Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Of late it pains me to watch a comic book film never mind write about a comic book film here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic. As much as I was raised and reared on these classic titles there is little to no interest to cover them or give them anymore exposure than they already have.





It's a rare day when I will actually watch a superhero film now. This will likely be my last for quite some time.

After initially walking away from the title, this was my second attempt at Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). It was in the library. It was free. It received rousing reviews. I'll make an exception to my unwritten rule not to engage comic book films any longer. I'm happy people enjoy them. I wish no ill will upon them, but I just cannot endure them any longer.

The first Captain America film (here), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps it was partly due to director Joe Johnston's efforts and period establishment circa World War II. This fine origin picture for Captain America was quickly followed by the loud, haunting, nightmare that was The Avengers (2012). The sound and fury (no not Nick) was all just too much. It was the obnoxious superhero equivalent of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (2009).




Joss Whedon was heaped with praise after the massive success as writer and director. I guess it was packed with Whedon's trademark wit and writing style. It was hard to notice, but this is what I've been told to believe.

Unfortunately it was clear I had hit my wall when it came to Marvel pictures with the welcomed exception of the sci-fi-centric story for Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) coupled with great casting and director James Gunn's unconventional, vivid imagination and style.

Part of me was just simply exhausted by the comic book movie adaptations. They are slick. They are polished. They are pumped full of special effects, quick edits and stylized comic book-like production, but are sorely lacking in humanity or something.

I was a huge comic book fan as a kid. I wanted real live action comic book movies or television as a kid in the worst way. Kenneth Johnston's The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) starring the late, great Bill Bixby remains the best yet for that character.




Today, as a viewing adult, I think to myself, be careful what you wish for. What seemed to work so well for me in color comic books as I fawned over each and every frame as a child has not translated quite as well for me as the special effects films that they are. It all comes off a little silly and suspending disbelief becomes a problem for me. Adapting the extraordinary sequences of panels drawn by George Perez or John Byrne, though nice efforts, still seem lacking. I know you could say I'm overthinking it or the grown up in me is getting in the way. But I'm actually not trying to do that. I just can't help it.



I certainly don't intend for my distaste of the comic book film to spill over. I intend in no way to cloud or shade your judgment or enjoyment of these pictures and likely would I. But if I'm to be completely honest with myself and you, I suppose I'm suffering from significant super hero fatigue. It's overwhelming and relentless. Some reviews seems to suggest these Marvel films are high cinema. We would be crazy to miss them. As I've discovered, it's me. I simply find the attempts to translate from comic book frame to moving picture to be uninteresting. These comic book films are beginning to bore me.



Case in point, apart from the underwhelming The Avengers that opened to standing ovations, X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) was another major let down and I did enjoy X-Men: First Class (2011). There were too many problems to count in X-Men: Days Of Future Past. The films stray from the source mythology significantly. Characters are different from the original story. The character designs are average at best. The design work established especially for the Sentinels were an abomination of epic proportions. What the hell were those things? They certainly weren't the Sentinels I remember from my childhood reading of X-Men #98.



Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine has been a highlight from the Marvel films. Guardians Of The Galaxy was an attempt at something different, a stand alone outer space yarn that worked on its own terms separate and apart from the pat linking that seems to happen with each successive Marvel film packaged with a cute little Easter Egg-styled ending hardly worth sitting through the credits for. It's all just a bit tiresome for this fan of science fiction and for someone looking for something a little deeper most of the time.

It seems the smaller, character-based films like Wolverine (2009, 2013) are more satisfying to a degree. The humanity in the films resonates much more. The bigger and noisier they get the more I glaze over and check out.

So yes, I'm sorry to say I've dried the well of good will when it comes to Marvel films.



This explains why my second attempt at viewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a big moment for me including writing a few words about it here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic. It was burning my hand. So I pulled it from the library. I didn't expend a dime on it. I even road my bike there. No gas. Calculating food to fuel the body is more difficult to quantify. I eat a lot.

Was Captain America: The Winter Soldier worth my time? Would it be another bag of super hero hot air from Marvel?

As I mentioned, the first Captain America film, drew nicely upon the humanity of Steve Rogers and the World War II backdrop. It made for a refreshing change of scenery. Johnston handled the human component with aplomb. His work on The Rocketeer (1991) and October Sky (1999) made him a perfect fit. Johnston would not direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was to be a bigger picture.



