Category Retrospectives & Analysis

Apr 29 2024

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The MCU’s Greatest Solo Superhero Film

As Captain America: The Winter Soldier celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, it’s time to take a quick examination of why the Captain America film is considered one of the best films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Very few MCU fans expected much from the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, especially given that Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier were relative unknowns whose biggest accomplishments to date were directing episodes of Community. Yet, the film blew away audiences, critics and fans with its non-stop action, intriguing script and well-developed characters. It turned out to be one of the most important films in the MCU as it forever changed it.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier centers around Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) uncovering a huge conspiracy in S.H.I.E.L.D. the spy organization he works for while grappling with a deadly ghost from his past. The first Captain America film dealt with Steve’s adventures as a superhero during World War II and ended with him being frozen in ice then revived during modern times. Ordinarily, a sequel film would have focused on fish-out-of-water tropes as Steve struggled to adapt to a whole new world. While this does happen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the film to its credit doesn’t concentrate on this concept. Instead it forces Steve to adhere to his honorable values as the world around him exhibits dubious morality. He clashes with his superiors who think nothing of spying on civilians and eroding their privacy with a clandestine project. He soon learns that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised by the evil Hydra organization which plans to use the project to unleash a preemptive attack on its enemies throughout the world, including members of the superhero team, the Avengers. For his troubles, Steve is branded a traitor and chased by the mysterious Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), a deadly assassin who turns out to be his best friend Bucky from his World War II days.

All these plot elements successfully evoked a paranoid spy/political thriller that was highlighted with high-octane action scenes that demonstrated how vicious and lethal the Winter Soldier was. These battles were among the best action scenes ever seen in any film and has not been replicated in other MCU films. There was a genuine sense of danger and fear as Steve and his allies fought the Winter Soldier and the compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. One scene in particular, which took place in an elevator, proved what a badass Captain America was. He was surrounded in a cramp space by several men who tried to arrest him and he singlehandedly fought and defeated them despite the odds.

But getting back to the political angle, the film always kept you guessing as to who could be trusted, or what was actually happening in a way that was not confusing and kept audiences engaged. It helped that the film featured Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, a government official who was actually a Hydra agent. Redford’s acting prowess elevated the film and he was a great callback to the ’70s spy thrillers such as his own Three Days of the Condor.

More importantly, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was at its core a film about a man struggling with his past and his place in the world. In this situation, Steve tries to make sense of the new world he is forced to live in where it seems as if his values are out of step. But they are what is needed to fight a great evil that has corrupted the world and his best friend. What makes confronting Bucky so much worse for Steve is not only Bucky the lethal Winter Soldier, but due to brainwashing by Hydra over the decades, Bucky has lost his decent personality and no longer remembers his past or his friendship with Steve. The Winter Soldier is the only remaining link Steve has with his past and he has to find the strength to bring his friend back. His plight was very emotional and the sacrifice he made at the end to get through to Bucky was very powerful. The final battle between the two as Steve struggled to connect with Bucky was much more riveting than the wild, effects-laden action scenes involving Steve’s other friends fighting Hydra.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier propelled the narrative of the MCU from that point as it no longer had S.H.I.E.L.D. as the support organization for the Avengers and the world. This in turn would later have severe consequences during future Avengers films and immediately impacted the TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even though that show is now ignored these days, back in 2014, it was clearly part of the MCU and the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier directly affected the TV show as one of the main characters was revealed to be a Hydra agent, and the other characters underwent crises of faith. The film also led to Captain America becoming a man without a country and on the run as seen in the next Captain America film, Captain America: Civil War when his morality led to a devastating conflict with some of his fellow Avengers to the point that the team broke up and left Earth unprotected.

Thanks to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the MCU began to be seen as something more than typical superhero films. This was reinforced later in the summer of 2014 with the release of the space epic Guardians of the Galaxy. Together, the films proved that the superhero film genre was very diverse in terms of storytelling and being able to surprise everyone with its potential. That is because not only is Captain America: The Winter Soldier the best superhero solo film of the MCU but one of the greatest films of all time.

