SHIELD vs. shield

Thanks to CrimsonKing, I was able to catch the sneak preview last night.

One thing I was EXTREMELY satisfied with was the fact that the Russo brothers were not afraid of Cap's shield. I felt like they used it exceptionally well, and it was a HUGE improvement to the action elements of CA:WS.

If you have felt that "Captain America's Mighty Shield" has been missing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far, you will NOT be disappointed with CA:WS.

I love the fact that they weren't afraid to really cut loose with it, and that they kept things feeling somewhat grounded while still playing loose with the physics of the shield.

One of the many, MANY cool elements to the film!

 

I felt that up until now, the MCU was sort of "afraid" of it in CA:FA and Avengers because it would be hard to explain to unfamiliar audiences that the shield somehow is able to boomerang back to him. I won't post any spoiler content, but I really believe that in CA:WS, the shield is used with a PERFECT blend of "fantasy realism" that completes the image we all have of Cap and his fighting style.

That opening scene is terrific and really only scratches the surface on how Cap can use the shield for both offense and defense. Ricochets, shock absorption, ballistics - a LOT of thought went into how Cap would use the shield in combat, and the fight sequences are filmed with a real kinetic style that frequently left me with my mouth open. There were audible "OHHH!"s and "YEAH!"s throughout the audience every time the shield strikes - I loved that the Russos were able to surprise even the most hardcore fans with the many creative ways that the shield could dish out punishment.

Also really well done is the audio "weight" of it. There are subtle (non-cheesy) vibranium sound effects added to the shield while Cap wields it, and whoever did the sound for it was top notch. We wouldn't believe that it hurt the other guys if it didn't have a cinematic "heft" - the sound team really nailed it. I give them a ton of kudos for perfecting a small element that makes a BIG difference in how we perceive an important part of the film.

 

Ha! Thanks, man. I actually had an old account that I started WAYYYY back in 2001 - "spydee" - but I somehow lost track of it. Glad that we have a forum for this stuff - makes me so excited to see the Marvel Universe visually realized in a way that I could only dream about as a kid.

 

There's definitely some rule-bending about the sharpness of the shield, just like in the comics. Sometimes it bounces off of stuff (like peoples FACES), and sometimes it embeds itself into things and stays there (like a metal wall).

There was never a point in the movie where I felt like this difference was a problem or didn't work. There are moments of awesome when it bounces off of stuff, and equal moments of awesome where it gets embedded into stuff.

Suffice to say, all those who chose to oppose his shield must yield.

 

While I agree that this was the most powerful demonstration of the shield's ability to take a hit, I also really loved the moment in Avengers when Cap uses the shield to direct Iron Man's repulsor beams at the oncoming Chitauri.

CA:WS borrows from these ideas to show how such a powerful object could be used in combat for both offense and defense. You can tell that the production team sat down and thought about this concept when putting together the different action sets for CA:WS. I cannot WAIT for Joss to do the same for A2.