Only one movie on the docket this week, but it’s one we’ve been waiting for. If you don’t like critically-acclaimed, action-packed, humanizing versions of beloved comic book characters then you can just stop reading (and get your brain checked). This week Cappy is back.
Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week has to offer.
Rotten Watch Prediction
I’ll admit that when I first heard about Captain America as a live action movie I was skeptical. Cap had long been on the sidelines of my own comic book interests and just never felt like a character who’d translate well the the current landscape of comic book movies. But the general "corniness" of the character was dealt with deftly in the original, finding ways to make fun of the costume and demeanor in order to address the "dated" nature of Steve Rogers and his quasi-alter ego. I liked (didn’t love) the original, but that was enough. Now? Well, we are talking something all new here. Because this sequel looks pretty badass.
Want to see what I mean? Check out the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier:
Seemingly gone is the over-reliance on one-liner jokes and comic book-y nature that I thought held back the original (and The Avengers a bit*). This version of Captain America, a guy struggling to adjust to his future and at odds with both external threats and those within S.H.I.E.L.D. looks tough, gritty and dramatic. Packed with action but also willing to identify with some of those struggles that come from a superhero’s global responsibility, The Winter Soldier (even the title marks a shift in tone) could soon enter the short list of great comic book movies.
*I’m prepared to get skewered for not bowing to the altar of Whedon and The Avengers. I’m in the minority of course, I just didn’t think it was a fantastic comic book film. I prefer the grittiness to jokiness.
The early score on The Winter Soldier is near perfect, sitting at 94% through more than fifty reviews. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, one would have expected more of a comedy as their style in television (Community, Arrested Development) and film (You, Me and Dupree) wouldn’t have one thinking they’d have cut any teeth on the dramatic/ action front. Wrong. Just read Eric Eisenberg’s five star review in which he says:
...the film is everything anyone could want from a comic book movie and will stand as one of the best of all time.
Not really sure what else to say after that except to say that I’m pumped to see it and anytime a studio can nail a comic book film, then it’s time to get excited.
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Oof, rough one. 0-2 on the week, starting with Noah (Predicted: 60% Actual: 76%). I expected the score to dip over the week (a mistake I’ve been making more lately) but it held firm because of critics like Sean O’Connell and his review. It’s a strong read and helps identify why critics would keep with a flick with such a well-known, and controversial (depending on how your religious flag flies) backstory. But as Sean outlines, director Darren Aronofsky makes some choices along the way of just how closely to align this story to the one in the Bible (hint: there are some big differences). This choice could be what saved the film in the eyes of critics. Unfortunately, this also made my score out of range.
Meanwhile Sabotage (Predicted: 46% Actual: 22%) was a healthy miss. Man did I go too high on this thing. What did I miss? Well, Gabe Toro’s review opens with all the explanation you need when he says:
In both the best and worst sense of the word, Sabotage might be the most Cro-Magnon movie ever released.
Do you need anything else? It wasn’t good and critics laid waste to the film. What a miss.
Next time around we’ve got the NFL draft, more Rio and evil mirrors. It’s going to be a Rotten Week!
