Saw this at a matinee today and actually liked it a lot more than I expected. While it still can't top X-MEN: FIRST CLASS in terms of story and action, I still had a much better time with CAPTAIN AMERICA than I did with either THOR or GREEN LANTERN. It is definitely above-average when measured up against the other superhero films that have flooded the past decade.
Chris Evans did a much better job as the title character than he did as Human Torch in FANTASTIC FOUR. Hugo Weaving also put in a nice villainous turn as the Red Skull. A humorous Tommy Lee Jones and Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark also round out the cast. The film also benefits from some decent action sequences and a nice visual style that reminded me a little of SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.
As for the 3-D, I opted out of it this time since I heard it was mainly a "conversion job" and would probably be similar to the 3-D I saw in GREEN LANTERN. Although there are a few scenes and effects shots that may have benefitted a little from the gimmick, the movie plays perfectly well flat so I see no need to shell out the extra $4 unless somebody can convince me it's really worth it.
Be sure to sit through the end of the closing credits to finally see the teaser for THE AVENGERS (yes, an actual teaser trailer this time)! Prior to the movie I also got to see the trailer for the upcoming SPIDER-MAN reboot and can't really say I'm looking forward to it. But I'll still end up seeing it anyway:)
Captain America: The First Avenger
Moderator: Chris Slack
-
Darth Tanner
- Posts: 505
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 1999 10:00 pm
- Location: Midlothian, VA U.S.A
Captain America: The First Avenger
FINALLY--my son and I have seen all of the set-up movies for THE AVENGERS... right? Nothing more to check off the list... right? And all it cost me this time was a double-surcharge for 3-D glasses because we couldn't time the 2-D screening properly...
(Oh, for what it's worth, the 3-D conversion job is one of the better ones, but it still wasn't necessary... the only film I truly WISH had been in 3-D this year remains SUPER 8, which seems to have been MADE for it.)
And would you please SPARE ME the TRAILERS for NEXT YEAR'S superhero movies?
Okay... deep breath. CAPTAIN AMERICA itself fits nicely into the series despite spending most of its running time during World War II. The special effects that transform Chris Evans into a 98-pound weakling are completely convincing and one can easily root for him as he repeatedly attempts to skirt the rules in an attempt to become a soldier. Tommy Lee Jones is his typical Tommy Lee Jones self, Hayley Atwell (whom I last saw in the misguided PRISONER update) is a fine addition to the Marvel movie lineup as Agent Carter, and Hugo Weaving is a perfect Red Skull (who kicks things off by tying the movie to THOR, incidentally).
The movie is reasonably faithful to Marvel's origin story, but I particularly liked the reinterpretation of the "Bucky" character (Sebastian Stan). In the comics, he was the youngster who accidentally caught Steve Rogers in his Captain America guise and swore secrecy to become his sidekick--here, he starts the film as the "big brother" type who defends Rogers against bullies before ultimately becoming the little brother--very good touch.
There's more good supporting work from Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark and Stanley Tucci as the oily genius supplying the brains to the Red Skull's brawn. (Oh, and it's nice to see "Dum Dum" Dugan represented in the film, but then how old was he supposed to be when he supplied the main opposition to Marvel's Godzilla in the 1970s?) The action sequences are predictably well-staged, but I was actually more impressed with the montage of "Captain America's" corny bond-rally tour, highlighting his mobs of adoring fans... that is, until he comes face to face with the soldiers actually FIGHTING the war.. "Nice boots, Tinkerbell!"
CAPTAIN AMERICA is among the better entries in the pre-AVENGERS series--for my money it beats THOR even though it doesn't touch the original IRON MAN (or the non-AVENGERS film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, for that matter).
Now pack me in an iceberg and wake me up next year. I don't want to hear any more about the damn thing (or THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, or THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) until it actually OPENS!
(Oh, for what it's worth, the 3-D conversion job is one of the better ones, but it still wasn't necessary... the only film I truly WISH had been in 3-D this year remains SUPER 8, which seems to have been MADE for it.)
And would you please SPARE ME the TRAILERS for NEXT YEAR'S superhero movies?
Okay... deep breath. CAPTAIN AMERICA itself fits nicely into the series despite spending most of its running time during World War II. The special effects that transform Chris Evans into a 98-pound weakling are completely convincing and one can easily root for him as he repeatedly attempts to skirt the rules in an attempt to become a soldier. Tommy Lee Jones is his typical Tommy Lee Jones self, Hayley Atwell (whom I last saw in the misguided PRISONER update) is a fine addition to the Marvel movie lineup as Agent Carter, and Hugo Weaving is a perfect Red Skull (who kicks things off by tying the movie to THOR, incidentally).
The movie is reasonably faithful to Marvel's origin story, but I particularly liked the reinterpretation of the "Bucky" character (Sebastian Stan). In the comics, he was the youngster who accidentally caught Steve Rogers in his Captain America guise and swore secrecy to become his sidekick--here, he starts the film as the "big brother" type who defends Rogers against bullies before ultimately becoming the little brother--very good touch.
There's more good supporting work from Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark and Stanley Tucci as the oily genius supplying the brains to the Red Skull's brawn. (Oh, and it's nice to see "Dum Dum" Dugan represented in the film, but then how old was he supposed to be when he supplied the main opposition to Marvel's Godzilla in the 1970s?) The action sequences are predictably well-staged, but I was actually more impressed with the montage of "Captain America's" corny bond-rally tour, highlighting his mobs of adoring fans... that is, until he comes face to face with the soldiers actually FIGHTING the war.. "Nice boots, Tinkerbell!"
CAPTAIN AMERICA is among the better entries in the pre-AVENGERS series--for my money it beats THOR even though it doesn't touch the original IRON MAN (or the non-AVENGERS film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, for that matter).
Now pack me in an iceberg and wake me up next year. I don't want to hear any more about the damn thing (or THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, or THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) until it actually OPENS!