Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger 

Two things compelled me to watch and then write a review on the movie Captain America: The First Avenger. I have been a major comics fan since I was kid. I wasn’t the “nerdy” kid who followed comic books from beginning to end, but I knew enough, and I was a fan of the heros that they produced. Almost every little boy that I have came across has had this “super hero mentality” where they have yearned for those super natural abilities. It is rich in our culture. This was the main reason that drove me to go watch this movie. Secondly, I was in the Army for a few years, so naturally I would want to see a movie that had the ultimate soldier as the main focus. My Company Commander had a nickname, which was Captain America (although he hated it). We would find ourselves in compromising and reckless situations which he thrived upon. This remembrance of him was just added motivation to see this film. 

Before seeing this film, I made sure to do some background research on it. I watched multiple trailers, read up on the director, and did some background digging on the original story line of Captain America comic strips. Captain America’s first appearance was March of 1941. Captain America was co-created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby (Jacob Kurtzberg) created some of the most iconic super heros of all time. He created Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men (with Stan Lee), and the Hulk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kirby). Marvel Comics has had great success in turning their comics into motion pictures. These movies include all X-Men movies, all Spiderman movies, both Fantastic Four movies, The Incredible Hulk, both Iron Man movies, Thor, all the Batman movies, and now Captain America. Both Marvel and D.C comics who have worked hand in hand in some of these filmed have a combined revenue as of 2010 from movies at a staggering 5.9 Billion dollars. These comics turned movies are the highest grossing movies of all time (http://www.thepansophical.com/node/578). 

Without giving too much away, I want to share with this blog some of the plot from Captain America: The First Avenger. In essence this film is about the little guy. The guy who has all the heart and determination in the world, be who has no bronze to back it up. The guy who if was 6’0 tall could be a superstar at any sport, get any girl, and save the world. It is a movie about one man who has a good heart and the determination of a true warrior whose will to serve his country is so great, that he overcomes all odds to bring down the German Empire. Below is a movie trailer to give you a better understanding of what this movie is all about. 

This movie is very similar to not only the work done by this artist, but it also holds true to its genre. It tries to stay true to the comics as best as possible, while adding in a few extras. The super-human hero mantra of comic books is evident in all Marvel movies. The story always starts with either an average boy or a below average boy, who turns into something spectacular. Whether it be because of a bite from a radioactive spider (Spiderman), being exposed to cosmic radiation (Fantastic Four), or by a serum for human enhancement (Captain America), they all became super-human and more importantly used these powers for good. 

The comic and now movie Captain America is especially important not only for our culture but for our history. It was first produced in 1941 during the second World War. The very first issues cover showed Captain America punching out Adolf Hitler. You can call this propaganda, patriotism, or hope but the truth is, it is all the above (http://www.superherocomicshop.com/captain-america-history). Like I stated previously the very first issue of Captain America showed him punching Adolf Hitler and knocking him out. This is a great motivational tool for the troops and the country which had nothing but uncertainty for the future. There was a great sense of pride when this issue was first released. There was nothing better than seeing an American defeating the Nazis and the Axis of Evil. Over 1 million copies were sold the day of its release. The target audience was most certainly soldiers and men who haven’t signed up for the service yet. It was a tool to show great pride and patriotism for ones country. Now the target audience is anyone who is a fan or follower of “comic movies”. After watching the film, I was almost ready to sign back up for duty (with my broken back and all). Throughout the film there are definitely stereotypes. When we hear World War 2 era Germans we think of these devilish creatures who are pure evil. We see the Nazi swastika in our minds, and men with little mustaches who are hell bent on destroying the world. This movie portrays Germany no differently than described above. The Germans in this movie are the very stereotypical World War 2 era German. 

The films message was an overall strength in this movie. The effects were phenomenal and watching it in 3D just made it that much more great. The only weakness I could find in the movie was the fact that the main bad guy looked like a sunburned skeleton. I understand that this is movie is fictional and is a fantasy, but did they really have to make him look so ridiculous? Overall I would give this movie “two thumbs way up”. I would not say this is the best work by Marvel, because I have my own personal favorite, which is the Iron Man series, but the movie is definitely up there with the greats. The movie is extremely memorable, and I will most likely buy it on Blue-Ray when it is released. I believe this movie will have great DVD sales because of the overall message it sends. Heart and determination can overcome all odds and obstacles. According to James Rocchi an acclaimed critic “But "Captain America" is more than just pretty solid. It's great in spots, good in others, and hits exactly the right tone, combining real history and comic-book mythology in a way where both work together without making us feel burdened by the facts of the former or the trivia of the latter. I don't know if I'll wind up going back to "Captain America" on a regular basis the way I do "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Goldfinger," but I also know it's the most purely enjoyable and breezily brilliant superhero comic-book action-adventure film since 2004 gave us "Spider-Man 2" and "The Incredibles." For the first time in a long time, the promise of a comic-book character's return to the big screen sounds more like an anticipated good thing than a contractually obligated threat.” (http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-critic-reviews/captain-america-the-first-avenger/). I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Rocchi. I have been let down a few times with comic books turned movies, yet this movie in particular give me hope that future comic movies will be great. 

I watched this movie with a great friend of mine that I served in Afghanistan with. He is on leave from Iraq, and he really wanted to catch this movie. We both agree it was worth the money and time to see this film. He thought it was great, maybe even greater than what I thought it was. 

In summary, this film was great. It hit the right spots with me, and it held true to the comic book. It is a story with a great message behind it and was put together perfectly to make it overall a fantastic watch. I learned a few things in the process of watching this film and writing a critique on it. First I learned the history behind the comic. How this was used as a propaganda tool to encourage young men to fight for their country against the evil Nazi power. In doing research, I also learned (to some extent) how to write a well thought out critique of a film. I will now look at films as more than just entertainment, I will want to find out the meaning behind why certain things happen in films. 