The opening salvo for this film, a rapid fire action sequence, moves so quickly it's actually rather difficult to enjoy. This improves markedly and remarkably for the remainder of the film. But that opening is chaotically poor.

These solo stories allow for greater dramatic power which is a plus, but it all feels a little hollow or insincere and spread thin the more the ensemble grows.

There is of course the political subtext of the film. There's an anti-police moment between Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury character and metro police suggesting blacks are targeted. You can always count on Hollywood. Liberal activist Robert Redford fills the screen with his presence joyfully playing the power villain and making a good profit off of it.



Generally it's a good political insurrection story and an engaging action film complete with a Michael Mann, Heat-styled action sequence and suspense. The Winter Soldier makes a worthy adversary too.

With The Avengers, to me, nothing ever felt truly at stake and Loki and the film's villains simply bored me to tears as silly. The Winter Soldier genuinely and credibly takes the Captain America character to a new level even if it is a little short on character.

The political intrigue and conspiracy aspects are fine and certainly more impressive than most superhero films. The action sequences are truly astonishing in spots. It balances the tension and action to good effect. You simply check out and just enjoy the intensity of the picture on its own terms. The Winter Soldier is also a little more fearsome than the previous Red Skull. And Johansson continues to bring such power to her characters in film. She is the Black Widow for a reason and that character really gets to shine here.



In the end, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a solid, quality superhero film. Is it a must see experience? Not really. Perhaps I'm spoiled by all of the quality writing on television today. Fargo. Breaking Bad. Battlestar Galactica. Homeland. The list goes on and on. Superhero films today feel superfluous and passable devoid of heart and soul (though this is better than most). The mind numbs as the action drones on. It certainly wouldn't be Marvel if it wasn't epic and accomplished in the Might Marvel Manner. But by God the action and these genre films go on and on. I understand this is escapist entertainment (and Nick Fury has a terrific sequence to pull off a great one), but precisely the kind of entertainment I make every effort to escape from nowadays. Investing in films like Her (2013) and Lost In Translation (2003) (I know I have Scarlett on the mind) are far more rewarding than a Marvel film. And I understand its apples and oranges. But there is a familiarity to these films. There is a kind of James Bond, paint-by-numbers quality to the superhero film that seems to settle in. But I guess I draw the line at Bond formula and willingly embrace that hero.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a fine enough picture for what it is, but certainly unessential unless you are an avid comic book collector and more importantly a collector of Marvel comics films I suppose. If you enjoy the mythological weave of the worlds these heroes inhabit minus considerable psychological depth by all means.



Even though Captain America: The Winter Solider didn't leave me in the cold, they rarely get my attention like a good comic book once did as a kid. This film was about what I expected. There were no real surprises or profoundly moving human moments where I relished the experience. Sure Scarlett looks amazing in spandex. Her bosoms and ass are highlighted to perfection here, but it's still not enough to keep my eyes glued to one of these pictures any longer. These films make money and will continue to propagate like rabbits.

At the end of three hours (there was a lot of remote pausing), I can say with a good degree of confidence I could have passed the library by on my bike that day and been none the wiser or picked up something with less testosterone and spandex. At this point these superhero films are beginning to feel like nails on a chalk board. And about all of those guns liberal Hollywood so abhors...come now... it's all a bit comic-al really. Though not my cup of tea of late, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a solid super hero romp and story. For what it is they don't come much better.

Space Above And Beyond: Pilot

"Until we win this war, the only easy day is yesterday."

"In space no one can hear you scream ... unless it is the battlecry of the United States Marines."

"The story is about the futility of revenge. We're trying... to deal with what war is about.

We're looking at how our guys, as soldiers, see the war.

Jim and I see this not so much as an SF piece as kind of a WW II movie or a war piece in space."

 

-Glen Morgan (Starlog Magazine #220, p.43-44)-

Following the trajectory of writing excellence that began with The X-Files (1993-2002), the wonderful work of Glen Morgan and James Wong continued with Millennium (1996-1999) and culminated in a darling project of theirs called Space Above And Beyond (1995-1996).

It was Morgan and Wong's great care and oversight as show runners on Millennium Season Two that really inspired much of the theme of my writing contribution to the thoroughly engrossing book Back To Frank Black: A Return To Chris Carter's Millennium (2012). That publication coupled with The X-Files and Millennium led me to analysis all things Morgan and Wong with regard to television. Space Above And Beyond was missed along the way.



