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  #1  
Old 06-21-2010, 10:53 PM
Superhal Superhal is offline
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Did you see Captain America (1990) in the theaters?

Link.

I'm a huge Cap fan, but I never even heard of this film, nor has it been re-aired on cable TV. I watched it on Hulu last night, and it was actually pretty good (compared to the mind-numbingly awful made for tv version from 1984.)

Apparently, the 1990 version was released in theaters, but I don't remember seeing any ads for it nor hearing about it in any theaters. Did anybody get to watch it in its original run?
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  #2  
Old 06-21-2010, 11:07 PM
25.1327 Octopi 25.1327 Octopi is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Superhal View Post
Link.

I'm a huge Cap fan, but I never even heard of this film, nor has it been re-aired on cable TV. I watched it on Hulu last night, and it was actually pretty good (compared to the mind-numbingly awful made for tv version from 1984.)

Apparently, the 1990 version was released in theaters, but I don't remember seeing any ads for it nor hearing about it in any theaters. Did anybody get to watch it in its original run?
Actually, it was not released in theaters, at least not in theaters - from your Wiki link:

'The film was intended for release in the summer of 1990, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Captain America. Posters appeared in movie theaters displaying the superhero's iconic shield and teaser trailers were created, some of which even appeared during screenings of Tim Burton's Batman, but the film never materialized. Several release dates were announced between fall 1990 and winter 1991, but the film went unreleased for two years before debuting direct to video and on cable TV in the United States in the summer of 1992. It was given a limited theatrical release overseas.'


I recall watching about a half hour of it on a Saturday afternoon on WGN one year. It was execrable. As was the made-for-TV version to which you alluded.

Let's hope third time's a charm.

I've not seen the notorious first Fantastic Four film, however. I'd watch a half hour of that, I think. Only on WGN on a Saturday, afternoon, natch.

Last edited by 25.1327 Octopi; 06-21-2010 at 11:12 PM.
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  #3  
Old 06-21-2010, 11:09 PM
astorian astorian is offline
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If it DID play in theaters, I never heard about it.

In any case, Cap's creator, Jack Kirby, had to fight like hell to get his name in the credits... and later said the movie was so awful he wished he HADN'T.
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  #4  
Old 06-22-2010, 12:52 AM
Sage Rat Sage Rat is online now
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I saw it as a lad, on TV. It's definitely B film-making. The very similar quality The Punisher is probably a little bit better, but only because it doesn't need as much in the way of special effects.
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  #5  
Old 06-22-2010, 04:44 AM
Krokodil Krokodil is offline
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I didn't. IIRC, the only indoor theaters to play it were in Puerto Rico (I may be confusing CAP with Punisher).
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  #6  
Old 06-22-2010, 06:38 AM
Khadaji Khadaji is online now
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I don't even remember it being in the theaters.
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  #7  
Old 06-22-2010, 06:44 AM
Czarcasm Czarcasm is offline
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Did you see Captain America (1990) in the theaters?

On a related note, have you ever slammed a finger in a car door, had the door lock on you, and spent 97 minutes trying to get free?
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  #8  
Old 06-22-2010, 06:55 AM
gladtobeblazed gladtobeblazed is offline
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I remember seeing this on cable tv when I was a kid. I don't remember much of it.
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  #9  
Old 06-22-2010, 08:11 AM
Lanzy Lanzy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 25.1327 Octopi View Post
Actually, it was not released in theaters, at least not in theaters - from your Wiki link:

'The film was intended for release in the summer of 1990, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Captain America. Posters appeared in movie theaters displaying the superhero's iconic shield and teaser trailers were created, some of which even appeared during screenings of Tim Burton's Batman, but the film never materialized. Several release dates were announced between fall 1990 and winter 1991, but the film went unreleased for two years before debuting direct to video and on cable TV in the United States in the summer of 1992. It was given a limited theatrical release overseas.'


I recall watching about a half hour of it on a Saturday afternoon on WGN one year. It was execrable. As was the made-for-TV version to which you alluded.

Let's hope third time's a charm.

I've not seen the notorious first Fantastic Four film, however. I'd watch a half hour of that, I think. Only on WGN on a Saturday, afternoon, natch.
I have the original FF movie on VHS, I bought it on ebay from Eqypt. I met Stan Lee once and he was amazed anyone had a copy, he signed it anyway.

Edited to add: The movie was terrible.

Last edited by Lanzy; 06-22-2010 at 08:12 AM.
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  #10  
Old 06-22-2010, 08:27 AM
Superhal Superhal is offline
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Meh, we're all spoiled since Spiderman raised the bar. Back in the day, we had Lou Ferrigno painted green and dotted eyes TV Spiderman, and we liked it! If they even got the costume and names right, it was huge.
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  #11  
Old 06-22-2010, 08:42 AM
Khadaji Khadaji is online now
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Originally Posted by Superhal View Post
Meh, we're all spoiled since Spiderman raised the bar. Back in the day, we had Lou Ferrigno painted green and dotted eyes TV Spiderman, and we liked it! If they even got the costume and names right, it was huge.
I still love the old Hulk! Although rare, sometimes SyFy will show a marathon and I'll watch as much of the day that I can afford to waste.
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  #12  
Old 06-22-2010, 08:47 AM
Maus Magill Maus Magill is offline
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Originally Posted by Czarcasm View Post
Did you see Captain America (1990) in the theaters?