José Soto

Mar 9 2024

A Brief Look Back At David Lynch’s Dune

Dune is a classic 1965 novel by Frank Herbert that chronicles a feudal family, House Atreides, in the far future that gains control of the desert planet Arrakis (also known as Dune) that has a precious substance called The Spice. They are betrayed by the Emperor of the Known Universe, who conspires with their hated rival House Harkonnen, to seize the planet and kill off the Atreides leader Duke Leto, while his concubine Jessica and son Paul escape to the desert. They ally with the native people know as the Fremen and rebuild their empire with Paul becoming the Fremen’s long awaited messiah to lead them to freedom.  

This complicated story has been adapted several times, most recently by Denis Villeneuve with his two-part film adaptation. The very first live-action film adaptation of Dune, however, was done by famed director David Lynch in 1984, whose take on the material was interesting if not always accurate to the book. The lavish production and look of the whole thing was a highlight as well as its all-star cast. Twin Peaks lead Kyle MacLachlin starred as Paul Atreides, and other stars included Patrick Stewart, Brad Dourif, Jurgen Prochnow, Dean Stockwell, and Sting.

The film was basically the same as the book, but there were deviations from it. Most notable was the inclusion of a sound weapon used by the Atreides to battle the Harkonnens. This doesn’t appear in the original book and was somewhat weird to see on the screen. The ending was basically the same but had one crucial difference. After vanquishing the Harkonnen heir, Feyd Rautha, played by a manic Sting, Paul takes control of the empire, and then makes it rain on Arrakis. This is strange as in the book, Paul doesn’t have any magical powers, he just pretends to in order to fulfill the Fremen prophecy of being their “Voice from the outer world”. Nevertheless, Dune as a whole was a good retelling of Herbert’s intriguing tale of outer space intrigue, religion, politics and conflict. 

The special effects were somewhat of a mixed bag. The overall look of everything was very good and had the feeling of the book coming to life, but some of the scenes with the enormous sandworms on Dune and the Spacing Guild navigators do look dated. The costumes were both strange and exotic which was appropriate given that the story takes place tens of thousands of years in the future, although the Imperial Sardarkar troops look like they’re wearing garbage bags.

Dune was a struggle to make for Lynch, and subsequently there was an extended edition made without his approval that aired on television. This longer version removed his name from the credits at his insistence and featured new footage and a different opening that explained more of what happened in the years before the film with paintings and a husky voiced narration. This was nice to see for fans of the book who were familiar with what was being described, such as the Great Revolt against thinking machines, but casual viewers might be baffled by it, as some were by the theatrical version. This was probably due to the time constraints of fitting in the whole book into a 2 1/2-hour film. It was inevitable that many of the details of the novel would be lost.

A later TV adaptation on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2000 rectified this as a three-part mini-series that lasted over four hours. This version, sometimes called Frank Herbert’s Dune, was able to be more faithful to the novel, albeit with a lower budget as seen with some of the background scenes that looked like paintings in some instances. The latest adaptations in 2021 and now this year have wisely spilt the book into two parts to have a story that retains much of the book as well as the feel of a big budget, Hollywood production. This seems to be the best of both worlds and their success bodes well for the Dune franchise.

Overall, David Lynch’s Dune does a good job of showcasing Frank Herbert’s story. Lynch basically washed his hands of it after issues with the film studio Universal, but I see it as one of his better films. While it has its flaws, it is still a quality science fiction film that is interesting to watch and still holds a place in the franchise as an alternative look into what happened to the Atreides family in their epic struggle against the Harkonnens and a very unique window into the fascinating Dune universe.

C.S. Link

Dec 22 2023

Celebrating The DCEU

Now that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been released in theaters the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has come to an end. As Warner Bros.’ answer to the might Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU has had many hurdles that it could not overcome during its ten-year run.  Frankly, it’s a minor miracle that it lasted this long. The issues facing the DCEU have been covered at length and basically, the overall tone of the cinematic universe was all over the place with some truly great films (and one TV show) and some horrendous films. Still, in spite of its problems the DCEU had a lot of merits, which should be brought up as we commemorate the DCEU.

Bold New Takes on Characters

Man of Steel, the first entry in the DCEU, immediately stood apart from traditional Superman films with its darker and more grounded approach to the superhero. This turned off many fans, but others welcomed the refreshing take on the character as it explored the alienation and uncertainty that Superman felt during his emergence as a superhero.