Space Above And Beyond is unfortunately a victim of its era when it comes to visual effects. It was the dawn of computer generated graphics and Morgan and Wong's serial was the beneficiary of the then revolutionary approach to expand the science fiction universe.

Space Above And Beyond, thanks to the evolution of such aids, suffers in the same manner Babylon 5 (1993-1998) suffered. Time would not be its friend. Practical effects and hands-on production work remains unaffected and remarkably strong.



The X-Files' judicious use and limited reliance on such computer effects were minimal by comparison allowing that series to feel almost timeless. But one look at Space Above And Beyond and there are visuals that do not fair well particularly in the early portion of the Pilot. Things do improve. For a genre that relies so heavily on suspending your disbelief, this series does not benefit from the weak performance of the early era computer-generated worlds. In my estimation the viewer works hard to prevent the shattering of this space illusion.

Pushing those visuals aside and moving beyond that, Space Above And Beyond rockets into space on the merits of its writing by Morgan and Wong. It excels as a science fiction war drama steeped in compelling, real characters of the mold Morgan and Wong were creating on The X-Files.



For Morgan and Wong the truth really was out there with Space Above And Beyond. There were taking their eye for a good story, ear for dialogue and the tone of The X-Files and taking us out into space.

In many respects, Morgan and Wong were bringing their own brand of credibility to the genre with Space Above And Beyond as much as they did for The X-Files, Ufology, the paranormal and government conspiracy through its FBI agents. Morgan and Wong fuse their space drama with American politics through the eyes of combat pilots all of it with a nod to the likes of Robert A. Heinlein who served in the military himself.



The gritty Space Above And Beyond takes the ideas for Morgan and Wong to the next level. This is the next logical step beyond The X-Files. Aliens are a reality. These vulnerable cadets are aware of their existence. It's no longer a secret, the truth was out there and now we are preparing for war against them.

The men behind Space Above And Beyond, Episode 1 and Episode 2, Pilot write for a selection of interesting characters even if they seem a little awkward in the outset. You have such faith in Morgan and Wong's credentials as writers based on the beloved The X-Files and the sensational work written for Millennium you're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.



Kristen Cloke, who plays Captain Shane Vansen, would go on to star as Lara Means in the wonderful second season of Millennium. As one of the principals of Morgan and Wong's ensemble cast, Morgan's real life wife is one of the main reasons to check out the series. Fans of her work and of Millennium would be wise to check out her contribution to the earlier aforementioned book, Back To Frank Black, titled Here's My Thing: A Conversation With Kristen Cloke. She offers excellent insight into both Millennium and Space Above And Beyond.



Other principals to bolster the series include Rodney Rowland as outsider and In Vitroe 1st Lt. Cooper Hawkes and Morgan Weisser as 1st Lt. Nathan West. Rowland guested in The X-Files, S4, Ep13, Never Again and Veronica Mars (2004-2007), while Weisser appeared in The X-Files, S4, Episode 7, Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man. Finally, the exceptional James Morrison is featured as Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius "T.C." McQueen. The actor is known for his contribution to Millennium, S1, Ep3, Dead Letters and The X-Files, S7, Ep14, Theef.

Another casting highlight to Space Above And Beyond includes a powerhouse guest performance in the Pilot by retired USMC R. Lee Ermey as the pilots' boot camp instructor. Ermey is always a commanding presence and steals the show in each scene with his memorable seemingly improvisational presence. He delivers a riveting balls-to-the-wall, Full Metal Jacket-inspired contribution.  If you enjoyed his improvised role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket (1987) by the late Stanley Kubrick, you won't be disappointed by his turn as Sergeant Major Bougus here. He owns it. Ermey actually guest-starred in The X-Files, S3, Ep11, Revelations also directed by David Nutter, who directs the Pilot here. Ermey would later star in Morgan and Wong's Willard (2003).



Space Above And Beyond capitalizes on a strong militaristic style with the inclusion of Ermey along with a percussive score by Shirley Walker who drives this thing with just the right amount of patriotic pomp and circumstance.

Overall, Space Above And Beyond has a very real quality to its science fiction and tough military drama. Rather than just mere blockhead bravado, the characters are infused with intelligence and guts. Emotional baggage or damages and a revealing history is given to a number of the leads.



