It’s been a while since I joined a Blogathon but when Bubbawheat from Flights, Tights and Movie Nights came up with this superfun idea, I couldn’t resist joining in. I’m a bit late to the event, sorry Bubba!
Well, the idea of the blogathon is based around actors who have appeared in more than one superhero or comic book movie as different roles.
I signed up for Chris Evans not only because he’s the only comic-book superhero I’ve actually met in person, but because he’s done not one but three comic-book characters in his relatively young career. The most famous one obviously being Captain America, The First Avenger. Now, I’m not fond of the Fantastic Four movie so I picked the other comic-book character that’s not from Marvel’s canon. The Losers is not exactly a good movie, heck it actually boasts one of the lamest villains to date IMO, but Evans’ character as Jensen is actually pretty hilarious.
Steve Rogers – Captain America (2012)
With his boyish good looks and affable personality, Chris Evans seems to be the perfect choice for an all-American hero. He’s got the looks obviously, thanks to the endless training to create that sculpted body with massive biceps and even more massive pecks. That scene of Peggy Carter impulsively reaching out and touching his um, man boob as soon as he gets out of the vita-ray chamber is a hoot. I mean, who could blame her? 😉
But the right physique alone isn’t enough doesn’t make it perfect. Evans’ also got the right temperament and sensibility to portray the character, that altruistic nobility that comes across so naturally. Evans was convincing in portraying both sides of the character, even with the computer-generated effects to make him look like he barely weighs 90 pounds, he somehow captures the essence of who Steve Rogers is. He made us believe heroism is not just about brawn and magnitude, but it’s more about one’s integrity and character.
The Capt. might be lacking the snarky quips of Tony Stark, I mean Steve is no billionaire playboy, beneath that ‘perfect specimen’ physique, he’s still a straight-laced regular guy. Yet Evans managed to inject some sense of fun into the character with his endearing charm and also comic timing.
Evans also nailed the emotional scenes of the film, conveying deep pathos that humanizes any superhero character. I especially like the scene where Steve realizes the super serum makes him unable to get drunk as he’s trying to cope with his best friend Bucky’s death. His mourning was genuine and so is his romance with Agent Carter, aided by his strong chemistry with Hayley Atwell. So yeah, thanks to Evans for saving the patriotic champion from being mind-numbingly boring. Being that he is the first Avenger, it’s important that we have an actor who’s compelling enough to do the character justice and I think Evans did just that.
I like what this Forbes writer said in his very favorable review of the movie: “Captain America: The First Avenger isn’t dominated by a costume, or by special effects, or by action scenes. It’s dominated by a great performance in a strong characterization of Steve Rogers, a young man who spent his life refusing to back down no matter how beaten and outnumbered he was in life“
Memorable scene:
…
Jensen – The Losers (2010)
Ok, I don’t know any tech geek with a six pack, other than the craft of beer he’s consuming. Evans must’ve already been in training for Captain America in this movie. Well I suppose his character, Corporal Jake Jensen, is a military figure too. He plays a hacker with spiky blonde hair, glasses and goatee. His strength is more brain than brawn, able to crack the most complex encryption algorithms.
Jensen is such a complete opposite from Steve Rogers in every possible way. I mean, he’s goofy, irreverent and smart-mouthed, not exactly a patriot nor does he have much altruistic notion. Chris seems to have a lot of fun playing the geeky rascal. I never thought he’d by my favorite character in the ensemble, after all there’s Idris Elba and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in this movie. But the wisecrackin’ Jensen definitely stole the show with and comical moments. I love how goofy he was here and his penchant for Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing becomes the highlight of an otherwise meh action flick. The elevator scene alone is worth the rental fee, ahah. In fact, that whole building infiltration scene is pretty awesome, if only the whole movie is THIS good!
After having seen him in half a dozen movies now, I think Chris is quite a versatile actor and more talented than I initially gave him credit for. I may not ever rent this movie again but from time to time I’d go to Youtube just to watch his scenes which I think are the most memorable ones for me. I’d love to see Chris do more comedic roles as he’s obviously got the chops.
Memorable scenes:
Have you seen either one of these movies? Would love to hear your thoughts on Chris Evans!
