top five favorite comic characters. Looking forward to more info on this, like maybe some casting announcements perhaps...

Well, I don't think we'll see the Captain America everyone knows now until The Avengers. There weren't very many of us around when he was going through the WWII stories in the comics. I'm very interested in hearing what the overall story will be.

[Call_Me_Megatron]

I'm really excited for this movie.

After Iron Man & The Incredible Hulk, Marvel has shown me that they know what to do with their own properties. I'm sure whatever route they decide to go will be great.

I'm glad this will be an origin flick since I don't know too much about Cap. I know enough to get by, but I never really followed him when I was younger.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by GreenScar

Well, I don't think we'll see the Captain America everyone knows now until The Avengers. There weren't very many of us around when he was going through the WWII stories in the comics.

agree, that is what I think the biggest issue is. CA did do some stuff on his own but he was no IM, SM, Batman.... he was military during a war, many times he was fighting alongside the common man. He was not a superhero like we have today, he was a super soldier (top human performance in all that matters to being in the military).

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

agree, that is what I think the biggest issue is. CA did do some stuff on his own but he was no IM, SM, Batman.... he was military during a war, many times he was fighting alongside the common man. He was not a superhero like we have today, he was a super soldier (top human performance in all that matters to being in the military).

He was a superhero.

The Super Soldier serum is no different than just infecting someone with radiation {like the Hulk} and giving them super powers.

Logan

[CYMBOL]

Captain America was one of the few comics I read as a kid.

Looking forward to this one.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

He was a superhero.

The Super Soldier serum is no different than just infecting someone with radiation {like the Hulk} and giving them super powers.

Logan

so what was his super power? but then again probably Marvel does not know anything either. http://marvel.com/universe/Captain_A..._(Steve_Rogers)

The Super-Soldier formula that he had metabolized had enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency.

that was what made him special. He might be great but he was just human in the end. Not some freak, not some ultra rich guy that can buy anything. He was a normal soldier (just the best). That is why he was big during the 40's and 50's, people needed someone "normal" to believe in and to make seam anything is possible but then with peace goinmg on long enough and the rest some normal military dude doing espionage in a costume became uninteresting to the masses.

[Darkhawk9587]

Originally Posted by GreenScar

Well, I don't think we'll see the Captain America everyone knows now until The Avengers. There weren't very many of us around when he was going through the WWII stories in the comics. I'm very interested in hearing what the overall story will be.

Very true. The original Cap was scrapped in the late 50's/early 60's and built from the ground up in the Avengers. So long as the movie uses the true WWII Cap along with some characteristics of the Cap most of us know, I think this'll be a good movie. Can't wait to hear more about this.

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

so what was his super power? but then again probably Marvel does not know anything either. http://marvel.com/universe/Captain_A..._(Steve_Rogers)

that was what made him special. He might be great but he was just human in the end. Not some freak, not some ultra rich guy that can buy anything. He was a normal soldier (just the best). That is why he was big during the 40's and 50's, people needed someone "normal" to believe in and to make seam anything is possible but then with peace goinmg on long enough and the rest some normal military dude doing espionage in a costume became uninteresting to the masses.

It automatically {I believe within a few days} turned him from a skinny kid with pour constitution to someone who is almost superhumanly strong and fast.

That would seem to give someone super powers to me, maybe you're just not getting it, but the Hulk is also a regular guy until he gets angry, if it wasn't for the radiation he wouldn't be a super human.

Same thing with Captain America, he took the serum and went through the process and voila, instant super hero.

He wasn't 'just some soldier' he was THE soldier, the ultimate soldier.

As much as you want to argue semantics I really don't feel like doing so.

Logan
P.S.

You should have kept reading the Captain America bio:

Powers
Captain America represented the pinnacle of human physical perfection. He experienced a time when he was augmented to superhuman levels, but generally performed just below superhuman levels for most of his career. Captain America had a very high intelligence as well as agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction time superior to any Olympic athlete who ever competed. The Super-Soldier formula that he had metabolized had enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency. Most notably, his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance.

[blubryant]

Did I just read that someone said, if someone from another country wouldn't like an America themed movie they wouldn't want to watch a superhero movie. That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've read, being from Canada I'd love to see a Captain America movie, mostly just because Marvel has shown how awesome they are. If it was a Fox Cap' movie however, I'd just skip it. Back to my point though, I think everyone who loves superhero movies loves them, regardless of if they are American or not. On the other hand if Marvel made a Wolverine movie I'd be all over that, us Canadian's love us some national pride, just like you guys down south do, but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the material. As I'm sure many Americans went to see Wolverine, I however didn't see it yet >.> stupid Fox.

[vegeta88]

Originally Posted by blubryant

Did I just read that someone said, if someone from another country wouldn't like an America themed movie they wouldn't want to watch a superhero movie. That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've read, being from Canada I'd love to see a Captain America movie, mostly just because Marvel has shown how awesome they are. If it was a Fox Cap' movie however, I'd just skip it. Back to my point though, I think everyone who loves superhero movies loves them, regardless of if they are American or not. On the other hand if Marvel made a Wolverine movie I'd be all over that, us Canadian's love us some national pride, just like you guys down south do, but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the material. As I'm sure many Americans went to see Wolverine, I however didn't see it yet >.> stupid Fox.

