Captain America: The First Avenger-review

You'd never guess, but that guy is American.

            I was never a huge Captain America comics fan.  I always thought he was just a U.S. propaganda tool that got popular and overstayed his welcome.  There have been several attempts to put him on the silver screen and all were huge failures.  This also had another thing that worried me, Chris Evans.  The man was Johnny “The Human Torch” in both abominations of films of “The Fantastic Four”.  Despite all these factors, the movie turns out pretty damn good.

            First off, the make up and CGI to make Chris Evans appear as scrawny Steve Rogers is done extremely well.  It’s very believable and as a whole he plays it with a lot of heart.  That is what I liked most about his performance.  He played a little man who is very brave, extremely well.  I was very impressed by him and he made this a very rewarding movie since he normally plays such brash heroes.

Don't be stupid be a smarty, come und join ze Nazi Party

            The villain was the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving, who is good at what he does- though the character itself is fairly over-the-top.  His motives are incredibly vague despite being a central character.  He also is followed by masked goons that he kills for no reason other than that he is an evil Nazi.

            I liked the rest of the cast a lot.  Stanley Tucci is always great.  Tommy Lee Jones brings a decent performance and Haley Atwell does a stellar job as the love interest.  All the people are folks you generally care about at least but there are a few flaws that that I would like to nitpick about.  For one, I was not a fan of the abrupt ending.  There was no real closure to things with the villain or with many of the supporting cast.  This left me with a hollow feeling despite it being an otherwise good movie.

I can't wait until someone invents the internet.

Another thing that bugged me was how incredibly PC they made his squadron.  They toss in a black guy and an asian guy to make the ensemble complete.  Now this wouldn’t be a problem in modern times but they are trying to keep it authentic to the 1940s. In all reality black guys wouldn’t be fighting with white guys. As for the asian guy, he would not even be in the army.  He would be likely be interned in a camp in California.  I am not saying that I approve of these awful acts, but whitewashing history doesn’t make it better either.  It would be like making a Civil War picture and just to be fair having Native Americans, African Americans and white guys all together in the same Southern regiment as equals.

Red Skull you magnificent bastard! I read your book!

That all aside, it’s still a good movie.  It has strong characters in it and a worthwhile story despite the few flaws I mentioned. I would definitely count this on the summer list of movies to see.  It’s going to lead up to the movie “The Avengers” so if you are at all curious be sure to stay after the credits. Until then- happy watching.    

Thor- review

Alright Stop!...HAMMER TIME!

Summer movies are kicking off with a big bang. I am at least glad to say “Thor” was actually really good.  The characters are well developed. The action is really done well and the dialogue is fun.  Plus, I can see how this will fit with the canon of the “Avengers” movie as well as tie into the “Iron Man 2” part that most of us caught staying after the credits.

The story is about a hot headed Norse God named Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth.  Who the hell is that? Remember the latest “Star Trek” movie? He was Kirk’s ill fated father.  He is next in line for the throne of Asgard.  But because he is an impetuous youth who really knows only battle his father sees he has a lot to learn.  His brother Loki, played expertly by Tom Hiddleston, is at his side until their father gets them out of a jam with some frost giants. This causes Odin, played by Anthony Hopkin’s to banish Thor to the mortal world and strip him of his powers until he becomes worthy of them again. 

Can you hear the lambs screaming Thor?

This story is would only be so-so if not for the very King Lear relationship Odin has with Loki and the other relationships developed throughout the film.  It really fleshes him out as a villain and makes him understandable.

As for the other relationships, Thor is written really well as a fish-out-of-water character. His relationship with people, as well as relationships to his fellow gods as a man, compared to when he was a mighty god- is amusing throughout the movie.  The way all the relationships of the characters tie in together with the central plot you actually gain a really solid movie that is wildly entertaining.

No shit? You won an Oscar?

            The cast is great in their roles. Though, after seeing “Black Swan,” this performance seems a bit phoned in for Natalie Portman. I guess a girl has got to eat. Kenneth Branagh directs and does a really good job making this story of comic gods seem epic and fun.  If you haven’t seen a decent superhero movie for a while, give this one a try. It’s a really fun ride and a great way to kick off the summer blockbuster season.