Skip to main content

Superhero Double Feature

DC vs. Marvel. The Green Lantern and Captain America: The First Avenger.

I haven’t seen a superhero movie that I haven’t liked so I figured The Green Lantern and Captain America were two good choices.

(Warning! Superhero geek mark-out mode here) Batman will always be the best, but I remember wanting a shield like Captain America when I was five-years-old.

I started off with The Green Lantern. As big a fan of the comic book heroes as I am, the Green Lantern is one back-story I wasn’t familiar with. I knew he had the ring and it had some sort of power, but, beyond that, I didn’t have a clue what to expect.

Unfortunately it fell a little short of what I would’ve liked. It was a little more corny than epic, a little more predictable than exciting and, with the heavy use of computer animation, a little more video game than movie.

It felt a little bit like they were going through the motions with this one. Ryan Reynolds was a good choice for the part, but it seems he watched Iron Man a few too many times. His delivery of the sarcastic, witty and brave-hearted character comes off well – but not as good as Robert Downey Jr. was playing Tony Stark. If you like superhero movies and don’t take them too seriously you’ll probably enjoy it; don’t expect to be amazed though.

Captain America was the real surprise of the night though. You don’t get much of a superhero movie with this one; instead it’s a World War II film. There’s some computer-generated animation thrown in to modernize it, but most of it felt like a re-creation piece from the 1940s.

Much like The Green Lantern, I knew of Captain America growing up. I was a fan of the patriotism, the outfit and the shield. I knew that his nemesis was the Red Skull. That’s it. That’s where my knowledge ended.

To that extent the movie was superb. It really did a nice job of exploring the history of Captain America. Whether it’s the proper comic book history I’m still not sure of, but it’s a fun lesson to watch unfold. My only complaint is that it left me wanting to see the 2011 version of Captain America. If Marvel wanted to get fans amped up for the Avengers movie that’s coming out this summer, then, again, I guess they succeeded.

Watching Captain America kick-ass in modern times should be extremely fun to watch. Looking back at it, The First Avenger was a good introductory piece. If this was all we got – it would definitely fall short – but if the best is yet to come, then job well done.

Both movies will probably end up on my shelf – sitting proudly alongside all the other superhero DVDs that are there now – but I don’t think they’ll be the first DVDs I grab when I want to watch an awesome comic book story come to life.

The first trailer for "Marvel's The Avengers", in theaters May 4, 2012.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrity (look-a-like) sightings - part 3

Part 1 and Part 2 were good, but I think there's some definite look-a-likes this time around. I'll get right to the comparisons, but let me know what you think? Am I spot on or what? I saved the very best (and closest comparison) for last this time, so make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page. On the left: Edge On the right: Jamie Campbell Bower May as well start with a wrestling-related one. It seems those pro wrestlers have doppelgängers all over. I'd mentioned before that Wilson Bethel resembles Edge . I still stand by that statement. However, I think Jamie Campbell Bower looks even more like Edge. Jamie Bower, for those who are unaware like I was, is an actor who has quite an impressive resume already. I just watched The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (review to come later) and that's the first time I saw him...or so I thought. Jamie was in the final three Twilight movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2 , and t...

Choosing a side on DVD menu's -- what's the point?

Most DVDs go to a menu screen after you’re done hearing about ‘the cloud,’ how cigarettes can kill you and seeing a preview for the latest animated film. Some, however, give you an option. ‘Pick a side,’ they say. I’ve run into this twice recently – with the G.I. Joe DVD and The Break-Up DVD . At first I thought it was a cool concept. Maybe, if you pick Cobra’s side, there’s an alternate ending? Or maybe some special features --- like an in-depth look at Storm Shadow’s sword training. If you pick the side of the Joe’s, maybe there’s a look at their stunt training. No, no, and no. I went with Cobra and it takes you to the exact same screen, with the exact same features, as it does when you pick G.I. Joe. Same thing with The Break-Up .

R.I.P. to the Apple Grande

I got some sad news recently: Taco John's discontinued their deliciously underrated treat: the apple grande. For me, this is worse than the Twinkie ordeal earlier this year. I grew up eating these whenever my family went to Taco John's. You didn't even need to get a taco. A Pepsi, potato oles and an apple grande was a delicious meal by itself. The apple grande was not one of those treats that you'd often hear people talking about. There are probably quite a few people out there who never even got to experience the taste bud happiness that the apple grande provided. It was an amazing, crispy flour tortilla that was coated in cinnamon and sugar and topped with warm apple filling, cheddar cheese and crushed cinnamon candy. I was told by one of the Taco John's locations that they no longer served the apple grande and that it was a nationwide change. I don't know if that's the case or not. The item is still listed on the Taco John's website...