Captain America? Hell No!

Well, I know I'm breaking away from movies again so soon but I've been wanting to do this one for some time and since I haven't watched any of my DVD's to carry on my review of 2012 movies, I thought it's about time I write this one up (I will be resuming with movies for the last post of the week, I'll be watching Rock Of Ages tomorrow if all goes according to plan). Today, it's a comic review, for the mini series Ultimate Comics: Captain America

I don't think I've gone over the Ultimate Universe in any posts so a little history: Marvel wanted to bring in new readers without alienating their existing fanbase but with the amount of history their titles have, it was going to be a task. The solution was to create a new universe and create new versions of the characters from the main universe, but setting it so that a majority of the characters got their starts in the present day, thus making it a little more modern. This way they could make new origins and adventures for new readers, whilst leaving the main universe alone (in short, not rebooting the whole thing like DC). Ultimate Spider-Man led the charge and was soon followed by Ultimate X-Men, the Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four, as well as various mini-series in between. In 2009, the massive crossover Ultimatum occurred and this lead to a rebranding of the imprint, now going by Ultimate Comics, with the current titles being The Ultimates, X-Men and Spider-Man.

I haven't read much since the rebranding (or much of it before the rebranding) but I absolutely adore Ultimate Spider-Man and despite its faults, I'll happily defend it.

But today, I'm discussing Jason Aaron's Ultimate Comics: Captain America mini-series, drawn by Ron Garney.

After a botched mission in North Korea, involving someone distributing the super soldier serum Cap goes to Cambodia to locate the man behind the serum plot and ends as his captive, with the man revealing himself to be Frank Simpson, aka the “Captain America of the Vietnam War”. Frank is set on “educating” Cap on America's evils, determined to break him.

I have to say, from what I expected, this comic was a great disappointment to me. Before I get into that, I'm going to give credit where credit's due.

The art in this book is pretty good. The scenery is bright and vibrant and the action scenes look impressive. Really, there isn't much more to say and that's not because the art's not worth mentioning, just that I'm a story and character person, so unless the art is hideous, I tend not to get caught up in it. There is one aspect I don't like, however, and I'll go over that now.

The biggest problem this comic has, and this is a criticism for most of the other books in the Ultimate imprint featuring Cap, is that... well, Cap's a prick.

I'm not expecting all of the alternate universe versions of the “mainstream” universe to be carbon copies, but in one-shot stories or alternate futures where we probably won't see that version again, you're allowed to go nuts and experiment. But the Ultimate books are ongoing, so we're going to see these characters again and again. In that sense, some divergence is fine, but a recurring trend I've noticed in the Ultimate books (particularly The Ultimates line itself) is that most of the characters undergo some sort of “arseholeification” and it's off-putting (Thor may be one of the few who escapes it, though in return, he gets labelled a crazy man who thinks he's the God Of Thunder).

Cap suffers from it the worst, as he's always putting down other nationalities and acting all like “America rocks! Go us, screw non-Americans!”

For example, the North Korean bungle (which has a scene with Cap holding a gun with a weird expression on his face, like he's biting down on something to not feel the pain from a needle), he says “You can't blame me for that mission going to Hell. Blame those incompetent Brit-” before he's cut off. And before the mission goes to crap, there's this little gem: “C'mon, ladies, it's not tea time already is it? Move your asses”. Yes, because the British love tea. Cap, you're not exactly free of stereotype yourself.

Oh but it gets better: after turning down some food in Cambodia, after complaining it “smells like a cesspool”, he pulls the classic “Does anyone speak American?” bit. You're overseas, Cap. Stop acting like a damn ignorant tourist. Maybe spend less time training when not fighting crime and maybe take the time to learn about other cultures, since you'd be traveling a lot. It doesn't matter if they do speak some English (not “American”, you ignorant clod), that would most likely be due to Frank's influence. And some of them wouldn't be entirely fluent.

Going back to the art thing for a minute, I checked the whole book to confirm this and you know what I noticed? He never smiles, except for one time. He's almost always scowling. I'm beginning to think Garney was possessed by Frank Miller or Rob Liefeld when drawing Cap's face. I kept thinking “Am I reading about Captain America or did I pick up The Dark Knight Strikes Again by mistake?” based on Cap's personality and the politics (though, at least the political aspects make more sense here).

