Releasing Studio: Paramount/Marvel Studios
Disc/Transfer Specifications: 1080p High Definition; 2.35:1; Region 1 (U.S.) Release
Video Codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Tested Audio Track: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (played back in 5.1 configuration)
Rating: PG-13
Director: Joe Johnston
Starring Cast: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci
PEARL'S PLOT ANALYSIS:
Like most other Region 1 folks, I picked this up early yesterday morning – release day – from a local Best Buy, opting for the standard 2D variant of the Blu-ray that comes with the DVD version and digital copy. Let’s get the packaging of
Captain America out of the way first – I am utterly disappointed that Paramount didn’t give this, or
Thor for that matter, steelbook treatment, especially given the fact that Universal gave a ho-hum-at-best title like
Fast Five a steelbook package, as they have the
Jurassic Park franchise set also just released yesterday. I think fans who enjoyed this film theatrically were expecting something in the way of a steel cover package, perhaps with Cap’s iconic shield raised in relief off the front; instead, what we get is the ordinary slipcase (in the case of Best Buy’s packaging, as they did with
Thor) featuring a “clip” from an early Captain America comic on the back. Best Buy likes to call this “exclusive” packaging, but to me, making a DVD or Blu-ray release truly “exclusive” should entail something along the lines of what they did with
The Hills Have Eyes on DVD (with the unique “blood packet” in the slipcase) or, of course, given it the steelie treatment. There is also something overtly cheesy and off-putting about the artwork of Chris Evans used on the cover; Paramount could have come up with something much better, even if it was to merely use an image of the shield.
Upon a second viewing of
Captain America – that is, in my own screening room on Blu-ray, outside of a commercial theater – it became even more clear to me that Joe Johnston gave this film a bit of a rushed element in order to coincide with the upcoming
Avengers launch, and while there’s an interesting enough backstory here, the conclusion is kind of hurried to bring Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers character into modern day society so he can join up with SHIELD. Alas, there’s really no way to connect a genuine
Captain America sequel to this unless the plot doesn’t take place circa World War II – now that Rogers (Evans) is in modern day America, the
Avengers plot must pick up from here.
That aside, this was a solid origin story effort from Paramount, Marvel and Johnston, and while many have called it a bit slow moving and un-involving due to the war element, this remained true to the comic origins for the most part and fans of the books will be pleased. Was it Marvel Studios’ best effort to date? No. What that is, I’m not sure – I am still loyal to the first two
Spider-Man films, in which I truly believe Sam Raimi just nailed the ultimate comic adaptation on film – but
Captain America sure was fun, theatrically and at home for the most part, and it was a night and day difference compared to the first travesty we got years ago trying to bring this character to the screen. The main issue I had with the casting here, though, was using Chris Evans in yet a second Marvel character – I realize they’re two separate entities within the comic universe, but Evans was already cast as Johnny in
Fantastic 4, and to me that just adds a conflict of interest element within Marvel’s world. Every time I see him as the Human Torch in
Fantastic 4, I think of him as Rogers in
Captain America and vice versa. It’s almost like this one guy is in two places at the same time, even though in reality it’s just one actor (Evans) portraying two separate roles – but I keep thinking Rogers and John Storm are interchanging their presence somewhere in the world. I know, weird.
But from everyone that could have portrayed Rogers, I believe Evans was a good choice; once in the iconic helmet and costume, his facial gestures looked right and he seemed believable tossing the shield around and taking out Nazis. The strange transformation from scrawny strength less Brooklyn weakling to gung-ho super soldier keeping his genuine rage towards America’s enemy in World War II was totally believable, even if the downright bizarre method used to superimpose Evans’ face and head onto the scrawny little body early on is still a bit disturbing. Johnston does an excellent job with painting the right mood and feel for the era at hand, giving the film a blatant olive/beige/golden hue that really draws us into the time period; without it, I don’t think
Captain America would have succeeded nearly as well. We are genuinely transported back to a time when Adolf Hitler ruled Europe and most of the surrounding lands, interrupted by, if anything, the HYDRA weaponry and “advanced” science and technology that seemed way out of place throughout. It is suggested that the secret science division of the Nazi organization, lead by Hugo Weaving’s “Red Skull” character, has tapped into a power harnessed by the gods themselves (references to the
Thor world are made in various parts) and has allowed them to create futuristic-like weapons that just don’t feel right in the context of the plot; of course, I totally understand this was a comic adaptation and you have to just go with it, but I am merely pointing out how I felt about that aspect of the story at times. Further, there’s the young “Howard Stark” element; Johnston includes him here but it really feels like a tacked-on tactic to include notable members of the SHIELD/
Avengers initiative as we ramp up towards that feature film. I am sure Tony Stark’s father played a major role early on during the World War II days, creating weapons and technologies for the U.S. government via his Stark Industries (in the
Cap comic run) but I feel his role in this was a bit on the cheesy/thrown-in-for-good-measure side. Of course, we all remember when elements of Cap’s shield prototype are found in Tony Stark’s lab toward the end of
Iron Man 2, suggesting Howard had kept parts of the “super soldier” experiment all those decades. It’s interesting, if anything, how all these themes are converging to steer towards
The Avengers scheduled to launch in the summer of 2012.
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