brodlimmel

(2012-05-02 08:10:38)

Americaaaaaaa!

First off this review may be bias because I am a Captain America fanand this movie is great. Now if you know nothing about the characterthen you may not like it as much but that is with any type of comicadaptation. So lets start from the beginning it starts with SteveRogers (Chris Evans) being this small weak guy who just wants to servehis country but he can't due to his physical stature. Now thats greatbecause it shows how this character is full of heart and it reallymakes him respect his power when he gets it. The middle after hebecomes the captain is great he doesn't go straight to war he isselling war bonds and introduces his yes ridiculous costume. Now thevillain the Red Skull is not that interesting he is just evil Nazi guyin short terms the actor who plays him does great but his story wasjust boring. This movie excels at all the little hints and easter eggsit does for the comic fans like having Dumb Dumb Dugan and the originalCaptain America costume. The end with no spoilers this ending is greatthe end fight with Captain America and the Red Skull is great. Nowsadly no this isn't the best comic movie but it is so worth the ticketprice and later even a DVD purchase this movie is just a lot of fun andyou will love the ride it takes you on.

nazztrader

(2012-05-01 19:00:03)

Where is the MST 3K trio when you need them most?

Another reviewer said this started strong. I had difficulty stayingawake after a few minutes of this film. It basically fails on everylevel. The only way it "succeeds" is if the viewer is seeking a "feelgood" pastiche of all the excellent major actions films preceding it,and doesn't care about quality or originality. Who is this movie meantto entertain, I wondered? I hope even our children will find thisunworthy of note - at least that would be a hopeful sign for thefuture!I must say that I did have some fun thinking of what Joel and the"robot friends" might say if they were watching this insipid, sometimeslaughably bad film. But look on the bright side, if your kids are of acertain age they might beg you to get them steroids so that they toocan have the body of a "superhero." In the world of "Captain Avenger,"I guess ~insert your favorite steroid infused baseball player's namehere~ would be President! And a movie about that person would likely bea considerably more interesting experience than this film, which ismore comical (in a pathetic way) than comic book!Add a star or two if you are a big fan of a ludicrous rewriting ofhistory or an outright silly use of special effects, this may for you.However, for me, Captain Generica or Geriatrica is mostly what thismovie felt like. "Vat ver you expecting, da Matreex?"

(2012-05-01 03:03:15)

Fairly Faithful Adaptation of the Comic Book Origin

Okay I just got back from the midnight showing of this movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fairly faithful to the origins created in the Marvel Comics, although of course there were some minor changes. Now I am not going to give away any real spoilers, but I will give you a few teasers for you to enjoy and whet your appetite before you go and view this movie for yourself.This movie follows Steve Rogers from the start as he tries to join the military during World War II, but is always being denied due to his small stature and basically weak and frail body, although his spirit is second-to-none as you will see. However during the 1943 World's Fair, he is overheard talking about his desire to join the military and is given a miraculous opportunity which will lead to him being created as Captain America, which is initially merely a glorified "chorus girl" as is so aptly put by consummate actor, Tommy Lee Jones, who portrays the Colonel in charge of the super-soldier program. Cap finally gets his chance to fulfill his destiny while performing for the troops on the front lines during a USO show and it is from this point forward that the legend of Captain America as a truly heroic American hero begins.My only minor complaint with this movie was some futuristic weapons that were created during the time-period by Hydra and the Red Skull, but with the cosmic cube playing a pivotal role in the story, I guess I can overlook that particular point. Chris Evans did a superb job as Captain America as well as very good performances by Stanley Tucci and a special nod to Hugo Weaving who plays the Red Skull and who I personally believe should always play dark sinister characters as he does them oh so well.Be sure and pay close attention to some of the rescues GI's and see if you recognize any of them. Also, be sure and stay for a cool sneak preview of "The Avengers" movie after ALL of the credits role by. You will be there for a few extra minutes as there are quite a few credits.Shawn KovacichMartial Artist/Krav Maga InstructorAuthor of the Achieving Kicking Excellence book and DVD series.

khan2705

(2012-04-30 10:32:45)

Not the best this year or not the best of Marvel.