And that one time he smiles? You can barely tell he's smiling. Hell, maybe it's the goddamn Punisher under the costume for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time...

What makes it worse is that I actually like the villain more. It's one thing to have a well-written story in which the hero is awesome but the villain is also cool or a magnificent bastard or the like (basically Batman and The Joker), it's another where you agree with the villain more because the hero is poorly written. That's a bad sign, guys. Frank Simpson may be trying to brainwash Cap with propaganda, but he actually mixes in some truth, and he's almost entirely rational. He's a little extreme, granted, but in his mind, his country betrayed him and he wants everyone to share his belief on how his homeland is mired in corruption. He's actually a well-written antagonist and it's worth reading the book just for him.

Last negative point, how does Cap counter Frank's arguments? In basic terms “You suck. America has made mistakes but it's still awesome and you're not. Commie!” That's how I see it, anyway. If this was the Cap of 616 (main Marvel universe), I'd expect something like “The nation has problems. Always has, always will. But we can overcome these problems and redeem ourselves. We can prove we stand for truth, liberty and justice”. Corny, yes, but the Cap of 616 is a man of honour, compassion, wisdom and is pure of heart.

And that's what it all boils down to. One Cap is a champion of the people, defending anyone and everyone who is in need of defending. The other is a self-righteous arsehole who believes the Bible is the undisputed guide to living life, even while holding a gun. I know, I know, different attitudes and all that, especially considering when the Cap of the Ultimate Universe was defrosted, but if he's meant to represent the American ideal or way of life... that means the Ultimate Universe is filled with bigger arseholes than the 616! And that's no mean feat! And Cap is widely different from them. But Ultimate Cap? Piss off. He'd better improve for future stories.

Well, that about wraps it up. I will say there was a cool scene involving Cap and snake venom, but besides that, the art and Frank, there's not much to go on. Disappointing, especially since it's Captain America.

Recruit A Team Of Heroes With Attitudes

Well, we've looked at all five films leading up the massive crossover film, The Avengers. The dominoes are lined up, the cogs in the machine are all aligned. We've waited four years. But is it a case of a coming together of the greats, or is there still some assembly required?

Before we get into that, let's go over the Avengers as a team in the comics: in September, 1963, Thor's arch-nemesis Loki tricks the Hulk into destroying a railroad track, which leads to Hulk's friend Rick Jones sending out a radio call seeking help, a call which Loki diverts to Thor, in the hopes of drawing him out. What Loki didn't expect was that the distress call would be answered by more heroes: Iron Man, Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, they all defeated Loki and decided to become a team. And it took all of two issues to lose a member, in this case it was Hulk, who left because he realized his unstable personality was a source of great fear for his team mates. But a few issues later, Captain America would be found and he would become a long time member of the team. And the rest is history. A long and confusing history, especially with all the different Avenger teams.

Now, if you don't read comics and know little about them, you're probably wondering who the Hell Ant-Man and The Wasp are. Well, the answer is: they are two characters who had better appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the years to come, because they are great. But that's for another time.

For this film, our team is instead made up of Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, the only change in actors for this film, with Lou Ferrigno providing the voice for the Hulk himself), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), to take on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his alien army. Also joining the fray is Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), a high ranking S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and we also see the return of Coulson (Clark Gregg), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as well as more voice-work from Paul Bettany as Iron Man's AI program, JARVIS.

And... well, OK, I pretty much described the plot right there. They come together, settle their differences and they fight some bad guys.

And you know what? I love every goddamn minute of this movie. From the moment Iron Man ended, I knew this movie was going to be monumental. After five movies, the anticipation just rose even higher. Every scrap of information relating to this movie pointed to it having enough momentum to actually be the greatest Marvel movie ever, to be something that would shape how Marvel's movies would be for ages to come. And considering how this came out in the same year as the currently-the-worst-film-I've-this-year-based-on-rankings Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, it's almost like Marvel are trying not only to wipe away their embarrassment but overcompensate.

