I finally had a chance to see several movies I’d missed last summer, namely Green Lantern, X-Men First Class and Captain America. Many people assume that I’d be seeing these films on opening night. After all, I’m into comics. Well, that is true, but I’m not into crowded theaters or people talking and children crying during movies. When I do go, it’s usually to 21 and over cinemas like Cinetopia or McMenamin’s. Going into it, word of mouth and internet buzz had led me to believe Green Lantern was the second coming of Superman IV. It wasn’t. The Earth based scenes didn’t do it for me, but the CGI heavy off planet portions (which were a major chunk of the total running time) were well done.

Enough so that I’ll even watch the sequel (on Netflix) when it comes out. How was Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan? He was ok, I guess. Some parts were wooden and some bits he nailed. I really wish the script had played more to his strengths. I had been spoiled by the comedic talent on display in “Waiting” (highly recommended), and now I expect that level of performance in all his roles. Even the action adventures, which isn’t really fair. If your expectations are low, it’s worth watching on a lazy weekend afternoon.

Captain America was far more entertaining than I’d anticipated. I’d been put off by the look of pre-super soldier Steve Rogers, and had expected it to be a really dumb movie:

(above: an altered clip from the unfortunate 1990 Captain America TV Movie)
If any adaptation was likely to fall flat, this was the one. Instead, it was a fast paced, fun movie that didn’t get preachy or sentimental. The lead character was more vulnerable and flawed than expected, allowing me to empathize with his plight. The portrayal of Captain America as initially little more than a publicity stunt was a welcome addition. And Hugo Weaving again kicks ass in a genre film.

Agent Smith, Elrond, V, Megatron and now the Red Skull? Are you kidding me? I guarantee you the guys that used to beat him up in school can not believe he keeps being cast as such a bad ass. I hope Hugo is laughing all the way to the bank. But this does give me a chance to reference one of his earlier roles. I’ll talk about X-Men: First Class (as well as the new Sherlock Holmes movie) some other time, as there’s no better end to this post than the following clip. Enjoy.
Dalton Chad Everett