I’ve been catching the soundtrack on Pandora and absolutely love it. As I listen to it yet again, it occurs to me that I should detail the funderful things that really made the movie stand out for me (and inspire me as a writer). So here it is, my list of what I liked about the Captain America movie.
1) Bucky wasn’t some dumb kid sidekick.
At the start of the movie, he was more physically fit that Steve Rogers, smart, capable of making his own decisions (none of this “What now, Cap?” crap), and had a good head on his shoulders. Even after Steve became Captain America, Bucky was didn’t become a shadow or suddenly “dumbed-down” for plot’s sake. He remained a strong, independent character who was a great foil for Steve and provided an excellent emotional plot hook after the movie’s midpoint. I love me some strong sidekicks.
2) “I just don’t like bullies.”
Steve’s reasoning for wanting to join the U.S. Army (and participate in the super-soldier program) wasn’t based on blind patriotism or some need to prove himself. His big issue was he wanted to protect people, something he proved time and time again by his responses and reactions to dangerous situations. He didn’t want to be a hero. He just wanted the opportunity to contribute, defend, and help others. My kind of superhero: practical, optimistic, believable, and not at all camp.
3) It Ain’t Your Daddy’s Villain Organization
Back in the day, and even as recently as the 80s, the Nazi threat was the big villain in most Captain America comics that touched on the war era. But most audience members today only know World War II as a historical footnote, not having lived through the very real fear and sensationalism of those dark days. The Red Skull (Cap’s most fearsome enemy) was the lead villain in the movie, and he was a Nazi. But the emphasis was put on the “new” organization Skull created for his own nefarious purposes, Hydra. By taking the Nazi boogeyman out of the equation, the movie felt much more sinister and threatening. It also removed the “not the Nazi threat again” camp factor.
4) The Chorus Line
When Steve becomes Cap, the lab is destroyed, the scientist who whipped up the super-serum dies, and there is general pandemonium. Steve manages to stop some of the goons who attacked, but when he gets back to the lab, does he get a welcome? Nope. He gets a very realistic “God, what do we do with this guy?” moment. The army can’t afford to lose the one super-soldier they have until they rediscover the formula that made him work. And Steve Rogers was a wimp with no actual war experience. So, a general sends him off to the USO as the lead in a patriotic musical to help raise war bonds. Not only does Steve not know how to act in his first couple of times onstage, but later in the movie he gets to claim that his qualifications for leading a group of soldiers is that he slugged Hitler 200 times (it was part of the musical).
5) The Love Interest
You knew there had to be a love interest. It wouldn’t be a Hollywood movie if there wasn’t a moment of sexual or romantic tension. It this case, they go the romantic tension route (which works with the movie’s style) and the love interest is Peggy, a military woman working at the super-soldier program. Not only is she capable, strong, and independent (given the times), but she starts falling for Cap when he is still plain ol’ wimpy Steve Rogers. She likes him for his brain, not for the awesome hot body he gets after the experiment. This is the first time in forever that I’ve seen Hollywood present an intelligent romance plot. I’m not a big fan of the instant “see-lust-hookup” plots that seem all the rage in fiction and movies these days. I want character connections. If characters are going to fall into bed together, they’d better be pursuing the one night stand plot or the getting to know each other plot.
6) Humor without the Camp
The script was littered with one-liners and comebacks that had people (including me) rolling in the aisles, but it was smart, sassy humor. The director and scriptwriter(s) didn’t patronize us, or treat us like little kids. They built this movie with the idea that the audience members would have some level of intelligence and would get the jokes without being hit on the head with the clue bat. Also, they respected the medium, the character, and the history. They didn’t go for the over-the-top nonsense. This was primarily a “character in war” movie. And yes, the main character had to wear the 1940′s equivalent of colored spandex, but it didn’t seem so stupid given everything else that was happening in the movie.
7) A Reason to Follow
Unlike the comics, the soldiers in the movie had no respect for Cap when they first met him. He was part of a USO show, didn’t fight in the theater, had no scars or wounds or anything amounting to the experience of his faux rank. Therefore, he was a sissy-boy not fit for their company. Then he proved himself by going behind enemy lines to rescue hundreds of captured soldiers from Hydra’s grasp. Bucky had been in one of those captured units and Cap was tired of sitting on the sidelines. So he had good character motivation, and then he proved his worth on the battle line. By saving so many good men, and not seeking credit for the accomplishment afterwards, he became the hero in their eyes that he was in our eyes.
There are several more reasons I could list for enjoying this movie: sets, costumes, acting, directing, lighting, and special effects. The whole movie was the product of many people’s labor, but you couldn’t tell because they had one unified purpose. This wasn’t just an attempt to make money off a famous Marvel comic book character. The movie was a love letter to the fans, and an homage. Someone, or several someones, involved in this project is and was a tremendous fan. I love that this project got treated with so much deference, respect, and care. I never was a huge Captain America fan myself (I mostly prefer DC comics). But now, I need to purchase the movie DVD so I can see it again. And again. And again.
Because, damn, it really was that good.
One Response
Excellent write-up
Nicely put Brandie. It really was a good movie done by people who respected the subject matter. That’s unfortunately rare. So many of the other super hero films are made by people who either don’t understand the medium or are convinced they can improve on it. Same situation comes with people converting books to movies. Starship Troopers is my personal “most loathsome” conversion.