For those who live outside of the inconceivable comic book bubble, the storyline for Captain America is very similar to most action movies, and even more similar to most superhero films.
The setting is 1942 at the beginning of WWII, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to join the military but is rejected for not meeting the physical requirements. He is asked to volunteer for a secret experiment that transforms him into a super soldier. Instead of sending him off to war however, the military turns him into a propaganda dummy called Captain America, trying to get Americans to support the war. He is forced to take matters into his own hands when Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) uses his technologically advanced army, HYDRA to take control of the war. Truly becoming the hero the country needs, Captain America leads a group of soldiers against Schmidt and HYDRA, altering the course of WWII.
Coming in to the release of this movie, I, like many others had high hopes but was skeptical. Being a huge comic/superhero fan and just a Marvel fan in general, i hoped for a production comparable to Thor and Iron Man, entertaining Hollywood renditions. I anticipated a solid action movie that somewhat stayed true to the comics, and told Captain America’s story similarly to the other Avengers films. My skepticism came from the inevitable “cheesy” factor that surrounds super hero movies and comic books in general. Superheros & villains that fill the script with comical one-liners sometimes put a damper on an otherwise solid story with real heart and drama. When i heard that Chris Evans (The Losers, Fantastic Four) was going to play Captain America, I quickly joined the skeptic’s side. He is generally a goofball, is hard to take seriously, and on top of that he had played a superhero in Fantastic Four (Johnny Storm). All strikes when you are about to become the First Avenger, right?
Wrong. Turns out Chris Evans surprisingly can play a serious (mostly) role, and pulled off Steve Rogers quite well. He ultimately retained his dry humor and wit but really was able to capture the emotionally vulnerable side of Captain America which was what i was most worried about. Throw in solid performances by veterans Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta, Lord of the Rings) who played Red Skull and Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive, Men in Black) who played Colonel Phillips, and you have a well laid acting base for the film.
Ultimately i gave the movie 3/5 stars and here’s why:
Although the acting was surprisingly solid and the story stayed pretty close to the core of the comic books, the action sequences were rushed and mildly entertaining at best. Instead of focusing on larger battle scenes and letting them play out, most of the core action is done very quickly using overly dramatic bursts of action showing the Captain in slow motion poses or jumping motorcycles through fire. General fans of comic book movies will be pleased but not impressed. The more avid fan might be let down a bit easier at the “easy way out” approach that was seemed to have been taken. Fans of the Avengers however get to wet their appetite with countless references to the future of Captain America and the Avengers themselves. Even Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s (Iron Man) father plays a rather large role in the film and we are given insight to Tony’s personality and the relationship he and Rogers will have later in the Avengers. Captain America while it did not impress me, was definitely a solid entertaining film worthy of watching, besides with Iron Man as my favorite Avenger, I’m a bit biased.
Watchers : Rent it.
Collectors : Worth buying.
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