Lego Captain America kills a bunch of Nazis
February 4, 2012 6:08 AM Subscribe
Wow, the stories that we keep telling ourselves ...
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:32 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:32 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
Well, that was the most NSFW lego youtube video I've ever seen.
posted by WalkingAround at 6:33 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by WalkingAround at 6:33 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
And was anyone else disturbed?
posted by Krazor at 7:10 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Krazor at 7:10 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
I thought the use of the Wilhelm scream (when he pitches the Nazi out the window) was a nice touch. But I don't know where all those Nazis were coming from, or why any of this was happening, and although I was initially entertained, I think I agree with Foci and I feel kind of gross about being entertained.
There was an earlier FPP about Inglorious Basterds. It linked to an essay that had a closing line I liked:
There is only one person laughing, and it is mother-loving Hitler. That is the sight of a filmmaker profoundly alienated from his own fans, wigging out at the ability of the movies he most loves to produce in us a quasi-fascist joy in violence. So why does Tarantino hate us so much? He hates us for liking his movies the way we do; he hates us because he can so easily bring us round to enjoying the sight of people being gathered into a closed space so that they can be exterminated. He hates you for how easily you can be pushed into the Nazi position, as long as the people getting killed are themselves Nazis. He hates you because you are the fascist and you don’t even know it.
Something about our cultural narrative is getting super fucked up. I wish this had been a stop-motion film about Lego Captain America prosecuting Lego Nazis in the Lego Nuremburg Trials instead.
posted by compartment at 7:14 AM on February 4, 2012 [8 favorites]
There was an earlier FPP about Inglorious Basterds. It linked to an essay that had a closing line I liked:
There is only one person laughing, and it is mother-loving Hitler. That is the sight of a filmmaker profoundly alienated from his own fans, wigging out at the ability of the movies he most loves to produce in us a quasi-fascist joy in violence. So why does Tarantino hate us so much? He hates us for liking his movies the way we do; he hates us because he can so easily bring us round to enjoying the sight of people being gathered into a closed space so that they can be exterminated. He hates you for how easily you can be pushed into the Nazi position, as long as the people getting killed are themselves Nazis. He hates you because you are the fascist and you don’t even know it.
Something about our cultural narrative is getting super fucked up. I wish this had been a stop-motion film about Lego Captain America prosecuting Lego Nazis in the Lego Nuremburg Trials instead.
posted by compartment at 7:14 AM on February 4, 2012 [8 favorites]
But I don't know where all those Nazis were coming from, or why any of this was happening, and although I was initially entertained, I think I agree with Foci and I feel kind of gross about being entertained.
Yeah, I thought, at the beginning, that Captain America was there to save a hostage or prisoner or someone (it looks kind of like someone is tied to something (a chair? a bureau? It is Lego) in the room, but we never get a real look at him/her/it), but no rescuing gets done. And, honestly Captain America should be about rescuing people and achieving objectives, not just killing a lot of Nazis. I actually felt kind of let down when he decapitated the one guy, since, well, it was kind of obvious, like waiting for the other severed foot to drop.
Shorter: well-done but overdone?
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I thought, at the beginning, that Captain America was there to save a hostage or prisoner or someone (it looks kind of like someone is tied to something (a chair? a bureau? It is Lego) in the room, but we never get a real look at him/her/it), but no rescuing gets done. And, honestly Captain America should be about rescuing people and achieving objectives, not just killing a lot of Nazis. I actually felt kind of let down when he decapitated the one guy, since, well, it was kind of obvious, like waiting for the other severed foot to drop.
Shorter: well-done but overdone?
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
But I don't know where all those Nazis were coming from, or why any of this was happening,
The movie was probably made by a 12-year-old.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:40 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
The movie was probably made by a 12-year-old.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:40 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I had no idea those little lego men had liquid blood inside them.
posted by crunchland at 7:43 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by crunchland at 7:43 AM on February 4, 2012
The eagle scream when Captain America jumped in the air was nice.
posted by zzazazz at 7:44 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by zzazazz at 7:44 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I thought it was kind of funny at first, because, hey, bloody Legos is inherently somewhat amusing. But it went on too long, and got really gross. If it had stayed more subtle, I'd have liked it, but tearing arms off and leaving hamburger behind goes well over the line.
Of course, I've also carefully avoided all the Tarantino films, so my line is nowhere near that of most folks.
Technically, it was very good. Man, that must have taken FOREVER.
posted by Malor at 7:47 AM on February 4, 2012
Of course, I've also carefully avoided all the Tarantino films, so my line is nowhere near that of most folks.