Other characters also had interesting interpretations such as Batman portrayed as a world-weary crusader coming out of semi-retirement and finding a new purpose. Aquaman was reimagined from a being a joke to a formidable warrior with the personality of a surfer dude on hyper steroids. Shazam! presented the title character as an immature teenager reveling in the body of a superpowered adult superhero—the ultimate fantasy for most teenage boys and girls.

Excellent Casting

One reason for the successful re-interpretations of the well-known DC characters was the casting. Henry Cavill was so great as Superman, that for many fans his version of the superhero overtook the classic Christopher Reeve interpretation as Cavill’s Superman felt so modern. Jason Momoa’s version of Aquaman turned him into a fun-loving badass.

While many were skeptical of the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, the actor shocked everyone with a solid performance and now many feel Affleck did the best portrayal of the Dark Knight. Gal Gadot electrified audiences with her portrayal of Wonder Woman and established the Amazonian princess as an inspiring role model. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie infused Harley Quinn with so much manic energy and verve that it is difficult to imagine another actor taking over the role in future DC films.

Electrifying Live-Action Debuts

Many superheroes and villains from the DC comics made spectacular live-action debuts in the DCEU films. The most recent being Blue Beetle;even though the film flopped, it was widely acclaimed for its retro back-to-basics approach with origin superhero films. As mentioned above, Harley Quinn was a bonafide scene stealer whenever she appeared in films, and let’s not forget, the other members of her teams.

The films devoted to the Suicide Squad team introduced audiences to many different DC villains. Anyone tired of the Joker or Lex Luthor being featured in DC films rejoiced at colorful villains such as Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Rat Catcher, Bloodsport and Peacemaker. The debut of these characters fleshed out the DCEU, which did not over-rely on its trinity of legacy characters, i.e Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Distinct Visions

It’s true that the overall tone of the DCEU was inconsistent thanks to Warner Bros. executives who interfered with the films. However, many times the films were injected with distinctive visions from its directors. Zack Snyder established a hyper-realized look to his films which were a hallmark of the early DCEU films. Love or hate the Snyder films, they certainly stood apart visually from other superhero films.

Other directors like James Gunn, James Wan, Patty Jenkins (at least with the first Wonder Woman), David F. Sandberg and Angel Medina Soto infused their films with bright and bold directions, which celebrated the comic book roots of the DC characters. The result was that many of the DCEU films were distinct from other superhero films. This is not a small feat given all the many recent superhero films.

Topnotch Productions & Iconic Scenes

With certain exceptions (see The Flash), the DCEU films have boasted topnotch productions and unforgettable special effects. Some films received notable awards for their productions, including an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Suicide Squad and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form for Wonder Woman.  Many scenes, especially those from the Zack Snyder films, featured new and interesting depictions of superpowers, such as the epic airborne fights that took place in Man of Steel and when Superman first learned how to fly in the same film.

Several scenes from DCEU films were simply iconic like that moment in Wonder Woman when the title hero emerged from the trenches to fight enemy soldiers during World War I. Some other moments were just plain goofy and fun. A great example was a quick moment in Aquaman that featured an octopus playing drums (!). Then there was the madcap nature of The Suicide Squad, which allowed James Gunn to run wild with his imagination.

Despite the fact that many like to focus on the many issues the DCEU had, there was so much to celebrate about the films. In the time before the James Gunn reboot, Superman: Legacy, comes out, it’s a good idea to reflect on the contributions the DCEU films made to superhero films and give them another look.

José Soto

Coming Soon: The DCEU films ranked!

Dec 11 2023

Battlestar Galactica Reimagined Circa 2003

After the original Battlestar Galactica TV show ended its run in the late ’70s there have been numerous attempts to revive it. Some included efforts by Bryan Singer and Richard Hatch, the star of the original TV show. But none were successful until Syfy greenlit a remake instead of a sequel to the orignal show, which aired as a two-part mini-series on the cable channel beginning on December 8, 2003.

Distinctly darker and more grounded than the original TV show, the new Battlestar Galactica quickly won acclaim from critics and fans, even those who were skeptical over the changes made to the concept. The mini-series was so successful that Syfy quickly ordered a series, which began airing later in 2004.

