Superheroes Coming Soon - part 3

CAPTAIN AMERICA - July 22nd

Summary - Set during World War II, a young man named Steve Rogers is deemed too puny to serve in the United States military. Instead, he volunteers for a top secret military project that turns him into the ultimate soldier. He's a superhero dedicated to protecting his country at all cost. Captain America goes up against a villain named Red Skull and the entire Nazi army.

My Take - Captain America, like Thor due out in May, is a different kind of superhero than we've seen in movies so far. He's created in the 1940s by the US military to fight in a war. He doesn't have the kinds of powers that we expect a superhero to have. No flying or leaping ability. He can't throw tanks around or shoot webs from his hands. The abilities that are presented in the trailer and articles about the movie are incredible determination and an awesome shield. I'm sure there is more that he can do because he's injected with some kind of super serum by the military scientists, and comes out with bulging muscles that weren't there before. We'll have to wait for the movie to find out the full extent of his abilities.
Captain America: The First Avenger has the potential to be really really good. The characters look interesting. The idea of a super U.S. soldier who kicks Nazi butts is worth the price of admission alone. And the story isn't so far out there that we'll have to suspend our brains to accept it. If it turns out to be a well made movie, I predict Captain America will rival the recent Batman movies in popularity. Since there isn't as much sci-fi and fantasy in the concept, it will appeal to a wider audience. Plus, our country needs a hero that stands for good old fashioned American values. Let's hope Captain America is that hero.

Will It Be For Kids?
Because of the patriotic hero element, I think there is a good chance the producers will limit the violence in order to bring in a larger audience. There was no hint of sex in the trailer, so I don't think that will be a problem. However, I'm not naive enough to think that this movie will be innocent. There will be plenty of bad guys killed and usually blood in there somewhere, and really intense action too. I'm sure the little kids will beg to see this movie, especially after they get the Captain America toys in their kid's meals, but parents may want to check the movie out for content before they see it. Check back here at Watcher500 or a site that's always on top of things is PluggedInOnline.com.

Superheroes Coming Soon - part 1

Hollywood is betting lots and lots of money on the superhero genre this summer. At least four big budget movies based on classic comic book series are scheduled to hit the theatres this summer. That can be good news or bad, depending on your taste in movies. Personally, I'm a big superhero fan having grown up reading comic books. I've liked some of the big screen adaptations, while others have greatly dissapointed me. For the most part, I still get excited when I hear that one of my boyhood favorites is finally being made into a movie in this day and age when anything seems possible in movies.

Will this new crop reach the bar set high by Sam Rami's Spiderman and Christopher Nolan's Batman? Or, will they fall flat like Daredevil, Catwoman and both attempts at The Incredible Hulk. An even bigger question for this article to ponder is whether or not these new heroes will dabble in the dark side of humanity like The Dark Knight, the biggest superhero movie of all time. I'll try to give you some heads up on these questions so you'll be ready when they come out this summer and your kids are suddenly begging you to let them go see them.

THOR - May 6th

Summary - A Norse god is cast out of the heavenlies because of his arrogance. On earth, he tries to adjust to the strange ways of humans. With god-like strength and a powerful hammer, Thor ends up defending earth from evil forces.
My Take - I was a fan of Thor as a youngster and I have to say, I'm a little bit nervous about seeing what they'll have to do to him to make him relatable on the screen. He's not your average guy who ends up with super powers like most heroes. He's a Norse god for goodness sake. However, concessions will be made I'm sure and it will probably be a good thing. I say that, because if Thor is to be a success on film it will surely be because the movie will contain rich, well rounded characters. The trailer hints at this with Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Natalie Portman as the pretty human who takes an interest in him. The characters look interesting and well acted. There seems to be some chemistry between the two leads, at least in the trailer. The special effects also look great, but you can bet that if the effects are the star of this movie, it won't last 3 weeks before it ends up in the $5 bin at Walmart.
FOR THE KIDS? - I don't see any hint of the Dark Knight here. It looks as if the worst problem Thor has is a bad attitude toward the beginning and even worse manners. Let's hope this movie is as clean and noble as it comes across on the trailer.

The Cape

The Cape is a new series that began earlier this month on NBC. It's the story of a man who is forced to become a vigilante type superhero in order to clear his name and get his family back. With his new mysterious identity, The Cape, he fights the villain and his corrupt police force armed with a fist full of circus secrets that he gets from an underground band of circus thieves? You know those circus types that hide in sewers and rob banks? Never heard of them? Neither have I but that's beside the point. It works for the show and it provides a decent explanation for Vince's secret weapon; his cape. The cape is definitely cool as long as you don't think too hard about all the things he does with it.

Sure, it's all a little far fetched, but I'm not complaining. Superhero movies are all far-fetched if you think about it. Most are much more out there than The Cape. This show tries and succeeds in being a Batman type hero for the small screen.

I watched the first two episodes and my reaction is mostly positive. The show is fun and has enough heart to make me care about the hero and his family. Speaking of his family, I really liked the strong emphasis on Vince's family. One line says it all. Vince tells Max, "My family isn't my weakness, they're my strength."

It's no secret that The Watcher500 is a big fan of Superheroes. I tend to like a little more of the super in my superheroes than is present in The Cape. I prefer Spiderman over Batman because I like the campy spider abilities that Peter Parker has, as opposed to the wiz kid gadgets that Batman uses. My only problem with The Cape is I'd like to see more in the way of real super powers. However, that's more of a personal taste and not an actual critique of the show. Overall, I really liked The Cape. For a television superhero, it's actually one of the best I've ever seen. I think the series has great potential and I'll be watching to see what kind of story lines develop in the future.
My two scores on the Watcher500 scale of 1 to 250 are as follows: 190 for entertainment value, and 210 for moral value. Some of the fighting was a bit gruesome and bloody, but never over-the-top.