Yep, I wore my Captain America tee shirt to the theater today. Looking around the theater, I saw four or five other patrons wearing Captain America shirts too. One of them saw my shirt and nodded in approval. I acknowledged him with a half smile and nod of my own. No, I was not embarrassed. Yes, I'm kind of a dork. What can I say, I like heroes. I like adventure. I like to tease my imagination a little with stories of disbelief. These are a few bits and pieces of my childhood that I have been able to keep with me.
Captain America: The First Avenger satisfies all these needs, as should any good comic book movie. It stars Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as a puny man with a giant heart. If he can be a hero, anybody can, maybe you, maybe even me. It's got action and adventure set in the middle of World War II and of course it's got the ultimate villains, Nazis. (Dr. Erskine even asks Rogers, "Do you want to kill Nazis?" in a tone that makes it seem a privilege more than anything.)
What I enjoyed most about this film is that the writers and director Joe Johnston took their sweet time in developing Steve Rogers to make us care for him, cheer for him and ultimately understand him. The film shows that he is deserving of the powers he receives rather than just thrust them upon him. The point of the film, and Captain America himself, is that he was already a hero before he got his powers, he just needed a chance to prove it.
The main appeal of the film isn't super powers (Captain America's only real power is being in peak physical shape, he has no real powers beyond that) or big action sequences (though there are plenty) but about heroism and inspiration, the qualities that those classic comic books are supposed to evoke in the first place. If there is one complaint about Steve Rogers' portrayal is that his eagerness and heroism is borderline comical. In one scene, he selflessly jumps on top of a grenade ready to sacrifice himself. When he doesn't blow up, he asks almost disappointedly, "Is this a test?" So no, maybe he doesn't have the complexities of a Batman or Iron Man, but his zealousness is almost refreshing here. It's okay to be a good wholesome hero sometimes.
There are a slew of great supporting roles who are all given stuff to do. I was pretty surprised how much each character was allowed to shine. There's of course the main villain Red Skull played by Hugo Weaving. Just looking at his hideous face there is no doubt at all he is pure evil. Stanley Tucci plays the compassionate and wise Dr. Erskine who develops the Super Soldier Serum that gives Steve Rogers his powers. There is love interest Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a hard nosed colonel played by Tommy Lee Jones. Best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) shows that Captain America isn't the only hero in this war and is a reminder of all the brave soldiers out there. An obvious tie in for Marvel fans is Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) who plays a surprisingly important role. He, of course, is the father of Tony Stark aka Iron Man.
It goes without saying there are big action sequences. However, none are particularly elaborate, which is okay given the nature of Captain America's powers. He can't fly or shoot lasers and isn't invulnerable. He is pretty much a regular guy so it would be a bit much to expect him to stop bullets without his trusty shield. He also fights the good old fashioned way, with guns, knives and fists. Oh, and of course his trusty shield. Maybe the best special effects of the film is how they made Chris Evans into a puny 90 pound kid, pretty remarkable considering how hunky he is in real life. Despite my bitter beliefs that such perfect bodies don't exist in the real world, I'm told yes, that is indeed Evans' perfectly chiseled body with no CGI. Taylor Lautner, eat your heart out.
This is a fun action adventure with a little bit of everything for everybody. I will say that I felt the very end of the film could have, should have been handled a little better and feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the film. It does make the film a little worse in my eyes, but not enough to the point of ruining it for me. And yes, there is something at the end of the credits if you care for such things.
Best comic book movie of the year so far.
Grade: B+
GREAT WRITEUP!!!
ReplyDeleteThat was truly a job well done.
I agree with a lot of what you say, especially the wholesome, inspirational appeal of Cap and the attention to character development which is rarely seen in these movies.
I am very very impressed with how this movie turned out... Trying to make Captain fucking America fly in this day and age... The suit, the name, everything... Is tough to say the least. But I think it worked out pretty well. Go figure.
Didn't you think the chick looked like a hot, busty, new Kate Beckinsale? Definitely a fan.
I thought the action scenes when Cap fought were excellent too.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Ok now my minor beefs: I love the character development and all, but there was definitely some drag in the middle. That whole song and dance routine crap? Cut that out. Doesn't do anything. Have him fight from the get go. Then maybe there would be more time to appropriately end the movie, as you point out Chris. And for some more cool action. I could have used a little more action. Speaking of the end... The way Red Skull or whatever his name is dies is a fucking joke! What?!?! Are you kidding me? Oh and I know that all these pre Avengers movies have tie ins, which is great... But explain the little blue box of random energy please... And of course since I'm a comic geek I know Cap was frozen, but was that obvious to the average viewer? Definitely needed to clean up that ending.
But again, I certainly thought it was sufficient. And good. And fun. I look forward to seeing it again on blu.
Can't wait for Avengers!!!!! Going to be so cool!! After seeing Cap I just had to go home and watch Iron Man 2 again. Ha ha.