The basic premise of the new Battlestar Galactica was similar to the original TV show. In a distant part of the galaxy, a fragile truce between humans and a cybernetic race called the Cylons is shattered when the Cylons launch a surprise attack that destroys the human civilization. The few remaining human survivors set off in a ragtag fleet led by the last remaining battlestar warship called Galactica to find refuge in the lost human colony world known as Earth.

Whereas the original Battlestar Galactica clearly followed the spirit of Star Wars with an emphasis on starship battles and admittedly cheesy scripts, this version was edgier and grittier. It was clear that this 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica was influenced by 9/11. This turned off some fans of the original Battlestar Galactica who desired a more innocent rendition, but the reimagining drew in many more fans to take their place. They welcomed the moral dilemmas and flawed characters that were the main feature of the mini-series as the aftermath of war and its impact on humanity was fleshed out. The show was so grounded that even though these humans lived in a distant part of the galaxy they wore the same kind of clothes we wear today including business suits. They spoke like normal people, too with the exception that the F word was replaced by “frak” to get around censors, although this made up curse word was used too often and unrealistically in normal conversations.

Another way Battlestar Galactica stood apart from the original was with its exceptional acting. Starting from acclaimed and well known actors like Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell to relative newcomers like Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff and James Callis, they infused their roles with needed gravitas which engaged the audience. Unlike the original which focused on the adventurous exploits of Captain Apollo and his buddy wingman Starbuck, the clear leads in the remake were Olmos’ William Adama and McDonnell’s President Laura Roslin. Both characters were unexpectedly thrust into leadership roles for the desperate remains of humanity looking for any kind of guidance and hope. Even with the compelling and mature leads, the remake was more of an ensemble piece, as it prominently featured other important characters like Adama’s son Apollo (Bamber) and his best friend, Starbuck (Sachhoff in a role that was orignally portrayed by a man).

Adding to the drama was that the Cylons were hunting down the last remnants of humanity. One of these survivors was Dr. Gaius Baltar (Callis), who unwittingly helped the Cylons destroy human civilization and grapples with his guilt as he is taunted and seduced by an imaginary Cylon called Number Six (Tricia Helfer). She is part of a new race of Cylons that evolved to look and act like humans and were able to infiltrate human society. This new wrinkle with the Cylons added an intriguing twist and put a face to the enemy, which in the original show were just robots without any personality. This development also introduced an element of paranoia as the humans were no longer sure if the enemy was hiding in plain sight among them ready to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism.

The success of Battlestar Galactica revitalized interest in the IP and led to a TV series that ran for four seasons, a spinoff series called Caprica and there are reports of a new version to be produced. Some of the best sci-fi episodes of any TV show were part of the TV show’s lineup as it further developed the plot lines and characters introduced in the mini-series. This would not have been possible if the Battlestar Galactica 2003 mini-series failed to find an audience and it is why it should be praised for its accomplishments twenty years later.

Sep 10 2023

In Celebration of Star Trek: Prodigy

During the recent official celebrations for the 57th anniversary of Star Trek, its many spinoffs, and the 50th anniversary celebration of the original Star Trek animated TV show, it was noticed by many how the powers-that-be conveniently failed to mention Star Trek: Prodigy. It was so glaring because in the Paramount + Star Trek Day special and related promo material, even though all the Star Trek TV shows were noted, the animated TV show, Star Trek: Prodigy, was absent as if it never existed.

This is peculiar because until a few months ago, Star Trek: Prodigy was streaming on Paramount + until it was yanked out of the schedule and cancelled. This was part of a wider cost-cutting move by Paramount Pictures with its streaming platform that saw the cancellation of many projects. The sudden cancellation of Star Trek: Prodigy was unusual because a second season was already under production and the TV show was removed from the platform mere days after the cancellation announcement.

Honestly, this move by Paramount was disrespectful to the Star Trek franchise and its fans that were only starting to discover Star Trek: Prodigy. This action only reminds fans of how the studio is disdainful of its franchise.

Star Trek: Prodigy was met with a skeptical eye from many fans when it was first announced. Many automatically dismissed it as a kid’s TV show and what did not help was the prominent Nickelodeon logo plastered on top of the TV show’s logo and the announcements in promo materials that it was aimed at children.

