• Title: Captain America
• Format: DVD
• Release: 2012
• Country: UK / Region 2
• Certificate: PG
• Aspect ratio: 4:3
• Contents: Captain America (1990)
• Feature running time: 97mins (approx)

If your interest in Marvel Comics, The Avengers, and Captain America began in 2008 with the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you may not be aware of Marvel’s back-catalogue of movies from yesteryear. Oh, I’m not talking about the likes of Blade (1998), X-Men (2000), Spider-Man (2002), and Hulk (2003), I’m talking even further back than that.

You see, before Marvel found success on the big screen with the aforementioned films, it licensed its characters out for some less-than stellar pictures. Some were awful (1978’s Doctor Strange, 1996’s Generation X, etc), but one or two demonstrated potential.

One of the films with potential was 1990’s Captain America. The movie – directed by Albert Pyun – starred Matt Salinger as Cap, and featured a cast which included Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, and Darren McGavin.

Predominately set in the ’90s, Captain America was essentially an origin story for the title character. It showed how Steve Rogers became Cap, featured his interactions with the villainous Red Skull, and included a kidnapping plot involving the US President.

On paper it had many of the right ingredients for a fun, comic book adventure movie. Problem was, it lacked the budget to back up its ideas and it fell considerably short in the execution.

However, as a young comic book fan during the ’90s, Captain America was at least one of the better offerings from Marvel. Long before Marvel had hit after hit, after hit, it really struggled to make decent films, so Captain America was better than nothing.

Damning with faint praise? Maybe, but if truth be told, while 1990’s Captain America isn’t amazing, I do have a real soft spot for the film.

The first time I saw the movie was in 1994, when it aired on BBC One at 7pm on the 16th February. This was a prime time broadcast for Captain America (which would later be repeated on the BBC in graveyard slots in 1995 and 1997), and I sat and watched the movie with a can of pop in one hand and a bag of crisps in the other.

I can’t say the film rocked my world, but there were parts I really enjoyed – notably the first meeting between Cap and the Red Skull, as well as the finale with Cap averting World War III. As such, as the years rolled by, I would occasionally find myself returning to the movie, either through a rental VHS tape from the local video shop, or through a bootleg DVD I picked up at a convention.

So, when the movie was finally given an official DVD release in the UK, courtesy of 101 Films, I felt it should join my collection. I would be surprised if this film receives many additional releases on physical media (if any at all), so it seemed important to grab a DVD while I could.

As you’ll see from the images above, the cover artwork for this release is pretty damn good. The front cover is dynamic, with Cap taken centre stage, while the back cover features Cap in the foreground in an action pose, and the Red Skull in the rear.

The back cover also includes a synopsis for the film which reads as follows:

‘The original Avenger – Captain America!

‘During World War II, a brave, patriotic American Soldier called Steve Rogers undergoes a radical experiment to turn him into a new supersoldier, Captain America.

‘After racing to Germany to sabotage the dastardly plan of insane Nazi baddie Red Skull, Captain America winds up frozen in ice until he is discovered 60 years later. He reawakens to find that Red Skull has changed identities and is now planning to kidnap the President of the United States and start World War 3!!

‘This is the classic 1990s MGM version of the iconic Marvel character.’

Now, as Captain America is a niche title, and probably only for enthusiasts and curious Cap fans alike, this was a barebones release from 101 Films – so there’s nothing on the disc other than the movie. However, as noted above, the cover art is good, and just look at that disc!

101 Films didn’t have to make it look so damn cool, and could have easily gone with a plain disc with just a logo on it. The fact 101 Films put in a bit more effort goes to show the publisher was keen to elevate this oft-forgotten film for the fanbase.

And this brings me neatly onto the ultimate reason I picked up this film on DVD. As highlighted above, a DVD release is probably all we are likely to get in the UK, as Captain America wasn’t made with HD in mind, and I can’t imagine a 4K release will ever be on the cards.

So, this release felt like a ‘now or never’ kind of deal. Fail to pick it up, and regret it later.

While Captain America might not be something ultra special, it does hold nostalgic appeal for me, and I’d like access to the film in the future whenever I wish. I don’t believe films like this one are a top priority for streaming services, so this needs to be within easy reach for me should I fancy giving it a watch.

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