On a related note, have you ever slammed a finger in a car door, had the door lock on you, and spent 97 minutes trying to get free?
So you're saying that it's like the Star Wars Holiday Special, only not as good?

I remember seeing the posters and getting psyched, only to be reminded of Marvel's on screen history.
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Old 06-22-2010, 08:49 AM
joebuck20 joebuck20 is offline
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Originally Posted by Khadaji View Post
I still love the old Hulk! Although rare, sometimes SyFy will show a marathon and I'll watch as much of the day that I can afford to waste.
Yeah, I actually prefer the Lou Ferrigno Hulk to the new Hulks. At least he was a real guy. The new ones just look like big cartoons.
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  #14  
Old 06-22-2010, 09:41 AM
Czarcasm Czarcasm is offline
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Originally Posted by Maus Magill View Post
So you're saying that it's like the Star Wars Holiday Special, only not as good?
Let's just say that a cameo appearance by Bea Arthur would have helped.
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  #15  
Old 06-22-2010, 09:49 AM
bouv bouv is offline
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Yeah, I actually prefer the Lou Ferrigno Hulk to the new Hulks. At least he was a real guy. The new ones just look like big cartoons.
Cause the Hulk in the comics looked so much like a real guy?

He's 10' tall and about 8' wide, very green (or grey...or red...or blue, even?) and wears purple pants. What about that screams "Real Guy"?


I mean, c'mon man, purple pants!
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  #16  
Old 06-22-2010, 11:27 AM
Intergalactic Gladiator Intergalactic Gladiator is offline
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I remember reading a Starlog article about it which included a bit about the costume's rubber ear pieces. Because of that, the ears were highly noticeable when I saw it on HBO later.

I tell you, the rubber ears were the least of that movie's problems. Making the Red Skull Italian could work for the sake of the movie, I guess, though I don't know why they'd change his nationality when the character is so closely tied into WWII Germany.

Having Captain America pretty much have his ass handed to him on his first mission instead of building him up as an American super soldier, then losing to the Skull in a fight blows his credibility out of the water and he never recovers.

Then the bit where he runs away, turns around and takes someone's car. He does that to Ned Beatty and a woman. Seriously, how unheroic is that?
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  #17  
Old 06-22-2010, 11:41 AM
Push You Down Push You Down is offline
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It never played in theaters but I do remember a teaser trailer being shown in theaters. I also used to have a theatrical movie poster.

The movie has so many problems.

Lisping, running away, can't fight worth crap Cap is the biggest. Italian Skull- somehow a tragic figure?- is the second.
But there's one good scene. Skull is meeting with his cabal and reveals in a very cool-ly evil speech that he was behind most of the political assassinations of the second half of the 20th century.
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Last edited by Push You Down; 06-22-2010 at 11:42 AM.
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  #18  
Old 06-22-2010, 11:51 AM
Steve MB Steve MB is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 25.1327 Octopi View Post
I've not seen the notorious first Fantastic Four film, however.
The Roger Corman version was never actually released; it escaped via bootlegs.

Quote:
I'd watch a half hour of that, I think.
I think I'll stick to reading a recap.
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  #19  
Old 06-22-2010, 11:52 AM
BMalion BMalion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 25.1327 Octopi View Post
...
I've not seen the notorious first Fantastic Four film, however. I'd watch a half hour of that, I think. Only on WGN on a Saturday, afternoon, natch.


I used to own that one on video tape.

It was hilarious fun!

In an MST3K kinda way.
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  #20  
Old 06-22-2010, 12:42 PM
digs digs is offline
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I used to own that one on video tape.
It was hilarious fun!
In an MST3K kinda way.
I "own" it, in that I was given it, watched it, had no hilarious fun, built some robots from spare parts on my satellite -- a vacuum cleaner and a gumb... what was I doing with a gumball machine on a satellite... anyhow, they just sat there and groaned-- no clever comments, realized that I'd started it a couple of times, and could never finish it (and heck I finished The Horrible Live-Action "Justice League Movie"/Sitcom! Gaaaah!)... so I lent it to a friend and never asked for it back.

[/run-on sentence]

Last edited by digs; 06-22-2010 at 12:44 PM.
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  #21  
Old 06-25-2010, 01:36 PM
TBG TBG is offline
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Originally Posted by Superhal View Post
(compared to the mind-numbingly awful made for tv version from 1984.)
1984? Your own link gives the correct year as 1979. I loved that one (and it's sequel) as a kid, but I'm sure they actually really sucked, like the old live action Spider-Man did. I mean, his shield is made of clear plexiglass so it can double as a windshield on his motorcycle... Cool when you can count your age on one hand, lame otherwise.

Sure made me want that cool Captain America Mego action figure, though.
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