The aspect I love the most, the key to this whole film, is the blending of the different styles from the respective films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man's solo segment before the team comes together is hilarious but also sweet, since he's spending time with Pepper. Cap's is solemn and you can tell he's just begging to get back into the action, but there's also drama as he is a man out of time and that weighs heavily upon him. Thor appears later in the film but there's a strong dramatic tone with his first few scenes, especially those with Loki. And Hulk (well, when he's Banner) is funny, but darkly so and showing how he's grown accustomed to his surroundings. As for those who didn't have their own movie, Black Widow's segment is like something out of a spy movie, and it's funny, though Hawkeye doesn't get much of a back-story, if any at all (probably my only real nitpick with the movie, but that's only if I need to have something against it. The good heavily outweighs the bad, so much that the bad is virtually non-existent).

Acting-wise, everyone carries on their role and proves yet again why they have made these roles their own. Mark Ruffalo is the exception, but only in the part about carrying on the role, since he's taking over the role. And how does he do? He may just be better than Edward Norton in this role, and that's a mean feat! He's got Banner's sense of meekness down, and his sardonic wit. And he's also the first actor to actually “play” Hulk, as in, motion capture and such and DAMN! When Hulk smashes, he REALLY smashes! As much as I loved the Hulk in his previous film, he's a sight to behold in this and for anyone who thinks he can't hack it in another sequel, you will damn well apologize right now, because this movie proves that not only does he deserve another sequel, he NEEDS it.

Cobie Smulders is the only other major new player and I have to say at this point that I LOVE How I Met Your Mother, and I consider it the best show currently on TV, and I love her character in the show. And while she's not always on screen here, I loved seeing her here and seeing just how badass she could be. Also, now she shares something with HIMYM co-stars Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris: working with Joss Whedon (more on him later)

Coulson FINALLY gets a bigger role, and he even reveals his inner fanboy about Captain America. Yeah, that guy keeps getting awesome.

But Hiddleston... holy crap, that guy borders on scary! I think it's his smile. That damn slasher smile... it's really bad when he smiles, it means he knows something you don't. And you never want that. While he was great in Thor, he's even better here and he made for a worthy adversary.

Now, Whedon. I love the man's work. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, all classics (though I have yet to see Dollhouse, because they haven't been released on DVD down here, which pisses me off. And I just found out we're not getting a cinematic release of The Cabin In The Woods down here, it's going straight to DVD. Well, it better bloody well be soon, justice must be served!)\

But while his direction is spectacular, his best work is in the script. I kept thinking “Oh that is so Whedon!” at some of the funniest bits, since they remind me of Buffy and Angel, like the deadpan way people snark at each other, or the random humor that takes a little tension out of the scene but not so much as to undermine it, but rather to get us to relax before the drops the hammer (no pun intended).

For example, in one scene, Tony's hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D's database and spouting off all sorts of information, and one thing he says (very matter of factly) “And that guy's playing Galaga and thinks no one can see him”. A few minutes later, we watch as a guy switches his screen back to a game of Galaga. Priceless.

Or this, I love this exchange:
Thor: He's my brother
Black Widow: He killed 80 people in 2 days
Thor: He's adopted

The timing of that, I couldn't help but crack up.

But I can't share my favourite scene for fear of spoilers. I will say this much: despite Iron Man being the funniest character within the movie, Hulk wins with the laugh-your-arse-off moment for the entire affair. It's towards the end. You'll know it when you see it, even though it's in that third act that Hulk gets even funnier.

And the action... oh Lord, is it ever sweet. There's gunplay, sorcery, tech, projectiles and good ol' fashioned fisticuffs. Sure, the battle at the end (not a spoiler, you so know there was going to be a huge one) is epic, and doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's the fight between Thor, Cap and Iron Man that I love the most. Egos clashing, power flowing, the darkness around them, the intensity, it's magic. Especially the end of it.

