While we patiently await a trailer for “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which was reportedly delayed because the footage wasn’t amazing enough, to hear it from director Joe Johnston, his is going to be a superhero film like no other.
“I watched the movie for the first time a few days ago and I just looked at the first cut and there is so much entertainment value — it’s just flat-out fun to watch,” he enthusiastically told the LA Times. “Maybe I’m somewhat biased — I was there [when we made it] — but, seriously, it’s funny, it’s exciting and there’s great visual effects. The movie is going to be something more than people are expecting. This movie is going to surprise some people. It is the origin story of Captain America but it is also something rare — it’s a period superhero film but there’s great action in it. You don’t normally think of guys driving around in 1939 sedans in an action film but there are some great action beats in it. It’s just a helluva lot of fun to watch.”
Clearly, someone needs to get Johnston acquainted with early gangster flicks to show that yes, indeed, 1939 sedans can be used in action films, and while we’re sure Johnston is being sincere, what else is he really going to say? Moreover, we can’t remember the last time a director praised his own film for having “entertainment value” — it sounds like a box checked off a studio quality control list — so we’ll remain guarded with our optimism for now. But hell, maybe he’s just surprised he turned in something watchable after the fiasco that was “The Wolfman.” However, a period-based comic movie has lots of promise so we hope the picture lives up to its potential.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” hits theaters on July 22nd. No word yet on when the trailer will drop but with the Super Bowl coming up in a couple of weeks expect a bunch of major summer releases to show off their wares during the broadcast.
