First Avenger The Action Scenes

[Stripesy Strip]

I thought as a whole they were competently shot. But nothing was memorable. I thought it lacked some showmanship.

I think when Steve Rogers changed into the super-soldier and went after the German assassin was probably the best action sequence of the flick but it never matched that when he became Captain America on the battlefield in my opinion.

As I said in another post:

The problem with Cap was that it was like the director seemed to go through the motion, especially during the action scene. The same guy directed the Wolfman and it showed because the action scenes in Wolfman were also pretty average.

Take for example the way Cap saves the 400 soldiers: pretty damn boring. Nothing special. (in the comics Mark Millar had Cap using a plane to crash into the enemy's stronghold! that's the sort of daredevil Cap is.)

Another example, alright Cap becomes Cap for real this time, instead of making us see something awesome, Johnston has Cap and the Commandoes, just running in the wood in slowmo! That's it. He's running, firing his gun and throwing his shield mecanicaly. But there's no great creative action shot. Johnston just throws that outthere like it's another newreel. In the movie The Expandables for instance when the guys take the villain stronghold, it's hard and painful and every fight they do is unique and you care for all the guys. Here, not only the Commandoes are taken for granted but they are one note characters and nothing they do matters. Same with Cap. You don't see say...Dum Dum Duggan fighting three guys with bare hands and he conquers, Hell forget that we only see Duggan firing his gun.

Look at the dedication to action movies like James Bond take. In Casino Royale the opening where Bond running after a guy with a bomb takes forever and it becomes unreal, and a classic. And there were many stuff like this in CR. I wish with Cap the director would have focused on one thing but make this thing fantastic.

I think the best part as far as action was when Rogers was running after the assassin in the streets of New York. That whole thing was how Cap should always be. But the moment he gets the costume, his fighting went out of the window and became just another soldier. With a non-creative style to boot. Cap doesn't just fight in a blocky way, he should be creative, he's an acrobat, he does flips, he's been trained in all manner of fighting techniques. He's a super-hero.

The Bourne movies series, the character in it was more a super-hero than Cap in this movie was.

Anyway I hope this get rectified when Cap goes to modern times and he becomes a genuine super-hero.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Got to agree.

As much as I like this movie, the action could have been much more spectacular.

JJ made a very good movie but did not put the effort into the action scenes that was required.

 

[Marvel]

Well, I flat out disagree. I loved the action scenes as is and can't think of anything I'd change. It was wild and "super soldier" enough without crossing over to the land of cartoonish, over-the-top action. Right in line with Raiders of the Lost Ark or any old school film. Yet, the CG worked wonders and gives the film an edge they never had old school.

Cap delivers better action than either Nolan Batfilms or Iron Man. The adventure and thrills are what makes Cap one of the if not THE best film of the entire summer.

 

[TomPiltoff]

It's absolutely true that other styles of directing action can be harder hitting and more visceral. That wasn't what Johnston was going for. For what it is, it worked wonderfully.

 

[Xeno]

Well, I flat out disagree. I loved the action scenes as is and can't think of anything I'd change. It was wild and "super soldier" enough without crossing over to the land of cartoonish, over-the-top action. Right in line with Raiders of the Lost Ark or any old school film. Yet, the CG worked wonders and gives the film an edge they never had old school.

Cap delivers better action than either Nolan Batfilms or Iron Man. The adventure and thrills are what makes Cap one of the if not THE best film of the entire summer.

I totally agree. Captain America had more action than most superhero movies, and all of the scenes were well staged and positioned within the film. The action showcased Cap's abilities perfectly. The entire movie was a joy to watch because it really did hark back to the old fashioned action of Raiders and movie serials, without succumbing to the cheese factor. As I was watching it I could see that there are many more of Cap's World War II adventures to be told, in which we'll get to see more of the Howlers and of Cap's heroism.

The writers and Johnston pulled off something I thought would be impossible: They created a superhero/war movie that works on every level. I certainly hope that the entire creative team returns for the sequel. They innately understand both Cap and his World War II setting and would be the perfect choice for continuing the saga.

 

[WildcatNC]

I could have used some better action scenes and fight choreography. I expected some epic stuff that we only got a taste of with Blonsky.

Its nitpicking though, I loved the movie and am fine with it the way it is. If I have to trade the spot on characterization for some action then i'm ok with that.

 

[psylockolussus]

The action scenes were pretty simple IMO.

No one really kicked Captain America's ass, not even Red Skull and that was kinda disappointing.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Don't get me wrong, I did really like the action scenes and loved the movie, but I think it more imagination could have gone into them and made them more spectacular.

I get the idea from non-comicbook lovers that they thought the action could have been better.

