Captain America – United States/Yugoslavia – 1990 – Superhero
Directed by: Albert Pyun
Written by: Stephen Tolkin
Main Players: Matt Salinger; Ronny Cox; Scott Paulin; Darren McGavin; Ned Beatty; Kim Gillingham; Bill Mumy; Francesca Neri
Opening in Portovenere, Italy, 1936, some kids stroll through the streets before peering into a window of a richer family and their dinner. Things don’t go well inside as Nazis join the event. A child is taken away for his superior intelligence much to the dismay of his family, who are then disposed of. Dark stuff.
Cutting to Fortress Lorenzo, Nazi fucks run weird experiments and things get creepy. In rolls their kidnapped child that they stuff into an electric chair looking machine. Seven years later and deep in WWII, Project Rebirth has been formed by the U.S. Government, using some of this Nazi methodology to potentially enhance their own candidate.
Over in Redondo Beach, California, the limping and goofy Steve Rogers (Salinger) volunteers for the program. His girl Bernice (Gillingham) loves him and is worried about the experimental process. Oh well, this dude is moving on to get zapped by the government.
The 90s approach to Captain America was a much more serious plot and atmosphere, and dipped into the comics a bit better than the late 70s try. In this regard I actually like it more, and find it a bit less jarring than the other. The cast actually has a few people I like, and they attempt to give it all credence however ultimately there are awkward moments galore.
The atmosphere ranges from sappy to serious to campy and over to a touch of ‘what?!’ The script doesn’t offer much, but this could also be due to a likely very small budget. Despite a short runtime the movie feels very slow, and crawls along without giving many reasons to care about anything. The action and shield flinging is better than the 70s motorcycle dude, but it will not whelm you much.
If you are a completionist, you can add this one to the list, otherwise you will not miss anything by spending time elsewhere. If you need a reason to watch it, check it out for how uncomfortable Red Skull’s (Paulin) face will make you.
“It seems the Americans have made a poor choice for their champion. Pity him, he is like a child!”
See This If You Liked:
Captain America (1979); Captain America II: Death Too Soon; Howard the Duck; Batman & Robin; Superman III; Superman IV: The Quest for Peace; Dr. Strange (1978)
Score:
3.0