Throwback Thursday: Captain America (1990)

“Kirk…Mr. Lolley…He’s So Demanding!”

Yes, I’m absolutely aware that the above quote is from 1985’s Teen Wolf. I’m also aware of the fact that some of you are probably scratching your heads as to why I’m quoting that film and not Captain America (1990), the film that is the subject of this post. Well, I have a very good reason: Kirk…Mr. Lolley…the theater teacher from Teen Wolf, is portrayed by Scott Paulin who, in Captain America, portrays the sinister Red Skull. When I realized this at the beginning of the film, I began laughing because I that I heard in my head was Mr. Lolley yelling, “I said MAUVE, not TURQUOISE!”

Long before Chris Evans donned the red, white, and blue suit of the Super Soldier-infused Steve Rogers, Matt Salinger somehow slid into a fairly comic-accurate rubber suit as Ol’ Cap for a film that 21st Century Film Corporation and Marvel Entertainment hoped would draw in massive audiences like Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ Batman film did in 1989. Things didn’t turn out so well for Marvel and 21st Century, however, as the film was ready for release in August of 1990 but remained in limbo until 1992. It was in that year that the film was released direct-to-video and it pretty much fizzled into obscurity.

In the film, we see the Italian government murder a family and take their son. The son, Tadzio De Santis, will eventually become the Red Skull after the government uses a Super Soldier serum on him. The doctor that created the serum has a change of heart and escapes to the United States where she injects the serum into Steve Rogers, a man suffering from polio. The doctor successfully heals Rogers and gives him super strength, agility, stamina, and quick recovery from injuries. Rogers eventually squares off against Red Skull and he is strapped to a missile that’s headed for the White House. Using his strength, Captain America diverts the missile and he crashes somewhere in Alaska. He remains frozen until years later where he is discovered in the ice. A lot of other stuff happens involving Cap’s old flame and her equally beautiful daughter and Red Skull is now an elite member of the mob who uses his daughter to do the family’s dirty work. Eventually he captures the president of the United States, attempts to brainwash him, and Captain America has to try and save him. Oh, and he has to stop a nuclear bomb as well. Why? Cuz nuclear bomb, that’s why! Does Cap prove to be true to the red, white, and blue? Watch Captain America to find out!

This major motion picture feels more like one of Marvel’s campy Incredible Hulk made-for-television movies. The special effects are only slightly above made-for-TV levels. The story is convoluted and ends with a dull thud. I like Cap’s suit overall. It’s lacking the fish scale armor that Captain America wears in the comics, but the rest of the suit is accurate. My biggest complaint with the suit is the fact that it has rubber ears on the side instead of Matt Salinger’s actual ears poking out from under the mask. Why? Seriously, why? Also, the Red Skull’s initial look is actually kind of decent, but when we jump ahead to the 1990s, it appears that he’s had extensive plastic surgery to cover his skull face. He reminded me of Jigsaw from the Punisher: War Zone film.

The film even has a pretty decent cast. Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty lend their 1990s star power to the film in decent roles as the president and his best friend, a nosy reporter, respectively. Francesca Neri hams it up a bit as Red Skull’s daughter, Valentina. Kim Gillingham does double duty as Steve Rogers’ 1940s girlfriend and her 1990s daughter. There’s also some pretty cool ties to A Christmas Story and Lost In Space. Darren McGavin has a substantial role as the devious General Fleming. Bill Mumy portrays young Lt. Fleming at the beginning of the film. Mumy is best known for his work in Lost In Space. Melinda Dillon has a small role as Steve Rogers’ mother early in the film. She and McGavin played the parents of Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Surprisingly, Matt Salinger turned in one of the weakest performances in the film. Sure, he had the overall look of a superhero, but his charisma was dead in the water. In a bit of a twist, Kirk….Mr. Lolley….uh….err, Scott Paulin turned in what I would consider to be one of the best performances in the movie as Red Skull.

The film tries very hard to be more than mediocre, but it fails. It’s not a bad movie. It’s just a dull flick that really did deserve to be released direct-to-video. It’s currently available to watch on Amazon Prime and has been released on home media multiple times over the years. It’s worth checking out at least once just to see how far Marvel has come since that time. Heck, just a few years later in 1998, Blade showed the world just how well done a Marvel superhero film could be if its cast and crew really cared about the subject matter.

Thanks for taking a trip back in time with me today. Marvel definitely improved in later years, but their recent crop of films has shown that the MCU is starting to unravel. Maybe I’ll post about that one day. Let me know in the comments section.