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Great choice Ruth! Now I gotta admit, I kinda liked “The Losers”. It’s so intentionally over-the-top and I bought into the intentionally corny badgering between team members. Lame villain? Well, I can’t defend that one. You right. But I do think Patric was (here I go again) intentionally hamming it up. Chris Evans is a hoot in it. He had me chuckling throughout. I also really liked him in Captain America. You know, that’s a movie I don’t think I’ve seen since its theater release. I believe a rewatch is in order. 🙂
Thanks Keith! I think The Losers could’ve been a lot better but I still like it somewhat, esp. Chris’ performance. Of Patrick intentionally made his character so darn annoying, well it worked! But I think it’s just lame, nowhere near as entertaining as say, Hans Gruber!
I have rewatched Capt. America a few times since its theatrical release. I love the cast, Tommy Lee Jones & Hayley Atwell are great in their supporting roles.
And don’t forget Hugo Weaving!
Haha, it’s nice to see someone recognize Evans in The Losers. I totally agree with both your pieces here, as he did a great job in Captain America and The Losers, although only the former is really worth watching multiple times.
Hi William! Glad you’re a fan of Jensen! Oh yeah, I wouldn’t rewatch The Losers in its entirety, just Chris’ clips on here are worth an encore 😀
There’s also Scott Pilgrim in the mix, if you wanted to choose that one. It’s a treasure trove of comic book movie actors- Brandon Routh, Thomas Jane, and Chris Evans, just off the top of my head. I think that’s all of them, though.
Thomas Jane’s just a blink-and-you’ll-miss him cameo though, still a great movie.
Oh my, I completely forgot about Scott Pilgrim! But that’s more of a cameo though, so I still wouldn’t pick his role on there.
I love Chris Evans! He’s one of my favorites. I first saw him in Cellular, when he was totally unknown, and I was blown away by his performance. After that, I saw Losers, Push, and Captain America . . . and I’m still a big fan of his! Although Cellular is by no means the most amazing movie, it’s a great performance by Chris Evans. I would totally recommend it!
Well hello Kris, how’ve you been girl? I did see Cellular though the movie itself is rather forgettable. Haven’t seen PUSH but I might give it a shot. You should see Puncture too if you’re a fan of his, his performance is worth seeing.
Yes, there’s a lot to like in Chris Evans’ work. He is very versatile. Great choices. I enjoyed his more serious side in Danny Boyle’s ‘Sunshine’.
Oh yeah, he’s good in Sunshine, an underrated sci-fi with a great cast. I’m looking forward to seeing him in Snowpiercer!
Hi, Ruth and Bubba:
Cross overs of super heroes in comic books is nothing new. Captain America even helped with a 1940s ‘Batman’ story. Where the Red Skull, in desperate need of funding allies himself with the Joker in a ransom/terrorism scheme to fleece Gotham or have it face a chemical gas attack. The only drawback to the story were Bucky and Robin. Who seemed locked in an embarrassing gay/camp competition.
While I think Chris Evans’ Captain America is better than all previous incarnations in film and on TV. He rocks out loud as Jensen! The goofy little kid brother of ‘The Losers’ family.
I didn’t know there was very much crossover between Marvel and DC, that’s interesting to hear that they did that way back then.
Seriously Jack, nothing gets by you doesn’t it? I completely forgot The Losers is DC comics, it made me even happier that I picked his two cross-over roles for this blogathon, ahah.
Well, I don’t mind Bucky actually, I never even thought of ‘Robin’ when I was watching it. I think there’s more ‘bromance’ between Capt and Agent Coulson in The Avengers 😀
But yeah, he definitely rocked his role as Jensen! Deliciously goofy!
Hi, Ruth:
The original late 1960s, early ’70s Marvel story on Captain America/Steve Rogers focused on Bucky being the teenage company/platoon mascot. While in recent film, Rogers is more or less the new guy/mascot. And Bucky is more firmly ensconced. Kinda ass-backwards. It’s going to take a lot of beating to fit and painting to match in any evil Bucky, ‘Winter Soldier’ film. A topic that should never have been broached.
