What’s wrong with a Period Piece Captain America movie?

[Spider - Man]

Cap showed up in the Marvel U Avengers #4. His story is in the present day; I don't object to spending some time in World War II (although I'd prefer it in flashbacks), but a whole movie isn't a good idea.

He has one origin, it's just a long one. Two origin movies is fatuous.

True, BUT the movie heroes solo ventures don't take place in the "Marvel U". Cap had YEARS of WW2 stories before Marvel Comics Co. even existed. Movie Spidey, FF, X-men, DD, Hulk - none of them exist in a common "universe". And they won't until the Avengers movie comes out, at which time Cap SHOULD be unfrozen. And they wouldn't have to spend a lot of time with him acclimating to the 21st century. They can blend that in with the rest of the story.

I'll actually give you reasons why I think it WOULD be a good idea to do it as a period piece:
1. It would be more faithful to the comics, which believe it or not IS a good thing!
2. It would set this movie apart as something fresh in the midst of a bunch of modern day sperheroes.
3. It would automatically make it more appealing to critics (and not that I care what critics think, per se, BUT a lot of people do and their positive reviews and staements would help revitalize a genre that as of right now, is going down the creative toilet!)
4. It would provide a more thorough back story to a character that certainly deserves it. Everybody in this fast paced modern world (how do you like THAT for a correlation?) wants to get straight to the action. Forget story, forget characterization. If Cap is a modern "man-out-of-time" story then you need to show where he came from (and not just glimpses). A large portion of the people who see this movie won't even know much about WW2 and they NEED to see that there was a time when America was looked up to because of its winning, fighting spirit and it never lost. THAT'S what Cap is all about! To short-change everyone of that would be a shame!

 

[Spider - Man]

Not to the degree that Wolverine towers over Cylcops, but if Iron Man (and The Incredible Hulk, if he's in) is more popular than Captain America (and I think there's a good chance of both), then Iron Man and the Hulk would be the audience favourites.

Anyway, there's a difference between Cap as the leader of the Avengers and using the Avengers film to show Cap arriving in the 21st century; to my mind, that would go way beyond making him the main character; it would give him the lion's share of the emotional/character development, and probably most of the screentime not dedicated to action/the main plot. He's hypothetically sharing the screen with the stars of three or four other films; it can't be about him.

Tell me, did you see the Lord of the Rings films? How many characters were featured in that film? I'm talking PROMINENT characters. Around 10 or so. Did any of their development suffer? Not to me.

A good writer and director can take an ensemble cast and make all of their characters grow throuout the course of the film without one single person having to be the center of attention. They wouldn't have to devote as much time to Cap "adjusting" to his new time as you seem to insinuate. Good films accomplish more with less. His adjustment could be blended in as a seemless element of the overall story. Just as LOTR had several storylines running thru it, each given equal attention, so could an Avengers film do the same for its heroes.

 

[batdude]

I think that Cap 1 could be set in WW2, Cap 2 modern day and then they could do Avengers.

 

[KangConquers]

I would dig a period piece Cap 1 and a modern cap 2.

 

[Knives122]

I actually told one of my friend that they should have the Cap movie be set during WW2, with us getting a look at him before getting his powers, getting them and then him getting trapped in ice which could be resolved in the avengers movie.

 

[Texas Zombie]

a cap with a thompson in one hand and a sheild in the other. hell come to eat cakes and kick asses and it look like hes all out out of cakes

 

[Texas Zombie]

a super human screaming on d day running up the coast being shot at and then boom a bomb land next to him and he puts his sheild in front of him as it gets hit by bullets then picks up a tommy gun and shoots multiple nazis. a good movie indeed

 

[CaptainCanada]

1. It would be more faithful to the comics, which believe it or not IS a good thing!

How? The comics are set in the present day.

 

[The Count]

Start in WW2 and End in present day. Voila!

 

[Spider-Fan]

How? The comics are set in the present day.

Captain America was created during WWII, so he had a running series during the war.

His comics today are present day, but he had a long stand of comics in WWII.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Captain America was created during WWII, so he had a running series during the war.

His comics today are present day, but he had a long stand of comics in WWII.