I could go on all day about it but since it's not out in America at the time of writing, it would be disrespectful of me to do so, since I'd run the risk of spoilers. But I'd like to end on this closing statement:

Everyone that was involved in this movie: you're not leaving. You will damn well come back and do a sequel, no ifs, ands or buts. I know most of you are under contract anyway, which is great, but the rest I don't know about. I know Joss has been offered the chance to direct again should it arise but it's obviously early days. Nevertheless, you can't leave. You all created magic with this film. I was never bored, never insulted and I now consider this the greatest Marvel movie ever.

Whether or not it will be the best movie of the year remains to be seen. As much as this film is an outstanding triumph, the Caped Crusader's next (and last for the live action interim) is its biggest threat. And Nolan always has a trump card. That being said, The Avengers has raised the bar for crossovers and team-up movies. Even if the Justice League movie gets off the ground, it will not be able to beat this. Marvel crafted this to perfection, taking it's time, letting things build up and putting in little clues here and there as to what was coming next. It resulted in a massive pay-off, one that will never be replicated, not until the next time this team is together.

Take all the time you need to, Marvel. You rewarded our patience and we'll happily wait again. Easily 4.5/5, richly deserved.

Well, that wraps up this week devoted to the Avenger film and its tie-in's. Hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did. And a little tip: once the credits roll, it begins with a montage of close-ups of the character's costumes and such, listing the actors for each respective character. After this, the traditional post-credits scene plays, hinting at what's to come (and my jaw dropped at the reveal of the figure who had their back turned to the audience for that scene). So, after that, you can leave if you wish, since there's nothing else after the next set of credits (yes, I stuck around, on the off chance there was some kind of teaser for Iron Man 3) but on the plus side, I got to hear a bitchin' new song from Soundgarden, called Live To Rise. I must have this song. And I will.

So, next week, got something big and special planned, and something completely different from what I've done before. But I won't be saying a thing until next week.

He's In The Nazi Punching Business And Business Is Good

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 at 3:32 pm )

And welcome, to the second in the trilogy of comic book film reviews. Once again, I look at a movie on DVD after seeing it on the initial cinema run and see if it's still as good (or better) the second time around or if I was wrong in my judgment. And today, we're looking at the star spangled man with a plan himself, in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Conceived in the 1940's, Captain America was one of the earliest Marvel heroes (beaten by the oddly-named-no-relation-to-Johnny-Storm-and-is-actually-an-android Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner) and was created to be as patriotic as could be. The first issue of Captain America Comics depicted him punching Hitler square in the jaw, a cover that is now among the most famous, like the covers for Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #1 and Crisis On Infinite Earths #7. After being put on ice towards the end of the war, he re-emerges in the 60's to become part of the Avengers and has stayed a fan favourite ever since.

So, should we pledge allegiance to Captain America: The First Avenger or should we hold a court martial session?

Brief plot synopsis: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is eager to join the army and fight the Nazis but is constantly turned down, based on his physique and medical history. Given a chance to prove himself by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), Steve undergoes a procedure that makes him the first super-soldier and gives the Allies a new weapon in the war. Going by the moniker Captain America, Steve makes it his personal mission to stop HYDRA commander Johann Schmidt (aka the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving)

Besides the usual thing about spoilers, blah blah blah, I have one thing I need to say upfront: I loved this movie.

Much like the other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe/Movieverse, by keeping the project in the family (so to speak) at Marvel Studios, the movie feels much truer to the character and the feel of their own series rather than take huge deviations (like turning Dr. Doom metal in the first Fantastic Four film. Or turning Bane into a complete idiot for Batman And Robin. Or silencing Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, if you want to call him that).

Chris Evans is sensational in the title role, and this is perhaps the best role in a comic book adaptation he's done (and he's done a few, too. The Fantastic Four duology, TMNT, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World before this. It's almost like he's competing with Ryan Reynolds for most comic book movie roles). While he wasn't terrible as the Human Torch (the more well known one this time), it's an interesting contrast to see him go from a cocky, hotheaded lady killer to an earnest, humble, determined young man who wants to fight in a war because he doesn't like bullies. Hell, it might just be his best role yet. One factor that helps sell it is that Steve always has a straight face, even when he's delivering lines about war bonds like a shill. Or cracking jokes (“I've punched out Hitler 200 times”).