That reality is put to the test immediately within the Pilot as two pilots/lovers trained  are torn asunder by American politics only to have one forced to remain behind.

Director David Nutter, referred to as "the pilot whisperer," brings his steady hand to the series creating a gritty marine look for the cadets. Nutter delivers for the first three installments of Morgan and Wong's twenty-four episode series. Nutter has loyally worked wth Morgan and Wong on many occasions for The X-Files (Ice, Beyond The Sea, Tooms, Blood, 3). He also delivered big for the Millennium Pilot (1996), as well as pilots for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2007) and Roswell (1998).



A great deal of planning and forethought went into seeding the series by Morgan and Wong as they develop a deep mythology for their space epic. Vansen's parents were Marine Corps officers working for the Artificial Intelligence War, but were killed by the AI patrol. Vansen has nightmares about it and those frightening scenes are revealed in flashback.

Space Above And Beyond, terrible CGI aside, feels like a natural heir to the spirit of space wars and colonial warriors first portrayed so memorably in Glen A. Larson's Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979). In fact, it may serve as a natural link in the evolution of the space drama between that series and Ronald D. Moore's even harsher, reimagined Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009). Despite uniformly entertaining performances like those found in those aforementioned series, Space Above And Beyond lasted a mere single season like the classic Battlestar Galactica, but never attained the cult or iconic status visually that Larsen's series managed.



Production design is strong on the series. Interiors and living quarters aboard marine space vessels mirror the tight conditions inside of submarines.

The Mars landing, too, is covered with red sands and eerie lighting and makes for a suspenseful, dramatic finale of hand to hand combat against the enemy resulting in a capture.

The combat unit is dubbed the 58th Squadron "Wildcards" and are adorned with green space suits that are immaculately conceived in their detail with each soldier's name affixed to the top of their helmets for viewer identification. All the gear and weaponry is perfectly complementary of that expected of solidiers in a coming war. The outfits reminisce of Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers (1997) and thus the muscular look of Robert Heinlein's designs for his book of the same name, Starship Troopers (1959). Yet Space Above And Beyond pre-dates Verhoeven's film by two years.



Ship designs are perfect as they balance the line of practical and futuristic whereby a future Earth has progressed technologically, but not outside the realm of possibility. There's an originality to the vessels that also steers clear of the traditional Viper, X-Fighter and UFO-styled designs.

Morgan and Wong utilize popular music to great effect in the series as well. This approach echoes their immaculate use of music and pop for The X-Files and Millennium.

Morgan and Wong expertly generate an eerie atmosphere in the series opener. They excel in it. Adding to the tension is the fact the 58th Squadron Wildcards are a little green and inexperienced---a little wet behind the ears to be dealing with a hardened enemy.



Morgan and Wong are also wise to ensure the alien remains shrouded in mystery within a space combat suit a la Predator (1987). There are nice touches though like throbbing gill-like entry points on the foreign combatant. Sticking with practical effects in one scene a creature gushes green slime from its orifices.

There is also a mournful tone in Space Above And Beyond suggesting a long war with real losses and men and women complete with human empathy.

The future involvement in the war is nicely established when the legendary Angry Angels are sent to combat the enemy. The mythic Angry Angels, the 127th, are considered the best of the best but ultimately they fall to a superior enemy. When some return bloodied and battered, a good deal of hope seems lost from the eyes of the 58th. This is World War II in space. Casualties and losses are a reality the cocksure pilots are suddenly forced to face with stark, sobering realism. For a moment even, a vulnerable Bougus salutes his cadets.



Later, in the second portion of the Pilot entry, the space sequences are far more credible thanks to the attention paid to the digital details. The FX shots are superior to earlier shots in the entry as if greater attention was paid. The fighter squadron, flying their SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet Hammerhead fighters, docks with its intended location, the U.S.S. Saratoga.

The young marine cadets are addressed by one of the survivors of the Angry Angels, a now facially scarred Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius "T.C." McQueen.



The series is filled with beautiful human moments thanks to the writing caliber of scribes like Morgan and Wong. Whether a sensitive moment between Vansen and Hawkes, or an unspoken moment of understanding between them there is no shortage of humanity here.  These characters grow and express that growth. It's not too fast and it is subtle. There were times when it seemed Hawkes was very much alone within the group, but the orbit of acceptance within his team moves a little closer as they prepare for war. Hawkes knows West will have his back despite earlier words during simulation drills when West expressed hostility toward the then apathetic Hawkes. "What would you die for?" asks McQueen of Hawkes and Hawkes comes to realize he would die for his fellow soldier. Like the old adage leave no one behind or we find for the man next to us is the reality.