Captain America: The First Avenger will focus on the early days of theMarvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers toparticipate in an experimental program that turns him into the SuperSoldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joinsforces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (HayleyAtwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by thevillainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving.)Starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell,Hugo Weaving , Dominic Cooper , Stanley Tucci , Samuel L. Jackson ,Derek Luke , Toby Jones , Richard Armitage , Neal McDonough.OK so i am still gonna prefer Thor over this movie. i really think thisis the most overrated movie of the summer by Critics and audience both.also the most overrated Marvel Comics movie. i just son't know why iseveryone overrating it so much. i wasn't much excited for it though itlooked good. i thought i'll have a nice time, and i did, but a forcedone. this movie still is quite different from other movies that wereout this summer. it has uniqueness in it and that is something i likedreally a lot. and i will really remember this movie for a while, notgonna forget it like Green Lantern.so finally a modern movie on Captain America. the comic book readersand fans were waiting for it and they enjoyed and loved this movie alot obviously, i am not saying i didn't liked it or it was bad but ijust have some problems with it and i am gonna state the positivetraits too.Directed by Joe Johnston who directed movies like The Wolfman, Hidalgo,Jurassic Park III, October Sky, Jumanji , The Rocketeer and Honey, IShrunk the Kids. yes a very long list and also many of these movies arebad. this was a good effort. his direction was better in this movie buti am not sure about giving a Comic based superhero movie to him. he wasjust nice. Screenplay needed some really careful work i mean seriously?Plot was not very good i'll be honest it was a near bore and near bad.movie start slow, get slower then freezes while towards the end it getsfast. uneven plot and a below average screenplay. cinematography wasjust fine. art direction was excellent, costumes were good. score wasnice.special effects were a big big problem because first of all thereweren't many and secondly, they looked so unreal. CGI wasn't goodaccording to me and 3D wasn't needed. it lacked action, no nothing foran hour. but towards the end some scenes were really good but nothingvery special or great memorable scene. talking about actors, ChrisEvans was cast as Capt. America, he played another superhero and nowthis but this one suits on him more. he looked good and believable inhis character. i liked him and he acted nicely. Tommy Lee Jones wasgood and so was Stanley Tucci as always. nice job. and Hugo Weaving asa bad guy was wow.this movie is set in the World war 2 and Nazi's time with more advancesand technology. all of it looked good. but the movie at many times feltboring to me. there wasn't much in it. i enjoyed less than i thought iwill but still i had a nice time. this is an average superhero movie.

stephenrtod

(2012-04-29 22:28:57)

Most Enjoyable Movie of the Summer for Me So Far . . .

The story, the writing and the acting were top-notch. The storybalances romance, action, history, patriotism, and eye-poppingscientific innovations all the more remarkable for their 1942appearance.I thought that this was the first movie that truly resembled an earlyforties super-hero comic book as acted out by live performers.The film displayed suspense, sentiment,a strong,realistic sense ofdanger, and a strong sense of justice within the framework of a fantasyloosely-linked to the Nazi threat.Chris Adams' combination of sincerity, humility and determinationcombine with skillful supportive work by Stanley Tucci, Tommy LeeJones, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving and others.I had read four critics' reviews prior to watching the movie, and Istrongly feel that the film itself greatly exceeded my expectations.I'd like to see it at least one more time - with sub titles so that Ican catch every word of dialog during the action sequences.

karthikrocks71

(2012-04-29 10:45:19)

Booooooooring

Awwwwwww.This film was really boring and bad.The film has a great startbut didn't maintained it till the end.The best part of the movie isjust a single quote "The weak know the value of strength" thats whatI've liked in this.The main backdrop of the film was a good script andscreenplay.When we are watching the movie,we feel like years passingthrough.I'have expected so much.But it has nothing but the greatstart.And was not a good start for The Avengers.Thor was lotsbetter,interesting than this.Thor should be the first avenger.CaptainAmerica was bad stuff.Please don't go for it Marvel has manyheroes.Better to watch spiderman series than watching this.The filmshould be better than this

bd-122-105508

(2012-04-29 05:16:03)

