Captain America and Thor : Superbowl Spots

Captain America. Marvel

I doubt I'll usually link to much in the way of upcoming films and projects, but these two Superbowl Spots from Marvel are going to have to be an initial exception. Marvel Studios has a pretty good track record so far (3 for 3, with a few minor quibbles), so I'm expecting these to be knocked out of the park.

I've had a good feeling about Captain America for a while now, with every bit of casting news sounding like gold to me. That even includes Chris Evans (as Steve Rogers, see Poster on left), who has been a solid actor in a few films as well as experienced dealing with the ridiculousness of comic book movies. I also don't think that his role as the Human Torch in Fantastic Four will mess with peoples heads. He's an actor, let him take the job!

Joe Johnston also gets a bit of a bum rap for the work he's done. The Rocketeer is still a favourite of mine for pulp adventures, Jurassic Park III was a more accurate version of the book than JPII and he managed to salvage something gorgeous and occasionally interesting from The Wolfman.

Just like Iron Man and Incredible Hulk, there's seems to be a genuine desire to find the best way to translate these comic book ideas and visuals to the silver screen, without sacrificing what made them great in the first place. The Spider-Man films had their moments, and the X-Men films were fairly true to the premise of the books, but they often deviated wildly from established designs and characterisations. Spidey may have looked right, be he never really acted like Spidey, going silent during melees instead of slinging as many witticisms as he does webs. X-Men got the underlying thematic stuff right (as you'd expect from Singer), but failed to find a believable way to translate the colourful visuals. 

With that in mind, take a look at the first footage for Captain America: The First Avenger after the jump.

I see a costume that has managed to avoid the spandex issue that must plague so many designers, but has still kept the signature colours and motifs. There are wings on the helmet, a star on his chest, and is adorned in red, white and blue. I see the Howling Commandos, with Dum Dum Dugan in bowler hat. There's an incredibly scrawny Steve Rogers (some magnificent vfx work) transformed with pulp science into the Ubermensch (the awesome irony of it!). Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) makes an appearance, so do  Hydra goons (and the logo). 

If what Joe Johnston is saying is true, and they've been using Raiders of the Lost Ark as their template for how to do a period adventure film, then I'm fairly certain this is going to be yet another strong addition to the Marvel Studios library.

Thor. Marvel

Thor's Superbowl spot isn't as stunning as Caps, but only because we've already had a trailer released for this film. That said, we do get some updated versions of shots, such as the one of Thor slamming an electric Mjolnir into the ground, causing a wave of destruction.  

This is another film that the 'haters' have been giving grief. 'Haters' are prone to do that, but it's not always I find myself asking so pointedly, 'Why?' I honestly don't see how people could possibly complain about this. Okay, maybe the exchange of Midgard for Earth, or his chuckle at the end, but they're not dealbreakers. They may not even make the final cut. Perhaps they're in here so as to not alienate people unfamiliar with Thor.

Once again, the filmmakers (this time Kenneth Branagh) have shown incredible respect for the source material. Given that the bulk of this stuff was designed in some sort of psychedelic haze, they've done a commendable job updating it for the modern times. Just like Captain America, this is necessary. It has to be done, otherwise you have cosplayers in your big budget movie and it looks ridiculous.

Asgard looks incredible, and I'm growing fonder of the designs (and height scale) of the Frost Giants. Loki and Odin (Anthony Hopkins fer chrissake!) and the rest of the Asgardians filling out that wide shot, definitely impressive. The 'haters' are complaining that the whole film doesn't take place in Asgard. This seems like a ridiculous complaint considering a major part of Marvel Comics Thor storyline is his banishement/self-exile to Midgard/Earth. You just can't please some people. The hinted destruction during the Destroyer/Thor battle in the town looks amazing, keeping in mind that they built the whole town with the sole intention of destroying it. 

Dunno about you, but I'm pumped and I think that looks awesome! I also think I must be in some sort of minority when it comes to the fanboy opinion of Marvel Studios films. I think these two look incredible, and I think Louis Letterier's The Incredible Hulk is the best of the Marvel Studios films released so far... I'm about to go on a tangent so get ready... It worries me when I read about Jon Favreau's reluctance to be involved in the Avengers because he doesn't like the mysticism of Thor mixing with 'his' Iron Man world. Well hooey to that!

I love it that these filmmakers want to put their own spin on things, but can't that mean layering extra detail, nuance and pathos to existing storylines, rather than deciding they can come up with something better? It always seemed to me that Favreau wasn't really a team player when it came to Marvels IP. It's a bit like how I feel about Nolan. Both of these filmmakers have used a comic book character to gain some credibility with the studios to get a bit more free reign on their own projects. Hence Aliens Vs Cowboys and Inception. People may say 'We should thank Favreau and Nolan for giving us a good comic book movie' (as if its never happened before). Well I say, 'Favreau and Nolan should kiss Marvel and DCs ass, thanking them for the free career pass that this sort of Intellectual Property is.'.

I don't mean to take away anything from what these filmmakers have brought to the table (okay, maybe a little in regards to Nolan), but I'd say Iron Man was a success because of the character, cast and more importantly, the armour. My guess is that people often fail to take into account just how hot anything robotic was at that point. Transformers had just proven a massive hit and re-sparked interest in anything even resembling robots. In regards to Nolan, I happen to think that he got lucky by making a Batman movie after Joel Schumacher. Batman Begins could have been merely terrible, and it would have shone in comparison to Batman & Robin.

To get back on track, Incredible Hulk plays the best as far as I'm concerned. The re-watchability is much higher than Iron Man due to tighter pacing and plotting. Ed Norton's performance as Banner wasn't breaking ground, but it was pitch perfect for the film, just like Downey Jr. was for Stark. The action scenes in Incredible Hulk blow Iron Man's away. There's just no way that Favreau can compete with Letterier in this arena. Whether its a foot chase through Brazilian favellas, a clash between Hulk and the military or an epic throwdown between Hulk and Abomination, the action is clear and dynamic and exciting. The camera sweeps around and below and above the action and, despite what people think, there is a load of practical fx work. The extended cut includes extra references to the Super Soldier serum, as well as a Banner suicide attempt on a glacier that ends up revealing a frozen Captain America. I love this film and it saddens me that Norton won't be returning as Banner/Hulk. I'm no fan of Mark Ruffallo, but we'll see how he fares. Mind you, wasn't a fan of Cheadle taking over for Terence Howard in Iron Man 2.

As for Captain America and Thor? I say, Make Mine Marvel!