CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

I've got no Unboxing scheduled this month, so instead I'll take a moment to talk about the recently released CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. As I type this, I'm just back from a screening on Sunday of its opening weekend, though the post will go up one week later.

In general I've liked a lot of Marvel's output since the first IRON MAN in 2008. There have been some misses, however; I found both IRON MAN sequels somewhat lacking, for different reasons. THOR: THE DARK WORLD, while okay, didn't exactly light my world on fire either. 2012's AVENGERS is probably my favorite Marvel film, but CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is close behind, if not tied, depending upon what day of the week you ask for my opinion.

I was ready for CIVIL WAR to blow both of those last two out of the water. The movie had tremendous buzz and very positive advance reviews, and it looked terrific. I found myself really psyched up, looking forward to CIVIL WAR more than any other movie in recent memory (that includes THE FORCE AWAKENS). A few days before its release I compared my anticipation for it with my feelings toward AVENGERS in the final weeks before before it hit screens four years earlier.

Sadly, I think the hype kind of dulled CIVIL WAR's impact for me. It's entertaining and I liked it well enough, but it certainly doesn't supplant AVENGERS or WINTER SOLDIER for me. Right now I'm not sure exactly where I'd rank it in the pantheon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's probably someplace near the middle.

Be warned -- CIVIL WAR spoilers abound, starting right now!

WHY ISN'T THERE A SHE-HULK TV SERIES?

As the new television season gears up, I find myself wondering about this. It's a weirdly specific question, maybe, but I think it's a reasonable thing to consider. Most iterations of SHE-HULK are tailor-made for TV.

First off, I should say that NetFlix's DAREDEVIL proved to me something I had long suspected: Unencumbered by dumb network "input", a television series really is the best way to do superheroes. I love Marvel's movies, but they're really just snapshots in the characters' lives once every few years. A serialized, episodic TV series is much more in keeping with the nature of superhero comics as they have existed for decades, and that concept really serves the characters best.

But we live in a world where the A-list Marvel heroes will always be on the big screen, leaving TV for the lesser known or more obscure characters -- and I submit that, perhaps after the already announced stable of NetFlix characters -- Daredevil, Power Man, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones -- no Marvel character is a better fit for TV than She-Hulk. I'll even take that a step further and declare that no Marvel character is a better fit specifically for network TV than She-Hulk.

Yes, I just noted above that networks are dumb, and I believe that they frequently devolve TV series far below their potential with stupid, borderline insulting pandering to the broadest possible audience. But -- She-Hulk's premise is practically cast from the network mold: Jennifer Walters is a prosecuting attorney by day, party girl by night, involved in all manner of interpersonal conflicts both in and out of her workplace. The only thing that separates this from a dozen other legal "dramedies" is that the protagonist in this case happens to be six feet tall and green. She's not a superhero by trade, but of course does occasionally get into situations where she must exercise her strength. But at its core, this should be a funny, sexy, primetime TV soap opera which takes place in the Marvel Universe.

CAPTAIN AMERICA’S THEME

A well deserved, albeit long and meandering, tribute to the most ubiquitous musical motif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From my perspective, Marvel Studios doesn't have many failings so far. Not all their movies have been great (IRON MAN sequels, I’m looking at you), and yes, there are some things I think they could've implemented better -- but overall, even on the rare occasions they have a misfire, their output is generally still a lot of fun.

But there is one area where Marvel’s movies have mostly fallen very short in my estimation. I love strong recurring musical themes in my movies, especially across multiple films. Think of the STAR WARS or INDIANA JONES movies, the LORD OF THE RINGS and HOBBIT sagas, or the HARRY POTTER series. All these franchises feature numerous recognizable themes and motifs developed across all their installments.

Not so with the Marvel movies. IRON MAN 1, 2, and 3 all have completely different themes by three different composers for the main character. Likewise, THOR and THOR: THE DARK WORLD feature separate themes for the God of Thunder, as composed by two different men. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON uses some of the main theme from the first AVENGERS film, but that’s a special case which we’ll get to shortly.

But somehow, through all of these, one character’s theme has stayed with him, popping up at least once in every one of the films featuring him: Captain America.

CAPTAIN AMERICA REPLICA SHIELD PROP BY EFX COLLECTIBLES

What's this? A rare Saturday post? Yes, this could have easily gone up tomorrow, but given that today is the Fourth of July -- America's Independence Day -- I couldn't pass up the chance to post some pictures of my newest collectible acquisition.

But, as always, I'm going to spend some time to set the stage first. A few years back, EFX Collectibles announced they would be producing a line of prop replicas based on items from Marvel Films' productions. Among these items was Captain America's star-spangled shield.

Now I'm not a prop replica guy. I owned none until this one. I was never into "role-play" type toys as a kid, and I'm not really into them as an adult either. But there's something about Cap's shield -- it's not just a prop, it's a piece of art. So I was really excited at the prospect of owning it and mounting it on my wall.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

This isn't intended as a full-fledged movie review. I'm not sure if I'll ever get into that line of posting. But I just have to gush, at least a little bit, about CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Yesterday was the film's opening day here in the United States, and I attended a screening last night. This movie is amazing. It sets a new bar for the solo (non-AVENGERS) Marvel Films movies.

Marvel has said that their goal with WINTER SOLDIER was to produce a political thriller that just happens to be a superhero movie, and they succeeded in spades. This movie has that sort of gritty, paranoid feeling that you get from the very best such thrillers, and features a "trust no one" atmosphere that was especially prevalent in some of the great movies of the seventies. The level of suspense is just about perfect, the action scenes are wonderful and well-placed, and it's all accomplished without betraying Captain America's character to make him fit the story.