Absolute Rubbish and a waste of time and money

This is a BAD film. It is not even good enough to be formulaic.Any talk of "character analysis" is a joke. There is about 5-minutes ofthe most simplistic "I'm a weed who wishes I was big, isn't lifetough." Transformers had more character analysis.The 3-D version is a disaster - far too dark to see anything. Thedirector should have remembered that 3-D viewers are looking throughdark glasses and things need to be brighter than average. 3D wasobviously added afterwords, with little attention. It is not used as afilmic device to enhance the film in any way.The plot is dull, and almost non-existent. The film is at least 45minutes too long, and the middle 30-minutes could be cut without anyonenoticing.This is probably the worst super hero film since Hulk. Do yourself afavor, AVOID!!!

(2012-04-28 13:22:55)

Fantastic movie!

I grew up on marvel comics and read issues on most of the super heroes, including Captain America. I went to see this film on it's opening weekend, it was very well done, action packed with modern special effects, yet wholesome enough to have been made in the 1940's where most of this film is set.I really believed Chris Evans as the hero, his transformation from 90 pound weaking to buff super hero was excellent( a note Mr. Evans did a good job of capuring the cockiness of the Johnny Storm/Human torch charater in the Fantasitc Four movies as well) He is an excellent Steve Rogers. Their is a good supporting cast with Tommy Lee Jones, Staney Tucci and Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull.

Gregory

(2012-04-27 18:07:00)

Guten tag her Blaskovitz

Every time the heavy solider walked in I could not laugh and say "Gutentag her Blaskovitz". I know its Captain America and its better than theprevious versions, but it is still unbearable not to rif on.OK, ignoring one lousy editing shot around the end, the movie has goodvisuals and feels adequate. It's what many wanted out of such a movieafter previous failed attempts.But the main hero is a hypocritical boy scout. He says he doesn't wantto kill anybody, yet desperately try's to enlist into the war as asoldier, and in the end deliberately throws enemy soldiers out of aairborne bomber.The first half of the movie is about a CGI man in his 30es, as it'simpossible to take that voice seriously with that body. Any skinnystand-in would have sufficed for this, but they decided to dangle CGfor 40 minutes in front of us and think we would not notice. And thenthey make a pro-steroid add outright into a hulk rip-off.The idea to throw the Red skull as an independent German villain duringWWII is just insane. His Hydra monologues sound like he thinks beingslapped by the enemy makes him stronger. His superweapons areoverpowerfull, but never properly utilized because his soldiers arestromtrooper dumb. And where does he get his easily replaceable loyalhenchmen in such numbers? Not from the Hitler loving loyalist Nazisthat's for shore.But what's really unbearable is how the two powers meet every time.Nobody can see some guy skulking around at a well lit military base, orfire anywhere other than at his shield, which covers only 1/3 of hisbody. Hell, the badguys even have flamethrowers to deal with the guy,but every time something stupid saves his hide.Oh, and the ending… "I wanted to bring you in slow" and that's why Ieven made you a fake girlfriend and put you into an easily escapablefacility in the middle of NY, after which you get a very odd lookingfinger by Uncle Sam.Its too insane not to rif on. My best was: You labeled one of yournukes "New Yourk"? I'm now half expecting the camera to pan off and seeanother labeled "Mutter".

pepe4u22

(2012-04-27 03:17:15)

not bad not bad at all

well when i was a boy i loved marvel comics and was very impressed bythe adaptation to this movie..the characters were just like in thecomics and it was a wonderful popcorn movie. The sets were well doneand the action was good and the red skull was awesome..the problem thati had with the movie was the flat performance of the the lead ChrisEvans and the fact that they found the shield at the first of the moviekilled the suspense for the movie as you know Captain America was goingto be there through it all and of course not being a Samuel L Jacksonfan any sight of him gets an automatic two stars off as i am tired ofthe same acting style for the last twenty years since pulp fiction mygoodness get some range..the lead actress was wonderful and of coursetommy lee jones was chewing scenes with aplomb

zetes

(2012-04-27 04:33:34)

