September 10, 2011

Of all the big blockbuster movies to come out this summer, the one that I was most excited about was CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, not only because I’m a huge fan of the character, but because it also meant that inevitably the original 1990 CAPTAIN AMERICA movie was bound to resurface in one way, shape or form! And thankfully, it emerged with a long overdue “Limited Edition” DVD release from the MGM collection (similar to the DVD-R Warner Archive titles available through the WB website), dubbed as the “Re-Released 1992 Edition”.

Back in the early 90′s, it wasn’t exactly fun being a Marvel fan. Most of us were hopeful that one of our favorite Marvel characters would eventually make the appropriate transition to the big screen, much like DC’s BATMAN did (very successfully) in 1989. And there were a few valiant attempts. There was the Dolph Lundgren version of THE PUNISHER (which in retrospect, isn’t all that bad) in 1989. There was the cheap-o 1994 Roger Corman produced FANTASTIC FOUR, which only managed to see the light of day as a popular bootleg item at conventions. And then CAPTAIN AMERICA, which at least got a UK theatrical run and a US VHS release back when rental stores were still drawing huge business.

My impressions then are pretty much the same I have now revisiting the film. Sure, it’s flawed. It’s a bit silly, despite the best efforts of everyone involved to approach the story seriously. And it deviates from the original comic book source material in the strangest of ways. But, it’s still got a fun, charm to it and for that, I kinda love it.

Directed by Albert Pyun (director of DOLLMAN! Respect!), this version opens during the beginning of World War II with the abduction of an Italian boy after the murder of his entire family at the hands of the Nazi’s. Experimented on, this boy eventually becomes the villainous Red Skull. (An Italian Red Skull?! You betcha!) Years later, the same doctor performs the experiment on volunteer Steve Rogers transforming him into Captain America. Cap faces off with the Red Skull only to be tied to a rocket headed for the U.S., which he manages to divert into the frozen terrains of Antarctica. (No Bucky in this version either.) Witness to the rocket flying over Washington was little Tom Kimball, who would one day grow up to be the President! (Played by Ronny Cox, no less!) And his skeptical childhood friend Sam Kolawetz who would grow up to be Ned Betty! (Actually, just played by Ned Betty, he really grows up to be a journalist in the movie.)

Cap awakens in the 90′s (just in time for the grunge explosion) and is shocked to discover that his long lost love Bernie has married and grown old. She also happens to have a daughter named Sharron that looks exactly like she did in the 40′s, so don’t feel too, too bad for Cap quite yet. Also still around is the Red Skull (Scott Paulin) who’s had extensive plastic surgery. (He only has one scene as the legitimate “Red Skull” of the comics. And similarly enough, we only really see Cap in his trademark costume for a few short scenes.)

Plot aside, that’s the basic gist of the flick. And while everything from the FX to Cap’s superhero-ism is limited (no doubt due to budget), it’s still kind of fun to watch. Steve Rogers/Captain America is humbly played by Matt Salinger (Yep, the son of J.D. Salinger & jock alumni from REVENGE OF THE NERDS) and tries his best to bring integrity to the star spangled superhero. (Even with the rubber ears, and the mask not quite fitting all that snugly on his face, in particular around the eye slots.) His girlfriend in both generations is played by Kim Gillingham, who in this humble writer’s opinion is a sexy fox! Can’t explain it. I crushed hard on her back when I first saw this, and I still crush on this actress and am bummed I haven’t seen her in anything else besides this flick.

My favorite aspect of this version is by far the Italian Red Skull. Mainly because he speaks broken English in an Italian accent and often refers to Cap as his “American Brother”. This makes their first showdown hilarious and by far my favorite scene in the movie. It’s also something I quote religiously. “The Americans have chosen a poorly for their champion. You have even failed to teach me English!” Classic!

While I’m glad the flick is finally available on DVD after all these years, there’s 2 minor downsides to this release. First, quality-wise it’s no different from your old VHS copy or bootleg. It hasn’t been digitally remastered or restored. It’s a full-screen old-school DVD-R dub right from a video copy of it. Then again, this may be the only way the movie has ever been available. (Was it even shot in widescreen?)

Second, as is the case with most DVD-R releases, this is a bare-bones release. Earlier this year, there was talk that this would be a longer “director’s cut” version available on Blu-Ray. (Article right HERE.) Why they opted out of the Blu-Ray release, let alone the director’s cut version is beyond me & a bummer. (I saw the director’s cut of the 1989 PUNISHER on the big screen and it is BAD-ASS! So, I was hoping for more fun Captain America footage in this release.)

Alas, it’s just amazing to be able to own a DVD copy this version of CAPTAIN AMERICA.