Pictured: "Marvel Secret Wars Captain America Action Figure". I owned this and a slew of others... which ruled. Strange enough, every figure- good guy...bad guy...all came with a shield with a weirdo image card in it. Cap's was the only one that made sense. Incidentally, I'da killed to have the Ice-Man figure. He was a variant offered in the Fleet Farm catalogue. He was, like, the "Mer-Man" figure of that toy line back in 1985.
I want you to use your imaginations. Imagine a little blonde curly-headed little kid who was heavily influenced by imagination and the stack of comic books he always read at the cabin. (You know...instead of being outside) A kid who did his best to make believe he was whichever super-hero was ingrained in his brain on any particular day. His costumes were usually his Underoos worn over a pair of his mother's old unitards- with the occasional red ski mask or towel-cape being used to complete the ensemble. We all know that he spent a majority of the time as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (and still coughcough does...sometimes) But he did his due imaginary diligence and tried being every superhero. At least the one's he had underpants for.
One prop he used had multiple purposes, and it was a plastic-y garbage can lid. Originally he used it to play "Perseus" from "Clash Of The Titans" wielding it (along with a stick or fishing pole as a sword) against Kraken's (Willow tree) and Gorgon (swingset) alike. Another use for that shield was when he found his attention zig-zagging toward a cabin comic that told the story of Steve Rogers. A sickly young man who (through SCIENCE) becomes "Captain America"! Kicking Nazi ass left and right before gettin' frozen, thawing out in the present day to lead the Avengers. Around that time Marvel, bless'em, was reeeeeally trying to cash in on their properties based on the success of "Superman" (and to a smaller extent, "The Incredible Hulk" TV series) but rather than release them as major motion pictures they all stayed on the small screen. And so while my favorite hero ended up being played by the kid who was "Rolf" in "The Sound of Music"? The good captain? Was Reb Brown. In a pervy conversion van. And a motorcycle.
Still...I put on my Captain America Underoos. We had an old plastic football helmet with the the cage removed that my mom and I painted it blue and added wings on the sides. I had a blue felt mask with an "A" sewn in the middle. And I'd take that garbage can lid, wedge it between the handle bars of my Big Wheel, and tear ass around the cul-de-sac...dismounting occasionally to take off my "shield" and fling it frisbee style at my imaginary opponents while humming the "Captain America TV Movie" themse song. (And that shield was about as graceful as you'd think a plastic garbage can lid could be. Occasionally it'd catch some air and bang into the aluminum siding on our house, prompting my mom to yell)
And then I zig-zagged on to another hero. Maybe it was "The Flash"...or maybe "Green Lantern". Either way, I think I got busted by dad for walking around outside in my underwear. In December.
Here's the thing..."Captain America" is a hard property to produce. Evidenced by terrible TV movies and the 1994 turd (to be fair, at least that one tried to get the costume right) He carries a SHIELD for pete's sake. The character isn't hugely compelling. They tried making him cooler when the "Ultimate" universe imbued him with an interesting arc and a better "look" (No more lil' wings on his mask) but he's not all that edgy. Not really hip. Regardless...most geeks just want the films to be as close to their beloved properties as the one done on paper.
I mean, you can't just throw a red cape on Betty White with a $20 million budget and have it say "BATMAN" on the title card. (Wait...write that down) And coming off the heels of some surprisingly popular and well done movies, how was this guy gonna fare on the big-screen? Here's Marvel Comics version of a big-blue boy scout. Which brings us to the short review, free of spoilers even:
During WW II, 90 lb weakling Steve Rogers is given secret super sauce to become the worlds first Super Hero Super Soldier. He fights Nazi's, Over-Exfoliated Bad Guys, and Sheriff Ed Bell's Grouchiness. Hijinks ensue.
And here's where I'll leave it. IMO, they got the movie really, really right. And this might seem blasphemous, but I'd even go so far to say that...next to "The Dark Knight"? It's probably one of the best super hero genre movie to date. I left the theater with a big stupid grin on my face. I loved every frame. I loved the geeky nods that weren't distracting, hamfisted, or overt. I loved how (like the Hammer in "Thor" earlier this year) the SHIELD wasn't distracting or stupid looking. I loved the MUSICAL NUMBER! (Take note, "Spider-Man 3")
I loved the knowledge that this is going to be another part of what's going to be an ambitious film next year. (And pleasepleaseplease be good)
Mostly, and maybe I'm being too rosy with this- I can appreciate that it had a lot of heart. And my buddy Eva was right...there were definitely places that you get choked up. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
5/5 stars Highly Recommended
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