While this reaction was understandable many missed out on how unexpectedly solid Star Trek: Prodigy turned out. Yes, it was not as complex as some other Star Trek shows but its stories were imaginative and embraced the Star Trek lore. It actually felt like it was part of Star Trek thanks to its stories, themes and characters. It also boasted beautiful 3D animation that showcased truly unique aliens and landscapes, while being grounded in the Star Trek Universe.

Star Trek: Prodigy takes place in the distant Delta Quadrant at a prison mining colony where a young alien prisoner named Dal R’El (Brett Gray) discovers in a mine an abandoned Starfleet ship called the Protostar. He activates the ship and escapes the colony with his companions who include Gwyndala (Ella Purnell), the daughter of the show’s antagonist, Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas), a young Tellarite mechanic, Zero (Angus Imrie), a Medusan in a floating containment suit, Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), a huge rock-like alien who is actually a brilliant young girl, and a gelatinous alien called Murf (Dee Bradley Baker). On the Protostar, they meet a training hologram that is patterned after Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). She helps them run the ship and mentors Dal and the others on becoming Starfleet officers. The motley crew decides to embark on a voyage to return the Protostar to the Alpha Quadrant and the United Federation of Planets. Along the way they carry on with the Starfleet mission of exploring new worlds and civilizations in the hope they can become Starfleet officers once they return the ship.

The Protostar is an experimental starship that actually changes its shape to travel at tremendous speeds in warp space. The starship and its new crew are hunted across the galaxy by Gwyndalla’s father, the Diviner (John Noble), who rules the prison colony and has a personal vendetta against the Federation and its Starfleet. He covets the Protostar to use it as a Trojan Horse to decimate the Federation.

Also pursuing the Protostar is the real Janeway, who is now a Starfleet admiral commanding another Starfleet ship. Years ago, the Protostar was lost in the Delta Quadrant along with its crew, which was commanded by her former first officer, Chakotay (Robert Beltran).

For a TV show supposedly oriented towards children Star Trek: Prodigy has a surprising amount of depth considering that many episodes featured character arcs that fully developed the characters. Throughout the first season we see Dal change from an impulsive and rebellious teenager into a responsible and mature person who had the qualities for a Starfleet officer. The best episode that illustrates his development was “Kobayashi”. Dal activates a holo-training program that is the famous Kobayashi Maru test given to Starfleet cadets where they hopelessly try to rescue a freighter from Klingons. Making up his crew in the simulation are popular Trek characters like Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from the original Star Trek and Scotty (James Doohan) from the original Star Trek films. As Dal tries to win the test’s no-win scenario and learns some hard lessons about command, he interacts with these characters, which was amazing since some of the actors voicing the roles are no longer alive. It was a nice way to give tribute to the franchise.

Most of the other characters saw significant development, as well. Gwyndala fought an inner battle within herself as she was at first hostile towards Dal and the others but gradually formed a deep bond with them. In the episode “Time Amok” Rok and the others are trapped in different temporal loops. Being that in Rok’s loop time runs at the slowest rate she uses this as a chance to learn to become a scientist and save the crew. Many of the others have tragic backgrounds and this journey on the Protostar serves as a means to give them some meaning in their lives.

The best way to think of Star Trek: Prodigy is to compare it to Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels. On the surface both TV shows were apparently made for children, but before long they evolved and became more complex and appealing to adults who otherwise might have been turned off by them. I’m pretty sure that if Star Trek: Prodigy was not cancelled and allowed to fully tell its story, which included the search for Chakotay, the show would have reached the same level of admiration that the animated Star Wars TV shows has received.

Cancelling Star Trek: Prodigy was one thing, but to remove it from Paramount + and having it unavailable to easily view elsewhere was a foolish decision. Even though it was not a massive hit it still would have found an audience. Right now the only way to see Star Trek: Prodigy is to buy it through Amazon Prime, Vudu or other video on demand services or to actually purchase it on physical media. It’s certainly worth buying and will help hold us over until season two is ready. As of this writing, post-production of season two of Star Trek: Prodigy is underway and the show’s producers are finding another place to air it. Given the way the actors and writers strikes have ground film and TV productions to a halt Paramount should reconsider its decision and bring back Star Trek: Prodigy to its streaming platform to at least let the fans see the final season.

José Soto