Comics from the 40s, published by Timely. His Marvel Comics, the ones everyone reads, are in the present.

 

[seamus1977]

Captain America is the hero of WWII. He stood for the best of what America was. Today, there are a lot of questions that are related to whether or not America is everything is promises to be. To present a flag waving source of American pride, it might be more palletable to present him during WWII.

Also, a there are so many stories to be told, like Steve Rogers as a kid growing up on the lower east side of NY. Why he joined the Army, and was willing to go through the super soldier expirament. Hints of the "Truth" story. Goverment officials being forced to change their plan with the death of Erskine and the Rebirth project. Anyone who read Millar's Ultimates saw how bad ass a WWII Captain America could be. And imagine, Steve Rogers working with a young Nick Fury and his fighting Commandos.

 

[3dman27]

howling commandoes

 

[Spider - Man]

How? The comics are set in the present day.

Well, to educate you, assuming this movie would be his origin, it would be set during WW2 as that was how it was in the comics which is how it would be more faithful to the comics. Do you really want them to change Cap's origin to take place in the present day just because his comics are still being published in the present? What kinda crackhead logic is that?!

Comics from the 40s, published by Timely. His Marvel Comics, the ones everyone reads, are in the present.

Yes, Captain Canada, comics published in the 40s depicted Cap's origin in WW2. If you want to get technical about the "ones everyone reads in the present" well Cap's dead in those now, so...you want a Cap movie where Cap is dead? Get with the program, man. The only way to faithfully tell the story of Cap is to tell it like it was, the way Kirby and Simon did, as a WW2 hero and really flesh it out. See, if Fox was making this film, that's what we'd get, 15 minutes of Cap the war hero becoming frozen in ice and then about 70 minutes of rushed "characterization". That what you want? Well, maybe that's ok for Captain Canada but not CAPTAIN AMERICA!

 

[Spider-Fan]

Comics from the 40s, published by Timely. His Marvel Comics, the ones everyone reads, are in the present.

So, by your rational, we should skip this chapter in his lfie ENTIRELY, since none of it was in the present.

I am sorry, but that is just wrong. WWII is part of who he is, and you want to ignore that?

 

[Sun_Down]

I think that Cap's most compelling story has always been the man out of time angle. They should use it not only because it's compelling, but because it really helps the audience feel for a character that might otherwise be seen as a Neo-Con bully.

And it's pretty silly to expect a period piece followed by a present day sequel. General audiences simply won't have the patience for something like that.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I think that Cap's most compelling story has always been the man out of time angle. They should use it not only because it's compelling, but because it really helps the audience feel for a character that might otherwise be seen as a Neo-Con bully.

And it's pretty silly to expect a period piece followed by a present day sequel. General audiences simply won't have the patience for something like that.

I would rather see a full "Man out of time" movie, than a movie that doesn't give either period full lengths. I think the man out of time aspect that everyone loves (including me) is only enhanced by doing it in Cap 2.

Also, give me a Red Skull plot that can carry over into two time periods. Only one I got at the moments is possibly the cosmic cube, but at that, how do they get frozen searching for it?

 

[CaptainCanada]

So, by your rational, we should skip this chapter in his lfie ENTIRELY, since none of it was in the present.

I am sorry, but that is just wrong. WWII is part of who he is, and you want to ignore that?

I didn't say that at all. World War II is a part of his character; but Marvel Comics' Captain America has always centred on a modern Cap who is a man out of time. The real story is in the 21st century, not in the 1940s. He doesn't need a whole movie set there, and, on top of that, I really don't think there's any feature-length story in the 40s that is as compelling as the ones set in the present day.

Since at least Lord of the Rings, there's been this perception that it's wrong to do anything in a single film anymore.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I didn't say that at all. World War II is a part of his character; but Marvel Comics' Captain America has always centred on a modern Cap who is a man out of time. The real story is in the 21st century, not in the 1940s. He doesn't need a whole movie set there.

To understand the present, you need to know the past.

Isn't that why guys like me become history teachers?

I'd rather see a full WWII Cap movie before the modern man out of time movie.

