The Younger Generations
As the spring ends and summer comes in, our school year is wound down (and then back up again) by a change of timetable and three days of "activities". On Thursday, I was part of a group chaperoning some of our junior school kids to the Moray Playhouse for a movie double-bill.
Jon Favreau's new Disney adaptation of The Jungle Book was short but sweet and surprisingly charming; I also had my second viewing of Captain America: Civil War. At two and a half hours, this was too long for restive teens ( the not-very-bad boys deemed it "borin'") and it cemented my earlier impression that it was bloated and lacking in tension.
art by PunMagneto
The motivations for the characters, subsequently manipulated by terrorist master mind Helmut Zemo, are fairly complex but require vivid recollection of CA: First Avenger, CA: Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron and Agent Carter, to an extent, over eight years. The very extensive set-up pays off eventually with an entertaining airport brawl in the Chris Claremont vein, with the Avengers doing pretty much what they've done throughout their history.
Since the highlights of the film, for me, included the spot-on characterisation of the third cinematic Spider-Man and the gimmicks of Scott Lang, this was my favourite sequence. But the rancorous climactic combat between the Golden Avenger and the Star-spangled shield-slinger ( and Cap's maverick status) concluded the story- for now, at least- on a particularly sour note.
Black Panther makes his debut here but is always a very difficult character to like. Here, his Noble Savage role is deeply patronising- right down to his imperious bald female bodyguard. Indeed, in a film which is driven by male affection and rivalry ( perhaps inextricably linked) the women get short shrift. The lethal Black Widow, perennial double agent, swaps sides and Wanda, ever the poster child for victimhood, sulks like a Goth at a bus stop throughout, after her hand-waving unleashes disaster in the first act. Peggy Carter ( whose tv series has been cancelled, by all accounts) turns up only as a photograph at her own funeral.
Since the highlights of the film, for me, included the spot-on characterisation of the third cinematic Spider-Man and the gimmicks of Scott Lang, this was my favourite sequence. But the rancorous climactic combat between the Golden Avenger and the Star-spangled shield-slinger ( and Cap's maverick status) concluded the story- for now, at least- on a particularly sour note.
Black Panther makes his debut here but is always a very difficult character to like. Here, his Noble Savage role is deeply patronising- right down to his imperious bald female bodyguard. Indeed, in a film which is driven by male affection and rivalry ( perhaps inextricably linked) the women get short shrift. The lethal Black Widow, perennial double agent, swaps sides and Wanda, ever the poster child for victimhood, sulks like a Goth at a bus stop throughout, after her hand-waving unleashes disaster in the first act. Peggy Carter ( whose tv series has been cancelled, by all accounts) turns up only as a photograph at her own funeral.
One of my colleagues dismissed the film as having the "emotional depth of a bus ticket". While I believe far more in Steve Rogers and Tony Stark more than I did in Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent in BvS, CA:CW is primarily invested in building to the next in the series. Not unlike comics, then but with a far longer interval between episodes. In the end, it's a promotional tool which requires quite in-depth knowledge of at least four other films and a tv series disguised as a battle royal where there were no real casualties - and therefore little audience investment.
While there's a precedent in comics, I also found the Casual Fridays Vision quite hard to take. Thank Odin for Hawkeye, who seems very in line with the Matt Fraction iteration.
While there's a precedent in comics, I also found the Casual Fridays Vision quite hard to take. Thank Odin for Hawkeye, who seems very in line with the Matt Fraction iteration.
American Madness
The burning question is, of course, which side are you on? Fundamentally, there is enough of the anti-authoritarian in me to be #TeamCap. I think that's been the case since Jim Shooter pitted the Avengers' alpha dogs against each other in the late 70s:
Your Job in Germany
Of course, this week has seen the internet set ablaze by responses to the twist ending of the newest Cap comic; I wonder how many of those offended have read many comics before...On a more positive note, fans of the Sentinel of Liberty should address themselves to the latest colour-themed opus from the Loeb/Sale team.
Captain America: White is a highly stylised portrait of the friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky. It's pulpy and romantic, with cameos from the original Avengers, Namor and Sgt. Fury. There's a clever parody of an infamous Liefeld image, a wartime antecedent of Batroc Ze Leapair and the villains are (of course) Baron Strucker and the Red Skull. By comparison, Civil War's Zemo just isn't evil enough.
Aside from a bizarre allusion to Steve's virginity, White is highly recommended, right down to the Capra-esque story titles ( which I've referenced in this post!)
Coming soon: the Horsemen of Apocalypse; Steed and Mrs. Peel; Black Lightning.
All images are presumed copyright of their respective owners
I expected Civil War to move at a quicker pace, but I found it absorbing nonetheless. Steve and Tony came across as real characters, as opposed to one-dimensional comicbook heroes with mo depth. Not that THAT could be said about their comics incarnations anyway, but it can sometimes happen when superheroes are transferred into another medium. So, in short, I liked it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I believe in the performances of the two leads. But I feel more engagement with more of the characters in the tv versions of Flash and Supergirl. TV is a more intimate medium than film, of course.
ReplyDelete