Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America, the patriotic, science created superhero who first appeared during WWII. Captain America was one of the first comic book heroes and as such had a huge fan following over the years. I didn't read comic books, so I only knew of the character as the dude who wore red white and blue and carried a shield. Having that in mind, I don't know how well the movie keeps to the Captain America comics, but I'm told it does a fairly good job. Anyway...

The USA is deeply embroiled in WWII, with nearly every able bodies male heading to the local recruiters office and shipping off to war. When the small, puny, picked on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) tries to enlist he is rejected “4F” and sent packing. My step-grandfather was rejected 4F back in WWII and went into a depressed slump for quite a while. Not so with Rogers. He just makes up a new name and keeps trying at different recruiting centers, hoping to finally make it through. What Rogers lacks in strength and size, he makes up for in humility, and perseverance. Rogers catches the attention of a defected German scientist working with the US Government to make a super soldier. By the miracle of modern (1940's modern that is) science and a performance enhancing serum Rogers is turned into Captain America. Had he been made today he would certainly fit right in with half of Major League Baseball. Rogers eventually heads to Europe to help battle the Nazi menace.

Throughout the movie Rogers maintains the same confident, but humble attitude. This stands in stark contrast to all the other super hero movies made in recent memory. Iron Man, Green Lantern, Thor, Wolverine, etc. They are all cocky, arrogant and rude. One of the best lines in the movie is when Rogers asks why him, the doctor responds “A strong man who has known power all his life will lose respect for that power. A weak man knows the value of strength, knows the value of power and knows compassion [paraphrase].” This line applies to of all the other super heroes in the aforementioned movies.

The acting is okay, but not superb. Special effects aren't bad. I especially liked the feel of the integration of futuristic technology with actual period accurate technology/designs. In some aspects the futuristic stuff was taken a bit too far in my opinion, but overall it worked.

The film is rated PG-13 which I think is an accurate rating. The movie is fun and has a protagonist who actually sends a positive message. Well worth seeing. I'm expecting Captain America will be knocking on my door dozens of times this Halloween. I give it a 9 / 10.

Thor 3D (2011)

Originally written May 21, 2011 at 3:26 am

I was not big into comic books when I was a kid. I would have been, I’m a geek like that, but couldn’t really afford them. I did however become familiar with most of the main ones due to movies, cartoons, books and friends. When Hollywood began the big push to take comics to the silver screen I was excited. Unfortunately, many of their attempts were lackluster or worse. However, there have been some that were done well. In my opinion, Thor joins the ranks of the latter.


Thor is based on the Norse god of thunder by the same name. Much of the movie and many of the characters are based upon Norse mythology. Some things are not quite right, but it provides the framework for the movie.


In this film, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) disobeys his father and king, Odin (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins). Odin strips Thor of his powers and weapon and banishes him from Asgard to Earth. Thor finds himself in a modern day desert where he has the good fortune to run into, or rather be run into by, scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman). Meanwhile back home, Thor’s brother Loki (a divergence from mythology) is plotting mischief (not a divergence) that could be the end of entire worlds.


The first thing that struck me about the movie was the special effects, the 3D layering, and overall cinematography, especially in the realms of Asgard and Jotunheim. The costumes and armor are exceptionally detailed. The scenes where the camera is flying through star fields and nebula, especially at the end of the credits, is amazing in 3D. I only saw this in 3D because it was the only showing still available when I got to the theater, but it was worth the extra cost this time. The movie is stunning to watch.


The acting is not bad. No one’s performance stood out as horrendous, and all the actors portrayed their character well. While not Oscar worthy, I was quite surprised with Hemsworth’s performance since this seems to be his first major role. All I have ever seen him in is a ~5 minute scene in the newest Star Trek movie where he played Captain Kirk’s father.


Some things are irritating on the reality meter (like being rendered unconscious by a Taser, etc) but for the most part anything that was unrealistic actually fit with the movie. While not perfect, the movie is pretty darn good and well worth seeing in theaters. It is rated PG 13 for violence. I give it an 8 / 10.

Green Lantern 3D (2011)

I knew of the Green Lantern comic book, but never read one. Therefore, this review is based upon the movie itself and does not reflect if the movie was true to the comic. In the Green Lantern, an intelligent ring of immense power chooses test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to be its bearer. The ring grants the wearer the ability to create objects out of energy. The “constructs” are limited only by the wearer’s imagination. Brick wall, anti-aircraft gun, etc. Hal joins the ranks of the Green Lanterns, a sort of intergalactic law enforcement unit tasked with fighting the forces of evil. When an ancient evil escapes its prison and begins terrorizing the universe, Hal finds himself being the only thing to stand between it, and the annihilation of Earth and eventually every living thing in the universe.

Nearly all action movies have major plot holes and moments of “well that was convenient.” Green Lantern is no exception. It is however entertaining. The protagonist, Hal, is funny, flawed, good natured and a little narcissistic. Sounds a bit like Tony Stark (Iron Man). This combination seems to fit with the modern day take on superheroes. Reynolds fills this role very well. He fits the character well and delivers some great comic banter with other characters. The graphics are pretty good, with the exception of the antagonist, Parallax, which is a sort of cloud with tentacles and a face etc. In the scenes where they blend Parallax with regular video, it just isn't lit correctly and thus looks like CG.

Green Lantern, like most of the comic book turned movie films, is like cotton candy. Big, enjoyable, fun, but not very substantial. That doesn’t mean it is bad, you just don’t buy a bag of cotton candy for dinner and expect it to fill you up. Green Lantern is not a Godfather or a The Kings Speech, but it is entertaining as far as action movies go. I give it a 7 / 10.