Captain America: The First Avenger
Jul. 31st, 2011 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bennet_7I just got back from seeing Captain America: The First Avenger. Hopefully LJ will keep its shit together long enough for me to get down my thoughts.
Overall, I liked it. I didn't think much of the direction as I felt the film lagged at times and I was never quite sure of the plot. For real, what was Red Skull's master plan? Blow everything up? Vaporize the human race? Turn them all intomutants super humans? But where the film did succeed was in getting me - someone who has never read a Cap comic - to care about most of the characters.
Chris Evans normally plays smug douchebags, but I thought he was good as the nobler-than-thou Steve. Sincerity isn't easy to portray and he sold me on Steve's good intentions. I really loved Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter, Special Agent and extreme badass. Sadly the film did not pass the Bechdel test - I don't think Peggy even talked to another woman about men - but Peggy herself was one of the best love interests since Pepper Potts. She was brave, intelligent, a crack shot, and damn good at her job. Plus, Hayley Atwell actually had the figure of a woman in the 1940s - curves instead of prominent clavicles - so that was nice to see.
Someone decided to cast two of my period drama boyfriends in minor roles: Richard Armitage as the Hydra spy with the submarine and JJ Feild as James Falsworth, the English paratrooper fighting with Steve. I didn't quite buy Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, but Sebastian Stan showed he was better than Gossip Girl as Bucky.
With regards to diversity, I think that Captain America did better than X-Men: First Class, which is ironic. Steve's support team had an African-American and a Japanese-American and they were "good guys", smart, funny, tough, and they made it to the end of the film. Woo! In fact for all the jingoism, Captain America did have an international support team: two Brits (Peggy and Falsworth), a German (Dr Erskine), a Frenchman. However, it would have been nice to see an Australian or New Zealander in there to really complete the Allied Forces set.
Also, what would have been nice? More women. Always. It was good to see women in the background - nurses and service women on base, mostly - but there was a couple of opportunities to switch the gender of speaking parts. I think that the people who discovered the plane and the agents who came to investigate, those roles could have been played by women.
With regards to relationships, I really like Steve/Peggy. I think they had an interesting dynamic, what with her being more confident and assertive and him being so unschooled in the ways of women. And I liked that their relationship developed over a couple of years and that she liked him before he changed physically. It was really quite sad that they never got to be together. Hayley Atwell was heartbreakingly good when they were making their date. And Steve, with that crappy picture of her in his compass? So adorkable.
So I want to read Steve/Peggy, particularly virgin!Steve because, come on, that's canon. AU would definitely be welcome, but I'm also in the mood for 'How Peggy got over Captain America and moved on' - maybe with James Falsworth? I don't want to read Peggy/Howard Stark in the romantic sense, but friendship fic would be great. I would maim for fic about Peggy and Tony and Pepper. Like, Peggy taught Tony spycraft and years later she and Pepper have weekly chats to trade stories.
I adored the costuming. Originally it was supposed to be in the hands of Jeffrey Kurland, whose work I loved in Inception, but Anna B. Sheppard ended up on the job which is great because I'm a fan of hers too (how much do I covet Bridget von Hammersmark's wardrobe in Inglorious Basterds? So much). The various versions of the Captain America uniform were great and I particularly loved Red Skull's leather coat (amazing tailoring), Bucky's last navy ensemble, and Peggy's red dress and leather jacket.
Because of timing, I had to see it in 3D and it looks decent in that format. The effects are great and the CGI work on Chris Evans to make him appear a foot smaller is a bit stunning (my mother thought that they'd gotten different actors). All in all, I enjoyed my time with Captain America and co....but I'm really looking forward to The Avengers.
Overall, I liked it. I didn't think much of the direction as I felt the film lagged at times and I was never quite sure of the plot. For real, what was Red Skull's master plan? Blow everything up? Vaporize the human race? Turn them all into
Chris Evans normally plays smug douchebags, but I thought he was good as the nobler-than-thou Steve. Sincerity isn't easy to portray and he sold me on Steve's good intentions. I really loved Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter, Special Agent and extreme badass. Sadly the film did not pass the Bechdel test - I don't think Peggy even talked to another woman about men - but Peggy herself was one of the best love interests since Pepper Potts. She was brave, intelligent, a crack shot, and damn good at her job. Plus, Hayley Atwell actually had the figure of a woman in the 1940s - curves instead of prominent clavicles - so that was nice to see.