One scene between Hawkes and McQueen is beautifully moving by the end of our story. It's damn near poetic.

Space Above And Beyond is filled with the building blocks of a new science fiction mythology set in 2063 centered on the 58th Squadron Wildcards based on the USS Saratoga.  These pilots command SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack jet fighters also called Hammerheads. Each pilot has a call sign. Space is being colonized by Earth. Terraforming is achieved by reaching destinations through wormholes. Earth's Marine Corps pilots in the form of the untested 58th battle an alien enemy at these converging points. The enemy is referred to as Chigs, short for ugly little Chiggers (fleas that burrow under the skin).



Thematically Space Above And Beyond explores rascism and class-structure in its future form. This is handled through natural birth versus gestated birth. Gestated children are essentially farmed in tubes and grown until eighteen years of age, and were once exclusively created to battle the Chigs. In Vitroes are referred to derogatively by others in society as Tanks and Nipple-necks. The In Vitroes have become the underclass. Originally artificially created androids called Silicates were at the lowest end of the social structure, but they attained intelligence and rebelled against their creators like Cylons.



It fearlessly taps into societal ills whereby mandated quota programs and other race-based organizations are actively promoting reverse rascism, in effect, setting back years of progress of efforts to normalize race relations in America. Morgan and Wong approach this one way ahead of its time. It's actually a smartly-penned series, but not one easy to digest or appreciate given its heavy political and cultural overtones combined with dense mythology.

Myth arc stories begin with the ongoing Chig War.  Throughout the arc the group of pilots is put to the test allowing for stories to explore the human condition and attributes such as loyalty, courage, trust and love. Other human responses to the affects of war throughout the series include revenge, loss, fear, sacrifice, desperation and hope.



Previous to the Chig War, the AI war (2047-2057) took place and many of the plotlines allude to this war and deal with the aftermath of it via the Silicates.  The Silicates not only took to outer space, but are part of the motivating force and psychological make-up to the Shane Vansen character given their decision to murder her parents.

In Vitroes as humans born in gestation tubes are pitted against those born embryonically inside a mother. In Vitroes are referred to as tanks by others as well as tanks in much the same way the word nigger has been implemented derisively against African-Americans by others and continues to be used by Afro-Americans themselves. Rascism, prejudice, freedom and mutual respect is at the heart of this complex social thread within Space Above And Beyond. It's made very clear in the early going issues will be handled head on.



The Aero-Tech and UN thread delves into the concept of the military industrial complex within this military-heavy space series as well as political intrigue and conspiracy. It's all rather complex and a second viewing is helpful in clearing confusion.

Space Above And Beyond is a serious entry in the world of science fiction, military-based dramas. For those who enjoy the more serious leanings of their sci-fi wars in the vein of Battlestar Galactica, this may be for you. It lacks the joking, cartoon-based adventures of something like Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) and plays it relatively straight. This is very much in the spirit and tone of Morgan and Wong. The three charismatic leads in the series heading the 58th have just the right touch to draw us into the characters. This underrated series may be a surprise to some and yet not quite compelling for others sensitive to more contemporary sci-fi like the new Battlestar Galactica or Defiance (2013-2015).



Based on the Pilot alone the series clearly promised to attempt something special and more substantive, but like Firefly (2002) didn't find the audience. Interestingly it never found one even when the likes of Firefly did (the Browncoats).

Space Above And Beyond had the potential to develop its intended five year run, but as it stands it remains but a mere footnote within the genre by two special writers that gave us some of the smartest genre television ever in Millennium and The X-Files.

Pilot.
Writer: Glen Morgan, James Wong.
Director: David Nutter.




Cast of The 58th Squadron a.k.a. Wildcards:
Kristen Cloke (Captain Shane Vansen)
Morgan Weisser (1st Lt. Nathan West)
Rodney Rowland (1st Lt. Cooper Hawkes)
Joel de la Fuente (1st Lt. Paul Wang)
Lanei Chapman (1st Lt. Vanessa Damphousse)
James Morrison (Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius "T.C." McQueen).