In fact, Col. Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones, doing what Tommy Lee Jones does best: kicking ass and taking names) is similar, as he keeps the same disposition (largely) and is almost always deadpan with every line.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) almost always has a smile on his face and knows his way around a joke. One of my favourite scenes is when he's showing off a prototype of a flying car he's created, saying in a few years cars won't have wheels. And not too long after, the car comes crashing down. Without missing a beat, he smiles and says “I said a few years, didn't I?” Yeah, considering how much his son is like him, is it any wonder why this guy's so cool?

With regards to other roles, Hugo Weaving is tremendous in his portrayal of the Red Skull. He revels in his role, and his accent is flawless. Oh and whoever did the work on the Red Skull mask, that was some damn fine work.

Hayley Atwell played an excellent soldier/love interest in the form of Peggy Carter. Much like Pepper Potts from Iron Man, she takes no nonsense, can hold her own and rarely loses composure. She doesn't even get kidnapped, something I love seeing in comic book movies (that's one of my criticisms of the Raimi directed Spider-Man trilogy. While I love it, there are things that nag at me, MJ's constant kidnappings being one of them. I'm beginning to think her name is really Princess Toadstool. But that's for another blog). Hayley and Chris work well together and I hope they do more together in the future.

Speaking of Iron Man comparisons, besides the kick-ass love interests and featuring a member of the Stark family, the most glaring shared trait is the death of the mentor. Both Yinsen and Dr. Erskine are wonderful characters who give our heroes a new motivation or chance at life and both die right before the hero's big debut. If I had to pick, I'd say Dr. Erskine's death is sadder, since Yinsen was actively seeking it so that he could be reunited with his family in the afterlife. It doesn't make it any less sad, but at least he was expecting it and he died with happy thoughts. Dr. Erskine dies pointing to Steve's chest, a callback to an earlier scene in which he told Steve the most important thing in life is to be a good man. Steve takes it hard and so do we. I almost wish the movie would bend the rules and let Steve teleport right in front of the Nazi saboteur and beat the living snot out of him. The guy may die later, but Steve doesn't get the satisfaction of doing it or even letting the authorities handle him, as he kills himself with a suicide capsule.

While it is a comic book movie, it's also a war movie and it balances the two nicely. Besides the idea of a super soldier serum, a shield made out of a fictitious material and a cube of unimaginable power, there's nothing out of the ordinary that would prevent this from being a stand-alone war movie, even with Steve's costume. The action is invigorating, from all the gun play to the vehicular combat. But the best action scenes... well, anytime Cap throws his shield, that's where the awesomeness lies. In fact, my absolute favourite scene of the movie has Cap leaping into the air then coming right down on some goon, shield first.

If I had one complaint (and me being me, I have to find at least one thing I don't like in great movies. But the opposite is true too, I like to find the good in the truly awful. For example, the good thing about White Chicks is that the disc makes a handy target when you run out of clay pigeons), it's the scene where Cap gets kissed by that hussy of a secretary and Peggy sees it. Now, at this point in the movie, she would probably know Steve almost as well as he knows himself and they both know he's not a hotshot around girls. Yet she gets frustrated at him and doesn't berate the secretary. OK, the shots following are hilarious (involving actual shots, too!) but I felt like it was a misstep. Peggy is smarter and she shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion she did. But it's minor, anyway.

All in all, of the five Marvel Studios pictures, this falls slightly short of defeating Iron Man, but by no means is that a bad thing. I mean, Iron Man's an amazing film that would have been the best comic book movie (and probably best movie) of 2008 if not for a certain film featuring a man dressed as a bat taking on a clown.

Hell, none of them have been crap. And Captain America: The First Avenger is no exception. It's a dynamic, heartfelt, bold film with a great build-up to next year's Avengers movie. And believe you me, it's the biggest threat to The Dark Knight Rises.
In fact, for anyone who hasn't seen this movie yet, stick around after the credits for a teaser for the Avengers.

Oh and Stan Lee's cameo was hilarious. But there's one that outranks all of his cameos. Which is it? Next blog...

But before closing, how do I score Captain America: The First Avenger? 4/5, easily. A solid film and very easily a top 10 contender for when I rank the films I've seen this year.