Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)- Chris Evans (3)

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action )

Running Time: 125 Min

Tagline " Discover The Origin Of The First Avenger"

Synopsis:

{According to IMDB}

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals.

Discussion

So once again the summer brings us another Superhero film. The question is: Does it match up or improve on previous Marvel Comic adaptations? To be sincere, it isn’t better than Thor but it sure is hell of a lot better than the 2^nd Iron Man film. I think many will agree that Iron Man II was a very mediocre and forgettable sequel. Now Captain America on the other hand is a great popcorn action extravaganza for the whole family. It really is a family action adventure; I didn't see anything questionable or objectionable for children. The movie is actually geared towards both audiences: the new and the old. With that mentioned, let’s talk about the film itself and my overall opinion of Captain America: First Avenger.

First, I was really happy with the decision of Joe Johnston helming directorial duties in this film. After directing the marvelous and yet underrated classic “Rocketeer”.  It seemed only natural to choose Johnston as a director. For those who have seen the Rocketeer you will know what I am talking about. Johnston tends to have a good eye for being true to specific eras. By that I refer to the following- While watching Captain America, I actually felt I was in the 40’s, aside the technology and out of this world special effects, the rest of the film felt of the that epoch. One thing that I believe helped set that tone was the sort of sepia tone the movie has through the course of the film.  I will like to add, that even if Chris Evans has played a superhero before (Human Torch: Fantastic 4) he actually does a good job convincing me a man can done the costume with pride.

As I now get into the theme and overall plot, I will try not to give out any important spoilers. Several explorers find what seems to be a frozen man beneath a sheet of ice, intact with a shield, the shield of Captain America. The movie shortly jumps back to 1942 Norway, where we are introduced to Red Skull/Schmidt.  There he invades a castle, to find an artifact that he describes as “the jewel of Odin's treasure room” now I wonder if this is in fact a reference to the movie Thor. Perhaps it might be referenced in The Avengers. Later in New York, we meet Steve Rogers: a scrawny, short yet brave young man who wants to desperately enlist to the military. However, due to his height, weight and incapacites (asthma, lack of energy etc) his requests keep getting declined. But as we know, there is a serum that will turn the young weakling into a full grown/testosterone built hero.  After his transformation, now that he is capable, Rogers seeks out to serve his country, dressed in the red white and blue. But before he gets to get into battle, he is given a cheap costume and placed in parties for children. Impersonating a true American hero, he plays for kids and family a dance to seek out men to enlist in the army. After this scenario we later get to see Captain America fight the old American way, and that way is kicking ass.

When you sit down and watch the trailer for a superhero movie like this you actually expect an action packed film. In the case of Captain America a curious thing occurs. The trailer for Captain America seems extremely action packed, yet the majority of the film is filled with a lot of scenes only involving dialogue. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually liked this movie, it was very entertaining I give it that. But, for those expecting an extremely action packed film; you will have to wait until 1hour into the film. There is some action scenes taking place before, but the pivotal action scenes occur almost towards the end. Personally, I thought the film had a well balance of dialogue and action. My only fuss was that there are some action scenes that are shown in snippets; by this I mean that they jump from dialogue to action sequences at the same time. Think of it as giving a short glimpse at a fight scene, not showing the whole fight. This issue only happens in one scene though.

As for the special effects of the movie, they deliver the goods. But I heard people complaining about Skinny Rogers. The complaint was that it looked fake. I honestly thought it looked real, I couldn't tell that much the cgi they did with his body. They could have however done what they did with Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. But regardless, the shirking effect worked fine for this movie, there was only 2 scenes when it looked awkward. The scene in which he enlist for the first time and a scene at a hospital. All other scenes involving the thinner Rogers looked up to par.

The movie is worth watching in cinemas. But avoid watching it in 3D, there is no reason to waste the money on the 3D. Again, after already complaining about Transformers not having any real eye popping 3D, I paid the extra bucks for Captain America on Real 3D…what horseshit! There is only one real scene where you see 3D. That scene is almost at the end where you see the shield going towards the screen….and even that isn’t too impressive. I think this is the last movie I will watch in 3D to be frank with you. It really isn’t worth paying 15 bucks, just watch the regular 2D version, you’re better off. Last thoughts: if you are a fan of the comic or not, give Captain America a chance. If you have read my other reviews on the other poor adaptations of Captain America, you will see that this one is a far superior adaptation. In fact it is the first theatrical big budgeted adaptation of the character. And now for last complaints and praises:  The complaints that I haven’t mentioned, I think the movie had less humor than the other marvel films…at least for me. There was some humor here and there, just kept to a minimal. It’s neither a good nor a bad thing. The other thing is the action scenes are a bit forgettable. Like I mentioned, it isn’t that action packed. There is action towards the finale, but it’s not given emotional depth. Regardless of that notion, the movie is still worth the view. The question now is who will win at the box office? Harry Potter or Captain America? What do you guys think? Let me know!