C’MON HOLLYWOOD: Can Captain America live up to the hype?

…can Captain America live up to the hype?
by J.A. Hamilton

I hate to beat up on Cap, but all this ridiculous hype and news surrounding this movie is getting way too out of control. Whether or not people want to admit it, Cap is a second tier hero when it comes to the all out glamour we’re used to, a character of importance don’t get me wrong, but he’s a lot like Nick Fury, Professor Xavier and Reed Richards. All these heroes have their place as leaders of teams, but they’ve become more like “symbols of good” in the fight against evil. Captain America is a face that needs to be seen, but I’m afraid the hype train is making this movie (and him) out to be more than he truly is.

I sure hope Cap’s legacy doesn’t go up in flames.

One of the most annoying aspects of this has be all this cast news. I mean, come on, do we really need a five, ten or fifteen name roster of nobodies dragged through the mud over all this? And who in the hell came up with the idea of that fool from the OFFICE, John Krasinski, being a contender!? That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of! Not that I’m jumping for joy over the latest roster either. Channing Tatum is alright, I don’t hate the guy, but I couldn’t see him pulling it off. I love the idea of Ryan Phillipe, but they’d have to work some camera magic on his height and ultimately he’s been low key as of late so that probably worked against him. I like Chris Evans, but I’m more than a little worried as going from Johnny Storm to Cap is quite a transition.

In retrospect, this shouldn’t be tough to beat.

Another bone I have to pick with all this is Cap’s story and overall concept. Let’s be honest here, the Red Skull is a weaksauce villain, there’s just no getting around that. And though I dig Cap’s super soldier serum background, what I don’t want to sit through is a film based in the time of World War II and the Hitler/Nazi era. I’ve never liked that aspect of Cap’s background, and the only way it could work in my eyes is if they did it the same ULTIMATE AVENGERS did it, which would be to open up with a ten minute fight scene (mid war) ending with Cap saving the day and then somehow falling into the ocean and being frozen in ice. Fast forward that to present day, the government find his body, thaw him out and bring him up to par on world events.

This whole character is just wrong.

Now that leads me to my next point: THE AVENGERS. The biggest reason (other than money) Hollywood is pushing so hard for a Captain America movie in the first place is to bridge this whole Avengers deal. But again, I think Cap could be introduced into the Avengers movie exactly like I just explained, with Nick Fury enlisting him into THE AVENGERS. There’s no need for a full feature film, and certainly no need to see Cap in his twenties. The man’s a veteran, a leader, not some young douche with a chip on his shoulder. But the other thing I have a problem with is how in the hell do you make use of a hero with a shield? It’s not like he’s going to throw it and have it boomerang back to him like it does in the comics, so I’m a little worried about the cheese factor there.

This story paints a solid picture, let’s hope they use it.

I enjoyed Captain America in comic book series’ like THE INFINITY GAUNTLET, INFINITE WAR and INFINITY CRUSADE. I also read THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA series and again, feel that Cap is a hero worth mentioning, but I’m still not sold on this feature film or all the hype surrounding it. There’s a reason Cap’s stayed off the silver screen until now (let’s forget about that eighties mess of a film), and in my opinion it’s because he was a) not needed and b) not really in demand outside the whole Avengers thing. This just feels weak all around, and all this hype and drama seems to be geared at “SNAKES ON A PLANE” tactics to make a big fuss and get people interested because they know they don’t really have shit all here. I hope I’m wrong, I do, but that’s the feeling I’m getting and it’s not very cool.