Pretty good

Another quite good comic book movie. Like this summer's Thor and X-Men:First Class, it's far better than it needs to be. Captain America isone of the cornier superheroes, and the film does a good job of playingwith that. Chris Evans is good (though I do miss the cleverness heexhibited in Fantastic Four, in which he was about the only good thing)as Steve Rogers, a 90lb weakling (created through some good CGIeffects) who undergoes an experiment to make him a superman. Althoughhe immediately exhibits heroics, no one knows what to do with him, sothey just use him as a war bond salesman. He feels kind of worthlessabout it, especially at USO shows where he just ends up as the butt ofjokes by weary servicemen who would rather just see the dancers comeback on stage. Soon enough, he gets another opportunity to be a hero,and, after that, he becomes a full-fledged soldier with an elite teamto fight Hydra, a secret Nazi scientific organization working onsuper-powered weaponry (Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones are great as thevillain Red Skull and his lead scientific mind). The film is quiterespectful to the era and WWII (it easily could have come off asinsulting), while still being an exciting and fun modern action flick.Hayley Atwell is quite good as Evans' love interest. Also co-starringTommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci.

Tom

(2012-04-27 00:10:05)

Where Are Marvel's Marvels?

***POTENTIAL SPOILERS INCLUDED***When I saw the second trailer for 'Captain America', I was quiteexcited. I thought to myself, that the casting of Tommy Lee Jones as acolonel is right on the money. Hugo Weaving as usually, a villain is a'safe investment'.But, was it the Captain America that we wanted it to be? The answer,sadly is no. Sure, it's an OK summer movie, but nothing more. Thismovie does not exploit enough the potential of Captain America, and hisunique background, that occurs during WWII. This movie feels like it'sdevoid of any true effort to make it a good one, and speakinggenerally, it is also the same case regarding any recent Marvel movie,except Iron Man, which was a good summer movie.The performance of the actors is solid. Chris Evans fits well to theprotagonist.The usage of some futuristic armaments in this film kinda ruins it. OK,so it's a film about a super hero, but still.Anyway, it was nice to see how everything connects to the other Marvelfilms, like Howard Stark and so forth.So, in conclusion, i think that Marvel should make some effort nexttime the make a movie, because this films really underestimate theaudience.But I'm sure that 'The Avengers' will be a whole lot better.

Mela O

(2012-04-23 03:48:08)

Enjoyable but nothing too mind blowing

I have to admit that I don't know much about Captain America. But Idecided to check out the movie because I love movies that adapt comicbook characters, because there is usually a rich background andcharacter development that the director has to work with, which isusually a good formula for making a good film. This movie wasenjoyable, I was not bored while watching it but it was not as actionpacked as I had heard it was. I found that with any movies thatintroduce a comic book hero, this was filled with more dialogue andbackground history than the actual daily adventures that makes one asuper hero that we love to watch. However, the acting was good in thismovie, nothing over the top. I like the choice for Captain America, asI feel Chris Evans carries the charm of the underdog that we all cheerfor. The reason why this movie did not get a 8,9 or 10 out of 10 wasbecause I didn't feel the excitement that I usually feel during superhero films. Overall, it is a good movie but it will not be added to myfavorites list.

bigcalkenobi

(2012-04-22 16:57:20)

Captain America: The First Avenger is a really good old fashioned adventure movie that will certainly entertain audiences and please fanboys

Sigh. Another superhero movie this summer? This will have been thefourth major superhero movie this summer and by this point most of usare tired of it. The only shot Captain America has this summer is doingsomething different than its other competition by giving us anexperience we haven't seen this summer. Luckily Captain America doesjust that. The movie is a period film set in the 1940s that also triesto feel like the serials that were popular at the time. The movie has avery old school feel to it which separates it from its competition, butcan its retro style really make it one of the better films of thesummer?Check out the rest at http://mastersfilmreview.wordpress.com

ebiros2

(2012-04-22 04:05:43)