I am a firm supporter of never let the action get in the way of a good story, but I am also a believer in never let the love of a good story make the action pale by comparison.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I have to agree with the original poster, I thought the action was very underwhelming, especially when Red Skull and Cap finally throw down, it was more of a let-down.

I actually thought the action sequences in The Wolfman were pretty good, so I expected better from Cap, but it was pretty average. I would still have Johnston back for a sequel though.

 

[truth]

Errr okay nishil....

For me, I thougt the action was great. It was just right. Sure, it was not on the levels of Reloaded or Equilibrium but compared to the action in First Class, Iron man films, thor and the two Nolan batman films...it trounces them.
You really felt how strong and mobile Cap was

 

[Shadowlord X]

I have to say one particularly great thing about the action scenes in CAP was that you could SEE them clearly!!!

No shaky cam, super up close, rapidfire quick cuts.

It's far superior to the action in nolan's batfilms, but the Jotunheim sequence in THOR surpasses it in my opinion. When compared to the IM films I would say on par.

 

[Dwarf Slayer]

I think the action scenes didn't have enough grit or excitement to them. The only time I thought "whoa, how's he going to get out of this one" was when the small bomber took off with Cap on top. That guy getting sucked into the propeller was one of the most memorable parts of the movie. That's the kind of grit the movie needed more of IMO.

 

[Ponyboy]

Well, I flat out disagree. I loved the action scenes as is and can't think of anything I'd change. It was wild and "super soldier" enough without crossing over to the land of cartoonish, over-the-top action. Right in line with Raiders of the Lost Ark or any old school film. Yet, the CG worked wonders and gives the film an edge they never had old school.

Cap delivers better action than either Nolan Batfilms or Iron Man. The adventure and thrills are what makes Cap one of the if not THE best film of the entire summer.

Stripesy Strip is spot on... Pull your head in, mate.

 

[Stripesy Strip]

I should have explained further. Like for example when Cap was fighting I didn't see a super-hero there. But Cap in the comics has an unusual fighting style, he's like an acrobat, doing flips left and right. He's very creative. While in this movie he was like just another soldier. When I watched Troy with Brad Pitt, when he fought Eric Bana in the desisive fight, he used his shield in such a creative manner, then it made me think Cap in fight could be awesome. Yet, we saw none of that in Cap movie.

Furthermore when there were action scenes it felt like "alright this is what the heroes need to accomplish, let them go in there beat the bad guys". It seems like the movie production of Captain America did not take the time to have at least a few memorable scenes. It was just "they do what they must do" and that's it. On the other hand, when you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, there would be scenes you will remember forever. Hell even in the Last Crusade there's a tank scene where Indie and his father are fighting Nazies on a tank and they almost get squeezed in on a rock. So much care is worked into that one scene. And the heroes are in peril. You never feel like Cap was ever in peril in his movie, you never feared he would get killed.

Watch Superman: The Movie there are several memorable ones. For instance, the helicopter scene. It's simple enough: there's an helicopter accident. Lois is in it, she's about to fall to her death, Superman shows up, save her, grab, the vehicule and the people cheer like crazy. It seems simple enough right? But they took so much care on that scene that it became a classic. And it made you fall in love with Superman. Now Cap is Marvel's Superman, I wish there would have been scenes to inspire that sort of passion for him.

 

[T-CLIPSE]

Cap's action is greater than Iron Man, less than Incredible Hulk and equal to Thor.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Errr okay nishil....

For me, I thougt the action was great. It was just right. Sure, it was not on the levels of Reloaded or Equilibrium but compared to the action in First Class, Iron man films, thor and the two Nolan batman films...it trounces them.
You really felt how strong and mobile Cap was

I'd have to disagree, both Thor and First Class had superior action scene's in them the Cap. The fight with the Ice Giants, Thor vs Loki, Shaw and his team raiding the CIA HQ and the final battle in Fc were all far superior and more tension filled than anything Cap had to offer.

I would say the action scene's in Cap were on par with Iron Man films and for the most part better than the Nolan Bat-movies, but again the car chases in both Bat movies are better spectacle's than anything in Cap also.

 

[November Rain]

it's in line with the other marvel films, none of them have had jam packed action scenes, and I would even put the incredible hulk in this bracket.

but one could say cap is an idealism of sorts, you don't necessarily need to see him fighting to see he's making a difference.

I think the weight of the character itself pulled him through.

it's not like in thor where you expect this mighty blood hungry bandit and you miss out on a pretty hardcore brawl.

fortunately for us, i think the avengers is going to be backstory light and action heavy so i'll look forward to everyoen getting their time in the spotlight to kick ass.