Robin works well in the DC comics and animation. Not so much in live action films. Certainly not the Christian Bale ‘Dark Knight’ franchise! Better to let a Dick Grayson or Joseph Gordon-Levitt come in as ‘Darkwing’, perhaps on an occasional basis.
Loved the shorthand discussions Jensen had with Pooch!
The Losers was ok, nothing spectacular. Even though you’re not a fan of the FF movies (and I dont blame you) they might have been more apropos, seeing as Evans is one of the only actors to take on Two different big name superheros. I’m still surprised that more doesnt get made of it, I guess FF really IS forgettable!
I know I keep forgetting to review those two movies for my site, and I own the DVDs. One of these days…
@Bubba – Curious to hear what you think about The Losers, esp Jason Patrick as the villain.
Oh the movie is nothing spectacular, in fact, it’s not even a GOOD movie. But I’m talking about Chris’ performance here as Jensen and he’s ace! Fantastic Four is also terrible and personally I don’t really find his performance as memorable as this one here. Plus it ends up being perfect that I chose one from DC and one from Marvel 😀
Thanks for joining in, better late than never! Enjoyed reading it, Jensen sounds closer to Johnny Storm than Captain America while potentially being less jerk-ish. The Losers is one of those movies on my rapidly shrinking list of comic book movies I have yet to watch, but it sounds like an interesting one that I’ll probably like once I get around to it. And I can’t wait until Captain America 2, I’m dying to see how they handle the whole “future shock” that they’ve so far completely glossed over aside from a couple jokes in the Avengers, I’ve loved that the most out of that character from what I’ve seen so far.
No thank YOU for the fab blogathon idea. So sorry I’m so late to this, it’s just been a hectic couple of months!
Yeah, I don’t see Jensen as being a jerk, more of a nerdy smart-ass kind of guy. I thought he was appropriately goofy, which is always nice to see when a good looking actor has a sense of humor, ahah. I can’t wait for The Winter Soldier either, even with all the hullabaloo of Robert Redford spoiling his character, ahah.
Sunshine is a superhero movie… lol just kidding, but one of Evans’ best performances. I like that you picked The Losers as well, and not the obvious Fantastic Four. I still haven’t seen The Losers but that video makes me want to.. lol. Looks fun.
Ahah, I don’t think Danny Boyle would like to hear that. You’re right Evans is great in that too.
Glad you like my pick of The Losers. He’s very good in it, just watch the movie for him 😀
Ah, I remember seeing you’d picked this over at Bubba’s site, Ruth, and have been wondering when you’d get round to it! 😉 Just kidding. It’s not like you don’t stuff your site with hundreds of other great posts anyway! 🙂
I admit, I was really surprised by Evans in Captain America. He really dialed it down compared to other movies, such as the other movie in your face-off, The Losers, and came across as really quite humble and heroic.
Ahah, you remember who I picked from Bubba’s site eh? Did you sign up also? Send me the link to your post!
Funny you said that he ‘dialed it down’ as I actually think he actually is naturally that way, and the goofy, over-the-top side is him reaching into his wild side. Well either way, he’s a good actor!
Yep, I signed up. I’ve sent you a direct message on Twitter with the link.
Interesting you see Chris Evans the opposite way. But then I guess you have met him (even if you were a bit starstruck, judging by your Comic Con post, ha-ha). I guess most movies I’ve seen him in, he tends to play it cocksure. I suppose I’ve fallen into the trap of believing he’s like that type of character in real life. Which is something I try not to do.
I just commented, that’s a GREAT post!
Y’know, I actually wasn’t starstruck, in fact I wish I had been more prepared when I met him as I didn’t say anything to him until he said ‘how’re you doin’?’ and I only said ‘Good. How’re you?’ back to him!! He seems quite relaxed, no movie star pretense at all which is great to see. I’ve read several interviews of him and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
Good write up about Evans’ roles there Ruth, I had my doubts when he was cast as Capt. America but he pulled it off quite well. As for The Losers, I couldn’t finish that movie, it looked like a cheap Michael Bay’s film, whoever the directed that film shouldn’t make anymore action movies.
I think I did too, as I said, I didn’t have a high opinion of him initially but he’s actually a good actor. Ahah, well The Losers lives up to its title, but I still like Chris’ scenes in it w/ that Journey song!