Sorry, I guess I didn't make much sense the way I phrased it
EDIT: I figured out what I was trying to say. No matter how much universal appeal they try to put in this movie, there will still be people out there who still won't see it becuse he/she doesn't like America or who think this is just American propaganda like 300 or the American flag in the Indiana Jones 4 trailer. END EDIT

Anyway, I really hope we get Captain America doing the trademark throw his sheild and have it bounce off stuff/people and have it come back to him at least once. It might be cheesy but I like it. I heard that Stan Lee added that to the character (hope he makes an appearance in the movie).

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

It automatically {I believe within a few days} turned him from a skinny kid with pour constitution to someone who is almost superhumanly strong and fast.

Same thing with Captain America, he took the serum and went through the process and voila, instant super hero.
He wasn't 'just some soldier' he was THE soldier, the ultimate soldier.

Although, during the WWII comics, he also kept it hidden under a Clark Kent-style sad-sack alter ego--with his comedy-relief Sarge never suspecting--as the serum experiments were supposed to be buried in secret.
(And how do we know this?--It took the old 60's Marvel toons about eight or ten shorts before they finally got to the iceberg/Avengers storyline.)

It was corny back then, and it's corny now, so hopefully the movie producers are leaning toward more of a "period-style" Invaders piece, so as to clean up and dispatch those earlier ideas they had for a Sub-Mariner movie, too.

[kdn1221]

Captain America is one of my favority super-hero characters. I like the fact that the story will take place in WWII and is an origin story. I like the approach that Marvel is taking with these movies. It gives them a chance to tell the back story of each major character (his strengths/weaknesses) and it builds interest for the Avengers movie where they can really get down to business without having to explain the characters to the audience.

To have the Avengers movie earlier wouldn't work because the filmmakers will have to explain the characters before they can proceed. We all know that it never works when too much is being crammed into a movie because you end up short changing and lose important information that completes the story. In contrast, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four worked because they were always a team. The individual team members don't usually function on their own. The members of the Avengers, just like the Justice League, are characters that have their own history outside of the team. They can stand alone in their own story.

I'm looking at Marvel's approach to this series of films as a multi-chapter story (sort of like a film version of a crossover). The nice thing about it is that, if done right, will give the audience (comic fans and non-comics fans alike) a small self-contained universe made up of: Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and the Avengers. At least a 6 film collection that can be viewed individually or as a complete story.

Captain America is a character that is generally recognized in the comic world but may not be known. Granted that he doesn't have "super-powers" but enhanced abilities as a result of the Super Soldier program and the serum that he was given. But then neither does Batman. Super-hero doesn't mean super-power.

The reason that WWII is the appropriate setting to introduce Captain America is that his background was a WWII soldier. I would hope that we get to see his nemesis, the Red Skull, in this movie. Since the movie is WWII based, it also lends itself for sequels because other Captain America movies can depic other "missions" that he was involved in that could allow the incorporation of characters from the Invaders. This would not interfere with any plan for an Avengers sequel since the Avengers would depic Cap's involvement with the Avengers in the present while the "Captain America" adventures would take place in the WWII era. It's the best of both worlds.

As far as making the movie more international because non-Americans might not be as interested may not be a valid assumption. This may be true years ago, but super-hero movies have been around for quite a while and with this project, people have known by now that this is all leading up to the Avengers. I, myself, don't watch a movie because it's American. I watch it because the story premise might be interesting. James Bond is a good example of a movie property that have universal appeal (good or bad).

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

It automatically {I believe within a few days} turned him from a skinny kid with pour constitution to someone who is almost superhumanly strong and fast.

almost superhuman but in the end it is human strong and fast. If someone takes steroids to make themselves stronger will that mean they have superpowers? After all he became stronger and faster then he would otherwise have been?

Same thing with Captain America, he took the serum and went through the process and voila, instant super hero.

not instant, the strength and power yes, but the training that made him what he was took time.

He wasn't 'just some soldier' he was THE soldier, the ultimate soldier.

agree, and a propaganda tool, as someone else pointed out in the comics he was a "normal" soldier until the military decided that the ultimate soldier would be able to have a much bigger effect (bring up moral on the field and at home) if he stood out more (and came up with the CA costume and shield). On the other hand there must be some soldier (probably more then one) that are considered ultimate soldiers in real life , would you consider them to have super powers as well?

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

almost superhuman but in the end it is human strong and fast. If someone takes steroids to make themselves stronger will that mean they have superpowers? After all he became stronger and faster then he would otherwise have been?

Having trouble reading your own link.

It mentions that he had superhuman powers.

not instant, the strength and power yes, but the training that made him what he was took time.

