MAGGI PICAYUNE

Part one of my birthday double feature and final solo piece before next Summer’s upcoming The Avengers. When I was a kid, I used to love the Captain’s 1966 cartoon the most because he had the most guest superheroes teaming up with him. As a character he was pretty cool since he didn’t have powers (Spider-Man) or special gear (Iron Man); you could say Captain America is Marvel’s equivalent of Batman, he just got a wonder-drug boost and his moral compass is more in sync with Superman: patriotic while apolitical.

Next to the Punisher, he has been a problematic superhero to bring to life. Two recent attempts in the last 30 years were mediocre (a cheesy TV series in the late Seventies) or downright awful (an unreleasable 1990 film starring J D Salinger’s son). Nowadays, Marvel’s properties are in more adept hands and thanks to director Joe Johnston, the score from 1979 on is (by my reckoning) now: Marvel 10-12, DC 5-10. Feel free to ask me how I break this down.

Captain is told as a prolonged flashback. After the government discovers the hero’s frozen body in the Arctic Circle (he may be the only beneficiary of climate change), the story jumps back to NYC circa 1943. Thousands of young men are volunteering to fight in Europe and the Pacific. Steve Rogers, a ‘typical’ kid from Brooklyn wants to do his part fighting. Too bad he’s the proverbial 98-pound weakling sharing a 4F designation with Frank Sinatra. Rogers’ numerous attempts to pass medical examiniations attracts the attention of Dr. Erskine (the impeccable Tucci) who thinks he is the perfect specimen for the Super-Soldier serum. Erskine believes the recipient’s character matters more than his physical attributes. The trailer shows the transformation succeeding and what ensues, namely how instrumental Captain America was in winning WWII. You will pleasantly discover how misleading the commercials were.

Purists will be appeased with how well the writers/director tied up the character’s backstory and legacy. They even managed to bring over elements from Thor and Iron Man. History fanatics are going to wince a few times, the desegregated US Army was my favorite inaccuracy. The emphasis on Hydra and not Nazi Germany being the key foe was done for two reasons: it sets up an enemy for the upcoming super-team movie to face (traditionally Marvel’s Hydra had its roots with Nazi exiles like the real-life organizations ODESSA and die Spinne) The other is more practical: Nazi symbols, namely the swastika, are illegal in Germany which would hurt the movie’s foreign distribution. The Red Skull might scare small children though. His frightening appearance isn’t a mask which is how original creators Jack “King” Kirby and Joe Simon originally had it explained.

I did enjoy it more than I expected because I’m a bigger DC fan but I do know the essentials regarding the Marvel universe. Just don’t ask me about what has been happening over the last 20 years of continuity. Unlike the Hulk, Captain America works best without modernization. A big piece of his personality comes from being an anachronism; a person with Forties’ mores living in the ‘modern’ era. Admittedly this is a moving target as each decade progresses and it really got rolling by the Eighties in my opinion. Sadly, we will have to wait for this possible characterization next Summer.

Worth Seeing? Affirmative. We didn’t bother on 3-D since Alamo had moved other features to those theaters. It didn’t detract from the action or plot, maybe a couple shield throwing segments would’ve made me jump or twitch. Captain is more than a loud Summer movie filled with explosions and grudgingly funny lines, Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Phillips has the best zingers.

Children’s entertainment is always a risky proposition. Much of it can be rather condescending, uneven and/or a prolonged commercial. Many studios take the lowest-common-denominator approach: create something to kill 80 minutes on a long car trip; a common complaint I have with Dreamworks’ animation. Then there’s the opposite dilemma, bring something to life the parents hold dear from their collective upbringings but it hasn’t been in the public consciousness for decades (Madeline, Babar), thus it bores today’s kids and irritates the adults because the lead character says a swear word.

What puzzles me is that the Judy Moody series has only been around for 11 years so what motivated anyone to roll the dice on bringing this character to the big screen. Oh wait, I think I know. Aunt Opal is played by Heather Graham aka Roller Girl from Boogie Nights, thus dads will gladly volunteer to take the yard apes! I’m being unfairly cynical, especially when I was the one who really wanted to see this. Why? The trailer got me hooked as it elicited my childhood memories about Summer plans and the ‘illogical’ parental behavior. Graham as the Hippie-like (an actual Age of Aquarian would be in her sixties) aunt was a no-brainer.

Anyway, the movie…

It’s the last day of school! To make the upcoming Summer vacation eventful, memorable and exciting, Judy has worked out an ambitious plan containing a series of dares a third-grader would find challenging. Shortly after she unveils it to her friends Rocky, Frank and Amy, two have to burst her bubble by revealing the arrangements they already had. What makes it worse is how these blow away Judy’s: circus camp and a trip to Borneo. Pretty tough to beat. Her parents pile on the additional misery by announcing a month-long trip to California (Judy’s grandparents need assistance making the transition to a nursing home). Unfortunately, Judy and her brother Stink will be staying home while Dad’s younger sister Opal watches them. What follows is a rather predictable Summer of discovery, life lessons, hijinks, puke and a hunt to capture Bigfoot and Judy’s third-grade teacher, Mr. Todd played by Urkel.

I couldn’t help but like it. The majority of professional critics didn’t from what I found onRotten Tomatoes. I think they kept their collective guard up by viewing it as adults. They forgot how the story is being told from Judy’s perspective. There’s a good chance the ‘facts’ are a tad distorted in order to tap into the core audience’s sympathies or biases regarding the actions of parents, grown-ups, tattletales, younger siblings and other enemies kids face daily. When you’re in third grade, the world does appear to be working against you unless you happen to be Richie Rich. However, an Aunt Opal is always a welcome ally and people like her let children know that some adults are fun enablers, not spoilers. This is the flick’s heart and soul to me.

I was surprised by the animated sequences. These represent Judy’s imagination taking over. They’re neither bad nor good, just odd in an era when CG-assisted stuff is more routine. Maybe it was a concession to the fans who are accustomed to the heroine’s illustrated form.

Lastly, I have to fess up over what pushed me into liking Judy, beyond Graham looking the part of a goofy relative. If I had a daughter, she’d probably be like Judy Moody: overdramatic, vocal, bossy, loyal (she expects others to share this trait), has a thing for planning and…here’s the kicker…wears various colors of Chucks! She just wouldn’t have red hair, it doesn’t run in my family despite there being an Irish faction.

Worth Seeing? In theaters, probably not and millions agreed. It’s currently at discount joints, how else did we see it a month after its release. As a rental or via cable/streaming, then I would endorse giving it a view with or without the childerbeasts (my friend Jeff’s name for his two sons).