Nov
11
Captain America is a tough nut to crack. He’s a man out of time, a WWII super-soldier frozen in ice for a couple of decades then thawed at the beginning of the turbulent 1960s. He represents a generation that may have dubbed itself “The Greatest,” but in hindsight, our country had a ways to go; we still do. I’ve always liked Cap as a fish-out-of-water type of character. Unlike Superman, who’s evolved in tandem with our culture, Captain America woke up one morning and found the world had changed without him. There’s a lot of potential for interesting stories surrounding Cap’s dislocation in the modern day.
But that’s not the movie Marvel Comics is going to make. Not yet anyway.
From what I’ve read, “First Avenger: Captain America” — a title that comes close to the awfulness of “X2: X-Men United” — will be set entirely during World War II. I’m absolutely fine with that approach, too. The first issue of “The Ultimates” takes place during Cap’s final mission, and it’s a fantastic read — “Saving Private Ryan” by way of the Marvel U. Last summer’s “Iron Man” successfully thrust a Vietnam era hero into the 21st Century. Let’s see a Marvel superhero fighting in The Big One.
AICN and every other geek site in the multiverse has announced that Joe Johnston is signed to direct the Captain America film. Johnston’s a workmanlike director. I’m looking forward to “The Wolfman,” but that’s entirely due to Benicio Del Toro’s involvement, not because Johnston called the shots. Fanboys will point to Johnston’s “The Rocketeer” as a vastly underrated comic book movie. I think it’s alright, but like “The Shadow” and “The Phantom,” it captures the spirit of the old Republic serials without becoming transcendent; it’s no “Flash Gordon,” that’s for sure.
I think Marvel’s getting a little ahead of themselves in rounding out the Avengers team in such short order, considering their only mega-hit to date has been “Iron Man.” I’m getting the vibe that the studio is more interested in getting these projects in the pipeline ASAP rather than making sure the projects are good to go. They announced the release dates for “Iron Man II,” “Thor,” “Captain America” and “The Avengers” before any scripts had been written or deals had been made; Terrence Howard’s departure from the “Iron Man” saga and the uncertainty over Jon Favreau’s involvement with the sequel are two signs the studio’s going off half-cocked. Hiring Joe Johnston to helm “Captain America” seems like a safe bet, but he’s not exactly the populist hitmaker they should’ve courted. I would love to see Michael Moore’s take on the material.
-Brad Lohan
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