Instant strength and power = super powers.

agree, and a propaganda tool, as someone else pointed out in the comics he was a "normal" soldier until the military decided that the ultimate soldier would be able to have a much bigger effect (bring up moral on the field and at home) if he stood out more (and came up with the CA costume and shield). On the other hand there must be some soldier (probably more then one) that are considered ultimate soldiers in real life , would you consider them to have super powers as well?

If they ingest a super solider serum and get super powers... then yes, I could consider them to have super powers.

What an asinine question.

Logan

[vegeta88]

Originally Posted by kdn1221

Captain America is one of my favority super-hero characters. I like the fact that the story will take place in WWII and is an origin story. I like the approach that Marvel is taking with these movies. It gives them a chance to tell the back story of each major character (his strengths/weaknesses) and it builds interest for the Avengers movie where they can really get down to business without having to explain the characters to the audience.

To have the Avengers movie earlier wouldn't work because the filmmakers will have to explain the characters before they can proceed. We all know that it never works when too much is being crammed into a movie because you end up short changing and lose important information that completes the story. In contrast, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four worked because they were always a team. The individual team members don't usually function on their own. The members of the Avengers, just like the Justice League, are characters that have their own history outside of the team. They can stand alone in their own story.

I'm looking at Marvel's approach to this series of films as a multi-chapter story (sort of like a film version of a crossover). The nice thing about it is that, if done right, will give the audience (comic fans and non-comics fans alike) a small self-contained universe made up of: Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and the Avengers. At least a 6 film collection that can be viewed individually or as a complete story.

Nice post! Thank you for using paragraphs.
I agree that these characters have very seperate backgrounds and can't be lumped together like the X-Men; they don't share that cominality 'We are mutants, outcasts of society'. It is so cool that it is 6 different films (at least) connected, probably the largest movie crossover ever.

I'm excited

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by jadedeath

Having trouble reading your own link.

no, I am just not retarted.

Instant strength and power = super powers.

how is that a super power? Let me ask you this, guy has asthma, startys running, gets an attack and can’t breath, (maybe even falls to the floor), takes a pump and starts running, instant strength and power, right? Superpower? Guy takes anabolic steroids, he can run better, pick up more weight then he could otherwise do, superpower?
Doing human stuff (even if exceptionally good) is not a superpower. X-ray vision is a super power, invulnerable to gun shots is a superpower, making webs and clinging to walls is a super power, flying is a superpower, turning green and inhumanly strong is a superpower, commanding lightning is a super power…. Wearing a red and blue suit and using a shield is not a super power, wearing a robotic armour is not a super power….

[GreenScar]

I would opine that they're Super Powers because they weren't his own powers. I don't think that Steve Rogers would be able to accomplish what he could've with out the serum. Because it was a transformation it's Super (not his own innate ability). It's probably semantics really, it can be agreed that what Cap can do physically is something Steve Rogers would never be able to accomplish on his own merits. (including growing his brain tissue)

[GreenScar]

One more source on Feige's comments after the IM2 panel about Cap:

After unveiling some dazzling new Iron Man 2 footage at Comic-Con Saturday afternoon, Marvel Studios exec Kevin Feige took time to update us on another high-profile project in his company’s ambitious pipeline, The First Avenger: Captain America.

On the film’s storyline and how it might be shaped to appeal to an international audience:

“Captain America is really the story of Steve Rogers, like Peter Parker, like Bruce Banner, like Tony Stark. By the way, Tony Stark is about as jingoistic a guy there is. He’s always talking about America, what’s right for America, making weapons to go to war with the rest of the world with and [Iron Man] did extremely well overseas because his story was engaging. This movie is Steve Rogers’ origin story, and I think it is our burden to make Steve Rogers as appealing as any of our other characters ... he’s not just the perfect boy scout who follows order every time. He has ideals he wants to live up to.”

On the decision to set the movie in World War II and the possibility of an appearance by the 1940s-era supergroup the Invaders:

“Also, setting it in World War II — the Marvel version of World War II — I think is gonna open it up in another big way ... What’s funny is it will actually end up being, I think, our most diverse and our most international film, in terms of the content of the movies itself. It takes place overseas much more than any of our other films do. In terms of the cast, there’s a group that Steve works with that will have an opportunity for many more international actors than any of our other films.”

On potential villains:

“We are gonna explore those aspects of World War II that made Cap special: the Super Soldier program, Red Skull, Hydra, all of those things that exist in the Marvel version of it. As you know if you read the comic books, the origin of Captain America is really the origin of the Marvel universe ... it’s about that time in history when the idea of the superhero began to emerge.”

Feige, who was wearing a Marvel hat in case anyone forgot where he works, indicated that they're “about halfway though” developing the script, with a target date of June 2010 for the start of production. As far as casting is concerned, don’t expect any major announcements until October, when director Joe Johnston (The Wolf Man, Hidalgo) joins the production full-time.

Can a period-based comic book flick succeed in a genre dominated by glossy, futuristic films? And is The First Avenger: Captain America the latest example of franchise-obsessed Hollywood's disturbing trend towards comic book flicks with annoyingly cumbersome titles? We'll just have to wait and see, true believers.

Nice! This means the movie is progressing and we should know who is cast as Captain America soon.