Technically, it was very good. Man, that must have taken FOREVER.
posted by Malor at 7:47 AM on February 4, 2012
That was amazing given the extremely limited articulation of lego figures.
Something about our cultural narrative is getting super fucked up.
Personally, I love violent revenge stories, always have, and I'm a completely non-violent pacifist. Real Nazis should be tried and imprisoned humanely (if guilty), and watching movie Nazis being killed in extremely violent ways is entertaining. I agree that more story here would have been good.
I think the point of this, though, was to re-create a bunch of common gore effects and fight choreography in lego, as a technical experiment, not to create art or tell a story.
Also, if that was disturbing to you, there are entire genres of film that you should stay very far away from.
posted by Huck500 at 7:55 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
Something about our cultural narrative is getting super fucked up.
Personally, I love violent revenge stories, always have, and I'm a completely non-violent pacifist. Real Nazis should be tried and imprisoned humanely (if guilty), and watching movie Nazis being killed in extremely violent ways is entertaining. I agree that more story here would have been good.
I think the point of this, though, was to re-create a bunch of common gore effects and fight choreography in lego, as a technical experiment, not to create art or tell a story.
Also, if that was disturbing to you, there are entire genres of film that you should stay very far away from.
posted by Huck500 at 7:55 AM on February 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
The movie was probably made by a 12-year-old.
He look to be seventeen or so, from his youtube page. So there abouts.
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:00 AM on February 4, 2012
He look to be seventeen or so, from his youtube page. So there abouts.
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:00 AM on February 4, 2012
Dear non-comic book fans: You should know that this movie depicts a body count that is many times higher than what Cap has actually racked up in all the years since World War II. He kills like maybe one dude every ten years and agonizes about how there was no other way.
(And he only decapitated one guy with his shield, ever. But that was Baron Blood, who was a Nazi vampire. There was just no other way, man. Nazi. Vampire.)
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:11 AM on February 4, 2012 [14 favorites]
(And he only decapitated one guy with his shield, ever. But that was Baron Blood, who was a Nazi vampire. There was just no other way, man. Nazi. Vampire.)
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:11 AM on February 4, 2012 [14 favorites]
Uh, the blood is what made it fun? I wasn't really looking for subtlety, and for this kind of thing, the more over the top the better. A++ would watch again.
posted by muckster at 8:33 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by muckster at 8:33 AM on February 4, 2012
(And he only decapitated one guy with his shield, ever. But that was Baron Blood, who was a Nazi vampire. There was just no other way, man. Nazi. Vampire.)
Thank you so much. When I typed that, I was thinking "I am pretty sure that CA did decapitate someone with his shield, but it would have had to be some really weird situation, because CA does not do that, not even to the Red Skull, who so totally fucking deserves it." And, now that you posted that, I can even see the panels in my mind, drawn by John Byrne, if I recall correctly.
My comicsnerd morning is complete. Thank you, scaryblackdeath, thank you Metafilter.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:34 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
Thank you so much. When I typed that, I was thinking "I am pretty sure that CA did decapitate someone with his shield, but it would have had to be some really weird situation, because CA does not do that, not even to the Red Skull, who so totally fucking deserves it." And, now that you posted that, I can even see the panels in my mind, drawn by John Byrne, if I recall correctly.
My comicsnerd morning is complete. Thank you, scaryblackdeath, thank you Metafilter.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:34 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
Overdone, but not nearly as much as that Tarantino essay.
Big points for the Wilhelm though.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:37 AM on February 4, 2012
Big points for the Wilhelm though.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:37 AM on February 4, 2012
While we are at it, he doesn't use a gun either, unless it's Ultimates Cap or Bucky Cap.
posted by HostBryan at 9:07 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by HostBryan at 9:07 AM on February 4, 2012
Totally not what I was expecting, because y'know LEGO, but goshdarnit, that as gorey.
posted by Faintdreams at 9:28 AM on February 4, 2012
posted by Faintdreams at 9:28 AM on February 4, 2012
I agree that the intent here was not so much to tell a story, and I think that as a technical exercise it was very well done.
A big part of what bothered me wasn't so much all the Nazi gore -- I mean, I guess I like the end of the Indiana Jones movie where they open the Ark of the Covenant and the Nazis' faces melt off and they all die horrible deaths -- but the use of Captain America as the protagonist, like this is some kind of depiction of justice. Even if there's not much of a story, I think there's a still a tacit message: "This is a legitimate and awesome way for your state to exercise its authority."