Good Prequel to the Avengers

Captain America is not one of the characters that are easy to translateto the big screen. It shows on this movie as well.The movie takes it's basic story from the Captain America from the'60s. The Cosmic Cube, plane that's akin to the Sleeper, and they diddo a pretty good job of combining them into a single story. Out of all the Marvel heroes to come onto the screen, I would rate thisaround 6/10. The WW II settings prevents this movie from reallyspectacular action movie. It might have been better if the story tookplace in a more modern settings, but then you can't tell the originstory of Captain America.I will be looking forward to the Avengers which should make things lotmore interesting.

george.schmidt

(2012-04-22 01:58:36)

Slam-bam crackerjack origin story of the classic Marvel Comics' patriotic hero!

CAPTAIN America: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011) *** ½ Chris Evans, HayleyAtwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones,Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Ken Choi.Slam-bam crackerjack origin story of the classic Marvel Comics' titularpatriotic hero (with an amiable Evans) AKA Steve Rogers, a 98 lb.scrawny kid from Brooklyn trying to do his gung-ho best for Americaduring WWII, finding himself transformed into a pec-laden super soldierand facing the nefarious Nazi villain Johann Schmidt – AKA The RedSkull(a fierce steely-eyed Weaving) – hell bent on world domination.Along for the ride are the estimable Tucci as the German émigréscientist Erskine whose top-secret serum gives the hero his juice;Jones as crusty as ever as the taciturn Colonel Phillips and comelyaide de camp Peggy Carter (the luscious Atwell), all provide fineensemble work. Credit yeoman director Joe Johnston to let ChristopherMarkus' & Stephen McFeeley's adaption fly freely with a peppering ofhumor and pathos, great rousing score by veteran composter AlanSilvestri; ace sepia toned cinematography by Shelly Johnson, evokingthe era perfectly; expert production design by Rick Heinrichs and greatcostumes by Anna B. Sheppard. The 3-D is pretty nifty w/Cap's trustyshield thrown your way for good measure; Saturday matinée vibe onlyadds to the movie magic.

collipal-1

(2012-04-21 00:56:22)