 

[Sun_Down]

I would rather see a full "Man out of time" movie, than a movie that doesn't gice either period full lengths. I think the man out of time aspect that everyone loves (including me) is only enhanced by doing it in Cap 2.

Also, give me a Red Skull plot that can carry over into two decades? Only one I got at the moments is possibly the cosmic cube, but at that, how do they get frozen searching for it?

I just really don't see that happening. Because that's dependent on two very unlikely things...A) the greenlighting and success of a comic book period piece and B) the audience's ability to remember the details of the first film to fully appreciate the situation.

I think the Ultimates did a good job with the man out of time thing. They used just enough flashbacks to put you in that moment, then snapped back to present day quick enough to make you feel for the guy. I think the same thing can work on film. You just don't need a two hour period movie to get Cap's back story.

 

[CaptainCanada]

To understand the present, you need to know the past.

Isn't that why guys like me become history teachers?

I'd rather see a full WWII Cap movie before the modern man out of time movie.

Basically, you want a whole movie as a preamble, then. Among other things, everyone knows that Captain America gets frozen in time and taken to the 21st century, so you're artificially limiting the point where the audience can be truly surprised by what happens (superhero films have a formula, of course).

 

[Spider-Fan]

I just really don't see that happening. Because that's dependent on two very unlikely things...A) the greenlighting and success of a comic book period piece and B) the audience's ability to remember the details of the first film to fully appreciate the situation.

I think the Ultimates did a good job with the man out of time thing. They used just enough flashbacks to put you in that moment, then snapped back to present day quick enough to make you feel for the guy. I think the same thing can work on film. You just don't need a two hour period movie to get Cap's back story.

The Ultimates did one issue and an isolated event. WWII needs far more than that. The Ultimates way works as a comic, but not as a movie.

As for the audience recalling #1, well this didn't hurt Return of the Jedi or any Star Wars prequel, nor LOTR.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Basically, you want a whole movie as a preamble, then. Among other things, everyone knows that Captain America gets frozen in time and taken to the 21st century, so you're artificially limiting the point where the audience can be truly surprised by what happens (superhero films have a formula, of course).

I think the average person has no idea about Cap's origin. I can test that for you. I work in Manhattan and can talk to a lot of people. Sure, we know as comic fans, but the general public doesn't.

 

[chiefchirpa]

Comics from the 40s, published by Timely. His Marvel Comics, the ones everyone reads, are in the present.

6 months ago I believed the best Cap movie has the 70/30 Modern/WW2 content. After much consideration, I think to start Cap series it's best to it in WW2 only. Here are my reasons:

(The prereq is that you gotta believe that Cap movie will have sequels. Perhaps Marvel is still not sure there will be a sequels)

1. International audience will be less sensitive to WW2 Cap.
2. Think the 1st movie as a Cap 101 for 95% of the movie watchers who obviously has zero knowledge about Cap origin.
3. Instead of power rangers villains-like Hydra, we have the lovable Nazis.
4. Indiana Jones is a period piece movie. If Indiana Jones can be a success, why Cap can't.
5. Chance to see Bucky.

 

[Everyman]

Indiana Jones is a period piece film, and the next one is the most anticipated movie of 2008!

Setting the movie locked in WW2 period will ensure the Pan-Americanism that Cap represents to be more likeable to International audiences than his nemesis on the screen, the Nazis. This is an opportunity to create a pseudo-historical thorough perspective of a technologically advanced yet morally deficient Nazi Germany where characters like Red Skull, Baron Zemo, HateMonger and Arnim Zola can shine. The movie will be infinitely more cohesive and movie audience will not be shaken by jumping storylines. Take a cue from Indiana Jones: you can make an adventure out of fictional past times. Be optimistic that there’s going to be a second movie for the modern age (and I’m not talking about Avengers here). Hey even Ghost Rider has a chance to have a 2nd movie, a premiere character like Captain America can do, too.

I’m once a believer of 50/50 WW2/Modern first Cap movie. Now I think that WW2 Cap is in really need to be fleshed out and non-comic readers must root for the Captain if the movie is made against the Nazi.

I agree with practically everything you said here. A period piece Captain America movie would work much better.