Someone decided to cast two of my period drama boyfriends in minor roles: Richard Armitage as the Hydra spy with the submarine and JJ Feild as James Falsworth, the English paratrooper fighting with Steve. I didn't quite buy Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, but Sebastian Stan showed he was better than Gossip Girl as Bucky.
With regards to diversity, I think that Captain America did better than X-Men: First Class, which is ironic. Steve's support team had an African-American and a Japanese-American and they were "good guys", smart, funny, tough, and they made it to the end of the film. Woo! In fact for all the jingoism, Captain America did have an international support team: two Brits (Peggy and Falsworth), a German (Dr Erskine), a Frenchman. However, it would have been nice to see an Australian or New Zealander in there to really complete the Allied Forces set.
Also, what would have been nice? More women. Always. It was good to see women in the background - nurses and service women on base, mostly - but there was a couple of opportunities to switch the gender of speaking parts. I think that the people who discovered the plane and the agents who came to investigate, those roles could have been played by women.
With regards to relationships, I really like Steve/Peggy. I think they had an interesting dynamic, what with her being more confident and assertive and him being so unschooled in the ways of women. And I liked that their relationship developed over a couple of years and that she liked him before he changed physically. It was really quite sad that they never got to be together. Hayley Atwell was heartbreakingly good when they were making their date. And Steve, with that crappy picture of her in his compass? So adorkable.
So I want to read Steve/Peggy, particularly virgin!Steve because, come on, that's canon. AU would definitely be welcome, but I'm also in the mood for 'How Peggy got over Captain America and moved on' - maybe with James Falsworth? I don't want to read Peggy/Howard Stark in the romantic sense, but friendship fic would be great. I would maim for fic about Peggy and Tony and Pepper. Like, Peggy taught Tony spycraft and years later she and Pepper have weekly chats to trade stories.
I adored the costuming. Originally it was supposed to be in the hands of Jeffrey Kurland, whose work I loved in Inception, but Anna B. Sheppard ended up on the job which is great because I'm a fan of hers too (how much do I covet Bridget von Hammersmark's wardrobe in Inglorious Basterds? So much). The various versions of the Captain America uniform were great and I particularly loved Red Skull's leather coat (amazing tailoring), Bucky's last navy ensemble, and Peggy's red dress and leather jacket.
Because of timing, I had to see it in 3D and it looks decent in that format. The effects are great and the CGI work on Chris Evans to make him appear a foot smaller is a bit stunning (my mother thought that they'd gotten different actors). All in all, I enjoyed my time with Captain America and co....but I'm really looking forward to The Avengers.
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Date: 2011-07-31 05:13 pm (UTC)But, after that, I did love Sebastian Stan, and I could weirdly buy Dominic Cooper as daddy!Stark (they looks similar and all.)
Bring on the Avengers, however! I'm in need of seeing Tony meeting Thor for the first time.
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Date: 2011-07-31 05:31 pm (UTC)Really? I didn't know that. I suppose it's possible that the African-Americans and Japanese-Americans were originally in segregated units and then ended up with Bucky when they were captured by Hydra. I'll have to pay attention to that next time I watch it. And I guess Captain America can have whoever he likes on his team. If we're going to ding the movie for historical inaccuracy we should probably start with the energy weapons and red-skinned, noseless Nazis!
I could weirdly buy Dominic Cooper as daddy!Stark (they looks similar and all.)
For me he just didn't have the charisma to buy him as Tony's dad. But then, who else has RDJ's charm?
Bring on the Avengers, however! I'm in need of seeing Tony meeting Thor for the first time.
I want to see Tony attempt to be a terrible influence on Steve and Thor. Steve would be all "WTF?" and Thor should be like "Odin would not approve. I shall do it."