Not perfect, but a very entertaining experience

I like the Captain America character very much whenever he is presentedin the comics as a strategic and spiritual leader of the Avengers team,but I honestly never enjoyed his original adventures, which werewritten during the '40s as simple political propaganda during the WorldWar II, more than 20 years before than when Marvel Comics adopted himas a fundamental part of its emergent superheroes universe. That's whyI tried to keep realistic expectations before watching Captain America:The First Avenger. As an "origin story", the screenplay would be arecount of his beginnings as a patriotic symbol, fighting against Nazisand enemies of the North American democracy...which has a verydifferent meaning now than the one it had during the '40s. Back in thatwhile, the threaten from Nazis and communists was palpable andconcrete, and it justified fast and offensive actions. On the opposite,we now have ambiguous "wars" against the drugs, the terrorism andsimilar ghosts which look like excuses to spend money, usurpgovernments and manipulate international relationships. How does theCaptain America fit into this reality without looking like a parodycreated by a political cartoonist? Fortunately, co-screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeelytook the good decision of evading that question, and they insteadpreferred to use the patriotic angle as a secondary humorous detail,leaving the field free to explore the "retro" atmosphere from World WarII and creating a narrative which simultaneously feels old and modern.The consequence is that we have a solid and dynamic screenplay whichcaptures the military heroism from the war films starring John Wayne(1907-1979), while Joe Johnston's competent direction employs all kindsof modern techniques in order to bring the colorful villains andexaggerated adventures to life. In summary: a very entertaining actionand adventure film, which is free of any ideological contaminants andstylish excesses.Captain America: The First Avenger faced the task of simultaneouslybeing an exciting introduction of a superhero, and an adequate prequelof the future film The Avengers (by the way, don't forget to stay untilthe end of the credits). I think that the movie works very well on bothaspects, even though it makes the first thing better than the secondone. The transformation from the weakling Steve Rogers into CaptainAmerica touches the necessary base from the superhero manual (toughmentor: present!; romantic interest: present!; brave "sidekick":present!), without neglecting the emotional development from thecharacter and his well balanced relationships. In the fantastic field,we have fun "pseudo-science" which adequately evokes that idealizedfuturistic aura which impulsed the best adventures from the "pulp"literature. And the "black and white" of heroes against villainsdissipates any moral ambiguity during the battles which represent thecrash between the good and the evil. And it fulfills with its functionas a prequel well, even though I found the plan of the villain to be abit generic and unimaginative. The mentions of Odin and the enigmatic"tesseract" feel like obligatory elements to preserve what wasestablished in the film Thor, and leave everything ready for TheAvengers. Nevertheless, that does not avoid Captain America: The FirstAvenger from being a very satisfactory experience, simultaneouslydifferent to Thor and Iron Man, and credible as a part of the samemotley universe.As for the cast, I will start mentioning the supporting one. The greatTommy Lee Jones is perfect as the Col. Chester Phillips, because of thecredibility and attitude he brings to that character. Hayley Atwell isthe romantic interest, something which is well handled by thescreenplay and her good work as an actress. Sebastian Stan is efficientas "Bucky" Barnes, who is a good collaborator and faithful friend ofRogers/Captain America. He might not have the same age as hiscounterpart in the comic, but I prefer it this way; I honestly do notthink it would have been very credible to see a teenager fighting inWorld War II. And finally, Hugo Weaving brings a credible level ofthreaten to his villain character.As for Chris Evans in the leading role, I have opposed opinions. Iconsider him a good actor but, in this movie, I found him to be morecredible as Rogers than as Captain America. I don't think he showsenough gravity and dramatic weight as Captain America. On the otherhand, his work is good in the introduction of his new identity, whenRogers is barely assimilating the physical changes he experimented, andwhich may not still be registered in his subconscious. In other words,I liked Evans' performance as an unsafe young man who suddenly receiveshuge power without losing his nobility nor common sense...but I did notfind him totally credible as Captain America. I hope he corrects thatweakness in The Avengers.It seems unbelievable...three Marvel Comics films in a same year. Andsomething which seems even more unbelievable is that none of them werea fiasco, like it had happened in previous years with films which weremade without the collaboration from Marvel (I know we all want toforget them, but I have to mention the atrocious The Punisher and thelaughable Ghost Rider). Putting Captain America: The First Avenger inthat context, I will say that I liked it a bit more than Thor, but lessthan X-Men: First Class. However, on its own merits, Captain America:The First Avenger deserves a recommendation as a very competent actionand adventure film with a solid screenplay and firmly directed byJohnston, whose sensibility for the "pulp" style (which had previouslybeen displayed in the brilliant The Rocketeer) worked veryappropriately in here.

Al_The_Strange

(2012-04-20 07:44:14)

"A weak man knows the value of strength."

