More like Captain Underwhelming...
I'm still not sure how I feel about Marvel's latest blockbuster. Something about its pace, the way montage is used, and my failure to empathize with the romantic sub-plot left me wishing I'd saved that $8.50 for a Chipotle burrito/soft drink combo and waited for the film to reach Netflix. However, I'm more interested in hearing rebuttal and/or dissenting opinion, so let's get through this.
I think what bothered me most about CA was its pacing; the way the plot seemed to just barrel through months at a time in the span of a few minutes, charting the Captain's conquest of Hydra's facilities across Europe. However, what stood out especially about these shoehorned sequences was the ease with which Rogers overcame obstacles - if you can call them obstacles. I mean, I realize he's supposed to be a super soldier, but I literally stared in open-mouthed wonder at how easily he sneaked into that first Hydra base. I suppose I ought to just chalk it up to henchmen incompetence. Add this to the way the film compressed his steamrolling campaign into just a few minutes, and any sense of conflict was lost to me - everything is just too easy for Captain America.
With most dynamic characters, there's at least some kind of bargaining chip for the villains to hold over the hero's head, and I really think that's what makes watching their struggle so interesting. With Rogers, his outstanding morality and patriotism are practically begging to have a wrench thrown into their gears by way of an ethical dilemma (or something similar), but this opportunity is sorely missed. For a character so unequivocally "perfect" in every way, having Rogers make a decision between the lesser of two evils is a no-brainer, but it's as though Marvel intentionally ignored the possibility.
Then there's the romantic relationship between Rogers and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), culminating in what was supposed to be a tearjerker ending.
Now, right about here is where I'd add a second spoiler alert, but honestly, if you're paying attention from the start of the film, you already know what's going to happen to Rogers and that plane he's flying. This is where I think Marvel shot itself in the foot especially deep.
Not only is the relationship between Rogers and Carter compressed in such a way that seems forced and unbelievable, their supposedly emotional farewell is pre-empted by the fact that we already knew the Captain was going down with the ship the moment he stepped on board; the opening sequence in the modern day Arctic Circle doesn't just suggest as much, it outright tells us. Frankly, given the streamlined way Rogers is presented to us as a character, I can't sympathize with his sacrifice deeply enough to lament the loss.
Listening to the dialogue between Carter and Rogers, you can really tell that this is the part where you as the audience are supposed to be sad, but what Marvel attempted to borrow from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic winds up looking more like Seth Macfarlane and Alex Borstein in Something, Something, Something, Dark Side. It's hokey, it's forced, and it does nothing to make me sympathize with the loss.
Seriously, Rogers makes it painfully clear on his first day in basic training that he's the kind of guy who would throw himself on a grenade to protect a perfect stranger. He's a soldier. He's a good American and a good man besides, but he's John Everyman. He's gilded cannon fodder. He's glorified flak. I cared about Rogers' sacrifice about as much as I care about the sacrifice our men and women overseas are making every day (and don't get me wrong, that's really saying something), but I don't really know Rogers much better than I know a U.S. Marine. I'm no more personally invested in Rogers' life than I am in Private John Doe's. In real life, the kind of sacrifice Rogers' makes is more meaningful, but a fictional character has to win our hearts before we can truly "care" about the outcome of his or her fate.
Thanks for reading.
I'm still not sure how I feel about Marvel's latest blockbuster. Something about its pace, the way montage is used, and my failure to empathize with the romantic sub-plot left me wishing I'd saved that $8.50 for a Chipotle burrito/soft drink combo and waited for the film to reach Netflix. However, I'm more interested in hearing rebuttal and/or dissenting opinion, so let's get through this.
I think what bothered me most about CA was its pacing; the way the plot seemed to just barrel through months at a time in the span of a few minutes, charting the Captain's conquest of Hydra's facilities across Europe. However, what stood out especially about these shoehorned sequences was the ease with which Rogers overcame obstacles - if you can call them obstacles. I mean, I realize he's supposed to be a super soldier, but I literally stared in open-mouthed wonder at how easily he sneaked into that first Hydra base. I suppose I ought to just chalk it up to henchmen incompetence. Add this to the way the film compressed his steamrolling campaign into just a few minutes, and any sense of conflict was lost to me - everything is just too easy for Captain America.
With most dynamic characters, there's at least some kind of bargaining chip for the villains to hold over the hero's head, and I really think that's what makes watching their struggle so interesting. With Rogers, his outstanding morality and patriotism are practically begging to have a wrench thrown into their gears by way of an ethical dilemma (or something similar), but this opportunity is sorely missed. For a character so unequivocally "perfect" in every way, having Rogers make a decision between the lesser of two evils is a no-brainer, but it's as though Marvel intentionally ignored the possibility.
Then there's the romantic relationship between Rogers and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), culminating in what was supposed to be a tearjerker ending.
Now, right about here is where I'd add a second spoiler alert, but honestly, if you're paying attention from the start of the film, you already know what's going to happen to Rogers and that plane he's flying. This is where I think Marvel shot itself in the foot especially deep.
Not only is the relationship between Rogers and Carter compressed in such a way that seems forced and unbelievable, their supposedly emotional farewell is pre-empted by the fact that we already knew the Captain was going down with the ship the moment he stepped on board; the opening sequence in the modern day Arctic Circle doesn't just suggest as much, it outright tells us. Frankly, given the streamlined way Rogers is presented to us as a character, I can't sympathize with his sacrifice deeply enough to lament the loss.
Listening to the dialogue between Carter and Rogers, you can really tell that this is the part where you as the audience are supposed to be sad, but what Marvel attempted to borrow from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic winds up looking more like Seth Macfarlane and Alex Borstein in Something, Something, Something, Dark Side. It's hokey, it's forced, and it does nothing to make me sympathize with the loss.
Seriously, Rogers makes it painfully clear on his first day in basic training that he's the kind of guy who would throw himself on a grenade to protect a perfect stranger. He's a soldier. He's a good American and a good man besides, but he's John Everyman. He's gilded cannon fodder. He's glorified flak. I cared about Rogers' sacrifice about as much as I care about the sacrifice our men and women overseas are making every day (and don't get me wrong, that's really saying something), but I don't really know Rogers much better than I know a U.S. Marine. I'm no more personally invested in Rogers' life than I am in Private John Doe's. In real life, the kind of sacrifice Rogers' makes is more meaningful, but a fictional character has to win our hearts before we can truly "care" about the outcome of his or her fate.
Thanks for reading.
