lol
I know it sounds like it sometimes but I do not hate Scarlett Johansson. She's not my favorite actress but she's hot and I think she can act. I thought she was fine in Winter Soldier but I still don't have any interest in a Black Widow movie but that's just me. Personally I don't see Marvel devoting the standard 140mil to make a movie about a hot female spy with no super powers but maybe I'm wrong? We will see.
I don't want this to get off topic but just had to say - Why does every movie Marvel makes have to cost 140 million? They're doing something very wrong if the Ant-Man movie ends up costing more than 100 million for instance. No reason we couldn't get something more like a La Femme Nikita type film for her. Easier to make a profit that way too. Not every movie has to end with Giant things falling from the sky.
As for Evans -
I'll admit I was suspicious of him when I first heard he was cast. But this wasn't entirely to do with him, so much as with the fact that I didn't really think there were any actors in this era that could capture Steve Rogers. He's just one of those characters that is so easy to cast with actors of days past. McQueen, Redford (though he'd be better as Matt Murdock), Burt Lancaster in his prime, etc. It was just hard to think of modern actors who had the weight (perhaps for the very reason that they are all just actors to me while those named above are "legends") needed.
But, a favorite film of mine ever since I saw it in theaters had been the movie Sunshine. If you are a fan of what Evans does as Cap, I HIGHLY recommend this Sci-Fi film. It falls apart in the end, but Evans' performance was kind of revelatory for me. This was the guy from Not Another Teen Movie and Cellular? He's amazing in that film and I think it must've been a big reason why Marvel cast the guy.
So I was weary but hopeful. He was very good in The First Avenger but that movie just didn't totally work for me so I think I sort of unfairly dismissed Evans a bit. But in The Avengers, when he finally takes charge in the battle of NY, I sat up in my chair.
That was the guy who led the charge in the Infinity Gauntlet. Who could command both the Avengers and the JLA in a cosmic war. Who could find Giant Man in a bar and beat the piss out of him for being a sack of ****.
And in this film, Winter Soldier, he's just perfect. With the Russo's direction he found just the right point between Naive and Idealistic, Suspiscious and disillusioned, and firm but not bossy. He nails it.
And physically...well...the guy is a super-soldier.
I continue to just be amazed at what an amazing job Marvel has done with their casting. Not to compare to DC's films to bait but casting Bale was kind of an easy call. Great actor, great look, slam dunk. Cavill might turn out to be great casting but I don't think Man of Steel was a great start. I can't judge a Superman performance until I see how the guy seems when he's just happy to be helping people and being Superman.
But Marvel's trusting Downey Jr, finding Hemsworth, channeling what Evans' had inside him, using what's best about Rufalo....well it's just brilliant stuff. Not to mention the fact they they sort of started the Tom Hiddleston train. Even ScarJo, who I was really against in Iron Man 2 (I wanted Emily Blunt quite badly), has really grown into the role in Avengers and especially Winter Soldier.
It makes me super excited to see how Pratt does as Starlord.
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t: He was also crazy good parodying basically himself in SCOTT PILGRIM. Another underseen gem. I'm really glad that's getting more cult status though as the years pass. For me, it was criminal how little it was seen in the theaters.