FWIW, the ‘Losers’ comic book is a million times better than the movie and is well worth reading. The second scene you posted is straight out of the book.
Wasn’t Evans also in ‘Scott Pilgrim’ or am I confusing him with someone else?
Hi Rich! I actually did check out some of the comics when I did this blogathon. I can’t imagine it’d be any worse than the movie, ahah.
Yes that’s Evans in Scott Pilgrim, but it’s more of a cameo.
Not the biggest fan of Evans TBH, most I liked him in was Scott Pilgrim, he really played it for laughs. Cap America was my least favourite 1st phase Marvels’ but his journey in it is really good and he does have impressive ‘ceps! I liked him more in The Avengers too, a good balance to it all and a different leader to Tony Stark. Never seen The Losers keep meaning to on Netflix, may well do now. Both FF where poor for me, two was marginally better. Nice post!!!
Not a fan of Evans?? 😦 Well I like him as Capt not only because of his impressive biceps. I do agree he’s good in The Avengers to balance Stark’s inherent smug-ness, ahah. As for FF, well after the first one, I have no interest in seeing the second one.
Good choice Ruth. Chris Evans was terrific in Captain America (my favorite of Marvel’s Phase One series). I have The Losers, but I need to watch it.
I’ll also recommend Push, which is a decent B movie. It’s fun, but nothing spectacular.
Glad to hear you like Evans and Capt. America. Come to think of it, it’s perhaps my fave of the Phase One series as well.
I might give Push a shot now that a few of you recommended it.
Nice post Ruth. I haven’t even heard of The Losers and now feel rather out of touch! I saw some pictures today of Evans on the set of the new Cap film with arms like actual tree trunks. Ridiculous physique!
Tree trunk biceps, ahah. It is ridiculous indeed but I think Chris Hemsworth is even more ridiculously buff he practically dwarfs Captain America!
The Losers is nothing special Chris, just watch Chris’ scenes here, those are the best parts 😀
I never quite got around to watching The Losers, and you make me want to. ha. Evans really surprised me as Steve Rogers though, esp after seeing him as the Human Torch.
great comparison here Ruth
Just watch the Chris’ clips on The Losers T, the movie itself is meh. But yeah, I like Capt. America more and more as time passes and Chris’ portrayal is one of the main reasons. I didn’t really care for FF to be honest, hence no Human Torch comparison 😀
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It’s weird – I never saw The Losers. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and IDRIS are both there and I haven’t seen it. What is wrong with me?:D
I didn’t like Captain America, the movie, but Chris was a good choice for the part. He makes his character so sweet and likable.
You HAVEN’T SEEN The Losers??? Yeah, what’s wrong with you, ahah. Idris is still worth a watch even in so-so movie, and yeah Jeffrey is quite the eye candy as well.
Too bad you’re not fond of the movie, but hey at least you still like Chris in it 😀
Yeah I really need to see that. I think it’s one of the 3 movies Idris did I haven’t seen and I even watched Ghost Rider 2 for that man 😛
Oh my! Now THAT’s dedication, m’lady! Did I tell you Idris was at the panel at Comic-con? Here’s a pic: https://flixchatter.net/2011/07/25/comic-con-day-2-the-amazing-sony-panels-at-hall-h/ He’s the only one worth seeing in that panel 😉
I could not agree more about how versatile he is. I love him in both of the roles you chose here. When I think of Chris Evans’ career I kind of always think about how Ryan Reynolds is another quality actor that should be getting the same success at this point. Good on Chris though for landing such prominent roles.
Hi Lindsay! Yeah, I guess I was a bit unfair on him before, I thought of him as more of a jock type but he’s surprised me since. I’m still not sold on Reynolds yet though, but maybe one day.
“Ok, I don’t know any tech geek with a six pack, other than the craft of beer he’s consuming.”
Hah! Cool blogathon entry, Ruth. I hadn’t heard of The Losers, but it sounds like it could be a fun movie. Though I’m not sure I can handle so much Journey… 😀
It’s not as good as it could’ve been Eric, but I guess it’s pretty fun in parts. Not a fan of Journey? Well I’m not either really but that song is popular so I know about it and Chris’ rendition is a hoot! 😀
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