Doritos (owned by Pepsi) understands how to turn advertising to profitable gains.

Superbowl commercials have become just as part of Superbowl tradition as the game itself. With this in mind, it is a no brainer as to why companies fight for slots to advertise their products for the Superbowl. During the 2011 Superbowl, Doritos decided to hold a contest. In this contest Doritos customers would make their own Doritos Superbowl commercial and the winner of the contest would have their commercial for Doritos shown during the Superbowl. This was a brilliant campaigning strategy, and I hope the person who came up with this idea received a fat bonus. Doritos decided to throw in on their costumers to come up with a  great video to turn around make them money, and during this process gain new customers as well keeping existing ones. The videos themselves were well worth the 3 million dollars a pop (Pepsi paid for 7 in total). The return on their revenue sales increased by 16% (http://newsroom.ketchum.com/multimedia-center/videos/doritos-crashes-super-bowl). So it isn't even an argument whether or not the 21 million dollars spent on Superbowl ads was worth the money. Pepsi Co. got an impressive return on their campaigning investment. The ad that I will be discussing is one of those ads that was created by a Doritos costumer. According to businesspundit.com this commercial is the best Superbowl commercial for 2010. (http://www.businesspundit.com/best-superbowl-commercials-1979-2009/) There is a direct correlation between these Superbowl ads and increased revenue. For Doritos to take it a step further and let their customers compete to create the Superbowl, shows a great deal of marketing fortitude. If the commercials would of been a bust, Doritos would have taken the hit. It speaks volumes on the company.

The commercials themselves were brilliant. They were modern, funny, and most importantly memorable. They left room for great discussion topics at the work coolers, the dinner tables, and in the school hallways. One of the finalist of the Doritos contest for the Superbowl ad is one of my favorite commercials of all time. This man walks up to a door, and this woman answers the door after he knocks. He is holding a bouquet of flowers so the audience presumes he is there to pick her up on their first date. As they are entering the house she tells him to have a seat and introduces him to her son. The son stays out of the sight until after the man sits down. As the woman walks away to change, the man watches her hips sway from side to side. He makes visibly noticeable acceptance gestures of the switch in her hips. The camera zooms in on a little hand holding a playstation three controller, and as he sees these gestures of approval, you see the little hand drop the controller. The camera then zooms in on a bowl of doritos. The man sits down on the couch and grabs a Dorito. He says to the little boy "you might have your hands full once I pick up the controller". As he draws the Dorito chip he picked up form the bowl closer to his mouth the little boy slaps the hell out of him. He tells him to put it back, then the camera zooms in on the little boy who is now face to face with the man, and he tells him to put it back, and to keep his hands off his momma and to keep his hands off his Doritos. The ad is about 34 seconds long, and like I said the place that I originally saw it was during the Superbowl of 2010.




The ad is using the plain-folks appeal in this ad. It speaks to the everyday person. There are a few things a stranger can not do in a mans domain (even if the man is a 6 year old boy). First off you never make it noticeable that you are sexually attracted to his momma, and secondly you don't sit on his couch and help yourself to his food... This also plays into the fact that this commercial uses the association principle. It depicts a real world situation, and it just seems so natural. Using the Superbowl for this commercial is by far the best medium for this message. During the 2010 Superbowl over 110 million different televisions tuned in to watch. That does not speak to the amount of people who saw this video.

This ad and all the new ads by Doritos is part of a larger campaign. It sets the tone for the reinvention of Doritos as modern, hip, and for the everyday use. The target audience of this campaign is for the common people, because it has comedic appeal it was most likely targeted for youth to middle age consumers.

This commercial is extremely memorable. I talked about this commercial for weeks after the Superbowl. The content of the video, and how funny, simple, and real it was made it the most memorable. I didn't feel like Doritos was trying to force their product down my throat. They know they have a great product, so they can get away with commercials like this. They don't need to sell their product, their product sells itself. Most times when I see a bag of Doritos I am reminded of this comical commercial as well as others by Doritos.

In conclusion, I think Doritos has their advertising strategies down pat right now. They are easy to decipher, digest, and are most importantly memorable. The profits speak for themselves, so it is easy to conclude that Doritos got this right. I learned through this assignment really how to pick apart an advertisement campaign, and really understand why they set up their ads the way they do.

Bellow are links for various website that discuss Superbowl advertising.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-02-07/entertainment/29442196_1_ad-meter-bud-light-ad-favorite-ads
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/crowdsourcing-creative-132858
http://hubpages.com/hub/Superbowl-commercials-profitable-memorable

About me!

This is my first official blog, so I say "hello" to the 21st century! Well, where to start? I guess I can start off by stating my name, which is James Myrick (I go by Jim). I am currently retired from the United States Army (not by choice). I got injured in Afghanistan in 2008, and even though I fought it tooth and nail, the Army decided to put me on the permanent retirement list. Looking back on it now I ask should ask myself "what the hell were you thinking trying to fight getting retired". I continue to collect a decent pay check from the Army to this day, and I will receive them until I die. Now that I am back into the civilian world, I am a full time college student, and I will be transferring to Oregon State University in the Winter (hopefully). I am a father of a handsome three year old boy named Kasen, and his mother Megan and I have been married for five years now. I am the head J.V. wrestling coach at West Albany High School, and I love every minute of it. I am originally from Georgia, but my wife dragged me out here to the state of Oregon (with plenty of protest on my part). My hobbies have changed from bass fishing to steelhead and salmon fishing. I am very active politically, and I have strong political views. Well this is me in a nutshell.