My viewpoint is probably not entirely self-consistent, and on a different day I might well have had a completely different response to this.
posted by compartment at 9:57 AM on February 4, 2012
A big part of what bothered me wasn't so much all the Nazi gore -- I mean, I guess I like the end of the Indiana Jones movie where they open the Ark of the Covenant and the Nazis' faces melt off and they all die horrible deaths -- but the use of Captain America as the protagonist, like this is some kind of depiction of justice. Even if there's not much of a story, I think there's a still a tacit message: "This is a legitimate and awesome way for your state to exercise its authority."
My viewpoint is probably not entirely self-consistent, and on a different day I might well have had a completely different response to this.
posted by compartment at 9:57 AM on February 4, 2012
I thought the use of the Wilhelm scream (when he pitches the Nazi out the window) was a nice touch
That was in the Captain America movie that the youtube audio was taken from. I remember because I used it as an opportunity to explain it to my dad.
posted by empath at 10:08 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
That was in the Captain America movie that the youtube audio was taken from. I remember because I used it as an opportunity to explain it to my dad.
posted by empath at 10:08 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
While we are at it, he doesn't use a gun either, unless it's Ultimates Cap or Bucky Cap.
There was a terrorist on a plane that he had to shoot with an Uzi once in the late '80s. He felt awful about that. It was right before the Reagan administration told him he had to work specifically for them or they'd fire him...so he quit.
The best Cap stories always involve Cap giving the finger to the US government. It's the narrative that mass media never really catches.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:10 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
There was a terrorist on a plane that he had to shoot with an Uzi once in the late '80s. He felt awful about that. It was right before the Reagan administration told him he had to work specifically for them or they'd fire him...so he quit.
The best Cap stories always involve Cap giving the finger to the US government. It's the narrative that mass media never really catches.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:10 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
He threw his shield at the Red Skull so hard once that it severed the Skull's arm, too...but that arm was reaching for the Cosmic Cube, and that's just not okay.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
Even if there's not much of a story, I think there's a still a tacit message: "This is a legitimate and awesome way for your state to exercise its authority."
This was made by a teenage boy. I don't think you can expect that level of sophistication.
posted by empath at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2012
This was made by a teenage boy. I don't think you can expect that level of sophistication.
posted by empath at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2012
This was made by a teenage boy. I don't think you can expect that level of sophistication.
I spent the relatively peaceful Clinton years filling the margins of notebooks with stuff like this. Teenage males are basically the perfect medium for propagating this meme. No sophisticated intent required.
Also, I realize I am taking this way too seriously.
posted by compartment at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2012
I spent the relatively peaceful Clinton years filling the margins of notebooks with stuff like this. Teenage males are basically the perfect medium for propagating this meme. No sophisticated intent required.
Also, I realize I am taking this way too seriously.
posted by compartment at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2012
While we are at it, he doesn't use a gun either, unless it's Ultimates Cap or Bucky Cap.
He uses a gun in the movie, and kills a lot of henchmen.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2012
He uses a gun in the movie, and kills a lot of henchmen.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2012
The Wilhelm scream was the weakest thing about it. That joke is played out. I cringe every time I hear it in a movie now -- once you're aware of it, it takes you out of the experience.
posted by muckster at 11:20 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by muckster at 11:20 AM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
I too am deeply troubled by the moral aspects of this YouTube video of LEGO figures. Wait no, I'm that other thing--sane.
posted by planet at 11:27 AM on February 4, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by planet at 11:27 AM on February 4, 2012 [4 favorites]
"so brave" is like a reddit meme, isn't it?
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:32 PM on February 4, 2012
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:32 PM on February 4, 2012
It's a circlejerk thing. They did it to annoy /r/atheism.
posted by empath at 2:34 PM on February 4, 2012
posted by empath at 2:34 PM on February 4, 2012
thanks. is the caption for this video related at all, is what i'm wondering
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:36 PM on February 4, 2012
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:36 PM on February 4, 2012
It implies that whatever is a response to is just bullshit self-puffery.
"Look what I told my christian aunt on facebook!"
"SO BRAVE."
posted by empath at 2:40 PM on February 4, 2012
"Look what I told my christian aunt on facebook!"
"SO BRAVE."
posted by empath at 2:40 PM on February 4, 2012
So I'm guessing since it's on his own video, that it's signifying that he's not taking it seriously or that you shouldn't read much into it.
posted by empath at 2:41 PM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by empath at 2:41 PM on February 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by GenjiandProust at 6:22 AM on February 4, 2012