First Avenger: Captain America, the last Marvel superhero film before they're all mashed-up like Voltron for The Avengers flick, has just got a director: Joe Johnston. With a handful of classic (or, at least, memorable) films under his belt, Johnston, a protege of Steve Spielberg and George Lucas, seems to me to be a solid choice for this property. But others would disagree.
...when he's been in the driver's seat Johnston has never turned out anything fully convincing. Moments of October Sky and The Rocketeer, perhaps...OK, there are plenty of moments on Johnston's CV that work. But how many of his films do you want to watch again? How many do you jones for?(CHUD)
To be fair, Russ over at CHUD does have a point -- Jurassic Park III, Jumanji, October Sky and Hidalgo all show that while Johnston can do romantic adventure, he may not be able to capture a spirit and life that other directors, especially Spielberg, can.
But Johnston is great with mood, detail, and effects. While Jurassic Park III falls flat due to its shoddy, last minute script, the action scenes are exhilarating, well shot, and dynamic. Have you forgotten the Pterodactyl scene, in the mist in the aviary? Or the Spinosaurus attack on the river, at night?
Or how about the sense of wonder Jumanji elicits, especially from those of us who were lucky enough to be of an age when a board-game turned real-life could be exciting enough to sustain a feature? And while Hidalgo is one of the more massive failures on his resume, the action, mood, and place are the most interesting things about an otherwise lackluster Viggo Mortensen cash-in.
But what really gets me jazzed about a Joe Johnston Captain America flick is The Rocketeer. A 1930's period piece, based on a comic superhero, Johnston nails the feeling of the period, the details, the mood, and the action. Sound familiar? Not only that, but The Rocketeer is eminently watchable. I made RoboGirlfriend sit through it a few months ago and it was one of the few flicks I've made her watch that she didn't bitch about for the entire run-time. If RoboGirlfriend can dig it, you can dig. Dig it? It's stood the test of time, and serves as the perfect test-run for Johnston's Captain America.
Now, really, my only worry with Johnston is his lack of developmental skills. Screenplays, are, clearly, the weakness in all his movies. Jurassic Park III, Jumanji, The Pagemaster (shudder), and Hidalgo all suffer from weak, weak, weak, weak stories. If given a smart, fun script, like with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, or (arguably) October Sky, Johnston is more than capable of putting out a fantastic, fun film. Marvel's track record has, so far, been pretty good with regards to properly developing the scripts for its feature films.
So let's keep our fingers crossed for a great script. Joe Johnston will knock it out of the park.
-RoboNixon
ps. For the record, I hope they go with the Captain America storyline set up in the Ultimate Universe. Way more accessible than the propaganda Cap't from the 40's. (Also, it actually ties in with the Hulk, and rumors I've heard about Iron Man.)
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