With the imminent "Avengers" movie coming next year, only one hero'sorigin story remains untold…until now. Falling in line with "Thor,""Iron Man," and "The Incredible Hulk," "Captain America" showcases therise of Steve Rogers as the title character. Unlike the other films,which take place in modern times, this one goes way back to WWII,showing the Captain kicking Nazi butt! With a lot of "Wolfenstein"style occult mystique and a slight "Indiana Jones" sense of adventure,this movie has a number of solid action sequences, and plenty ofimaginative special effects and setpieces. With its references tovarious characters and concepts of other Mavel movies, it fits into thefranchise really well. It might take some stretch of the imagination tobelieve that Nazis could be this futuristic, but for a superhero movie,it's all good fun.The story in this case is pretty solid. The main character shows strongdevelopment, and for most of the movie, you really root for him.There's nothing more thrilling than watching the underdog getting theupper hand. As it goes on, much of the character drama and storydevelopment gets pushed aside by the action, but it still works. By theend, voila, we have the lead-in for the "Avengers" film.If there's any complaint for this film, it's that there could have beenmore. Whether it needs a stronger action setpiece or a more invokingsense of drama, I'm not sure, but something seems missing, and nothingreally makes this film stand over any of the other superhero films thathave come out so far.The film is competently made, with decent (but never exceptional)photography. Editing is good for the most part, but I am not a fan ofthe montage in the middle of the film that makes the entire warcampaign whiz by. A couple of action scenes seemed a littlesloppily-edited, but it's hardly noticeable. Acting is swell; ChrisEvans is surprisingly strong as the main character, and I enjoyedHayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and HugoWeaving in their roles. Writing seems pretty good. Production value ishigh, featuring lots of good (if not overly-slick) sets, props,costumes and special effects. Music is appropriately upbeat andadventurous. In the end, I'd say the film met my expectations, butnever fully exceeded them. But it, along with an all-too-short sneakpreview after the credits, provide the necessary bridge to the"Avengers" film.Recommended.4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)

(2012-04-17 19:05:44)

A shield is not only for defense

Captain America: The First Avenger is pretty much just a character introduction for the upcoming Avengers movie, but I liked it better than two of the other big superhero films this year, The Green Lantern and even the very well reviewed Thor. I liked the fact that it was set during WWII, which made this comic book adaptation unique, and it has a fair amount of humor that never seemed forced. The acting is better than you would expect thanks to a surprisingly restrained performance from Chris Evans as Captain America and a scene stealing Tommy Lee Jones. Hugo Weaving does his usual good job as the villain Red Skull, but I didn't find him to be menacing enough to stand out from all the other comic book baddies. Still, he always plays the evil roles so well. Hayley Atwell, who I had previously seen in the TV miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, is not only gorgeous, but a better than average love interest. She actually fights, rather than just standing around looking pretty. There is a lot of CGI and most of it looks good, especially the scrawny version of Chris Evans, but thankfully it is not overused like in The Green Lantern.The only negatives would be that it does drag a little in spots and the hero himself doesn't have any cool powers (like The X-Men) or any cool gadgets (like Batman), other than a kicka** shield that can be thrown like a boomerang. He is just stronger and faster thanks to an experiment that turns a 90 pound weakling into a 220 pound beat down machine. I had fun with this one. Not quite as good as X-Men: First Class, but on a weekend as hot as this you could do worse things than spending two hours in a abnormally chilly theater.

(2012-04-17 06:11:30)

Half-mast

Not as blatantly, ridiculously dumb as "Thor," but -- from start-to-finish -- completely synthetic and artificial and, to me, deeply disappointing.As a fan of "The Rocketeer" I was excited that "Cap" would have the same director, but Joe Johnson brings along absolutely none of the spontaneity, breakneck fun or lurking danger of the former film. "Cap" is "The Rocketeer" completely drained of its essence. The structure is uncertain, the pacing sloppy, the action dull, the logic constantly questionable. This is a movie just going through the motions, but at the same time it feels like a four-hour film trimmed down to two. Motivations are unclear, questions go unanswered, introductions are set up and then never made. For example: Why have The Howling Commandos appear at all if you're not going to identify them as a unit?Probably the biggest missed opportunity is the handling of Steve Rogers, who -- thanks to a super-serum and some "Vita-Ray" exposure -- goes from 96 pound F-4 weakling to a strapping, totally cut uber-soldier. His "before" version is whiny, passive aggressive and seems a bit of a masochist (taking brutal beatings from bullies, diving onto runaway grenades); his "after" version never really seems the least bit disoriented, conflicted or even very excited by his transformation. And most importantly we never learn exactly why Rogers was so gung ho to fight in the first place, even though there are countless opportunities for a quick monologue that might explain his passion.In an effort to seem important, "Captain America" clutters itself with World War II-era iconography, but its "chase-fight-chase-fight-repeat" train of thought comes from a cut-rate videogame.