 

[Superhero 101]

My favorite action scene was the airplane sequence where cap is on the mini plane and fighting the other dude who eventually gets thrown in to the plane fan. But overall i thought cap didn't have much action as i thought it would it could have been a lot better.

 

[demitri_vampiro]

like many said, cap has action scenes, but not really memorable. no real money shots. the same kin of goes with other marvel films. its as if they are playing it a bit safe. they do good story, but they really need to pick up on the action and money shots.
cap is a supersoldier, yet when he fighgts i dont get the impression that he posesses hightened strength or speed and agility. sure he takes out bad guys with ease, but so does steaven seagal or rambo. like some mentioned he should have a more distinct fighting stile. also i remember one episode from x-men tas where wolverine and cap were fighting together and in one shot cap threw his shield through one of the robots and the camera was following the shield during this scene as it went through the robot. something like that would have been cool in the movie as well. also for heroes like cap who doesnt have some cg powers, you need to work with camera more to make the action exciting. i dont mean just to make camera shake like michael bay, but it has to be more dynamic.
at the end, most comic book movies are action movies and the action should not be put to second plan and promote the movie only on good story. sure story is important but so is the action.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

I wouldn't have spent the time making these GIFs if I didn't like the action in this movie...

 

[echostation]

they were OK... I was expecting MUCH better... i mean the Blonsky fight scene alone with the Hulk trumps any fight scene in Captain America

There's one thing Leterrier knows how to do and that's action... his action is incredibly slick and well done. They really should have showed some of that similar awesome leaping acrobatic stuntwork... it was sorely lacking here.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

^I agree.

 

[GoldGoblin]

they were OK... I was expecting MUCH better... i mean the Blonsky fight scene alone with the Hulk trumps any fight scene in Captain America

There's one thing Leterrier knows how to do and that's action... his action is incredibly slick and well done. They really should have showed some of that similar awesome leaping acrobatic stuntwork... it was sorely lacking here.

^
That's what I was expecting Captain America fight like too.Instead we get a Captain America who fights more like Rocky.It's like he didn't have any super soldier serum in his body at all.

 

[Elevator Man]

My favorite action scene was the airplane sequence where cap is on the mini plane and fighting the other dude who eventually gets thrown in to the plane fan. But overall i thought cap didn't have much action as i thought it would it could have been a lot better.

I agree that's the only scene to me that felt like it came out of a serial or Indy movie. When Johnston was making comparisons of CATFA to Raiders. I think that whats makes not only the action scenes but the film itself kind of disappointing. Although I did enjoy it as a popcorn movie but expected more from it. I just think the film didn't suceed on all depts. when compared to Raiders.

I agree with someone above who mentioned that the action scenes needed more grit. After all he is fighting in a war. When Cap and the Howling Commandos were shooting and running. You don't see who they were shooting at. Talk about playing it safe. You really didn't see them kill any soldiers. They left it to your imagination. It looked like there were no casualties. They mostly just demolished Red Skull/Hydra bases. I guess they thought they were going to offend people if Cap and the HC killed any enemy soldiers. That explains why they fought Hydra most of the movie. I'm sure people know that many soldiers died in WWII. Some have relatives who've fought and died there. Even the war that's still going on right now there have been many casualties. Forrest Gump had more casualties than this.

BTW, I don't have any problems with Cap. and the HC keeping some alive as POWs either. But I think they should've shown some casualties in some of the scenes. All we see is Cap and the HC shooting at something off camera. It's very tame. And makes it obvious that it was made for a montage sequence. And not extended and seperate scenes that had to be edited into the montage for time.

I also think they should've had a ten minute scene showing Cap. and the Howling Commandos on a mission. Like the scene in Predator where Arnold and his team were kicking butt and taking out a whole unit. Imagine Cap as Arnold in that scene where he lifted the jeep and caused it to crash into the rebel base. Then coming in and wiping them out. The movie definitely needed something like that. Especially to show what the Howling Commandos can really do. They didn't do anything that proves why Cap. chosed them for his team. Except escape from the Hydra camp or whatever. But Cap mostly had a hand in their escape.

It also would've been nice seeing Cap up against a tank. I know Hulk and IM have already done it. It also would be interesting seeing him use a variety of guns and weapons but then again he's a super soldier and doesn't really need them. So scratch that. I thought they made pretty good use of his sheild in this.

There's a lot of things I would've love seeing Cap. do action wise but I guess that's what sequels are for b/c they can't cram all that in one movie.

Overall I thought the action scenes for the most part were pretty average. Nothing special.

 

[kedrell]

It also would've been nice seeing Cap up against a tank. I know Hulk and IM have already done it.

He did.