Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper
Country: United States
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 124 minutes
I grew up on superhero movies and loved them to death at a young age. My favorites were Spider-Man 1 and 2, The Punisher, Batman: The Movie, X-Men 1 and 2, and even turds like Fantastic Four and Daredevil. As I have grown up, my taste for action films has drifted towards gritty foreign action films and hard R American films. However, I still try to see every single superhero film that comes out because comic book superhero films and the books that they came from are ingrained into my childhood. One of my favorites of the last couple years is Captain America: The First Avenger. I have seen it far more times than Iron Man or The Avengers and consider it to be my favorite film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And while I agree that it can't compare to masterful superhero films like Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, or The Dark Knight, I still consider it to be one of the most fun and rewatchable of the genre.
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| Small man, big ambition. |
Captain America: The First Avenger introduces us to our hero and villain right off the bat. Our hero, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), is a small and weak young man who wants nothing more than to join the U.S. Army. Unfortunately, his small size and asthmatic issues prevent him from entering. Our villain, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), is a part of Hyrda, the technical division of the Nazis. He wants nothing more to harness the power of the Gods by using an ancient cube called the Tesarac. He uses this cube to craft an entire army of laser toting soldiers and high powered vehicles that he wishes to take over the world with.
When it seems that Steve won't get a shot at joining the army, a scientist named Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) sees the potential in him. He realizes that Steve is a kind hearted person even though he is a little guy. Therefore, he enlists Steve into the army and gives him a chance at becoming the first soldier to be injected with a Super Soldier Serum. The experiment is successful and Steve becomes a large muscle bound man. He eventually becomes Captain America, a symbol of the American way, and joins the fight overseas against Hyrda with his old pal Bucky (Sebastian Stan).
Captain America: The First Avenger separates itself from the rest of the superhero pack by taking place during WWII (much like The Rocketeer and the first act of Albert Pyun's Captain America). The film is also a throwback to the old adventure serials of the 40s and 50s when costumed heroes fought organized crime and evil villains. Captain America: The First Avenger is essentially a $140 million budgeted version of an old adventure serial. I'm sure a budget that big would blow filmmakers' minds back in the day. It's unfortunate that we don't get several movies of Captain America in WWII because there are plenty of adventures for the guy to have in the era. However, I'll take one WWII set Cap film over no WWII set Cap film.
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| "Each bond you buy is a bullet in your best guy's gun." |
Joe Johnston is the perfect filmmaker to bring a story like this to the big screen. The film is essentially a bigger and better version of Johnston's underrated 1991 Disney film, The Rocketeer. Both films are based on comic books, feature down on their luck young men who discover something that turns them into a superhero, take place in Nazi-era WWII, and are heavily influenced by old adventure serials. Johnston also worked as an art director on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Therefore, I think he knows a thing or two about crafting a fun and old fashioned action film. Besides, the Red Skull's massive airplane in the film looks awfully similar to the plane on the runway from Raiders. Maybe Johnston just wanted to give a nice homage to his past work.
Chris Evans is the heart and soul of this film. He gives a fantastic performance as the all American do-gooder Steve Rogers. Evans makes for a lovable Steve Rogers that anyone can get behind and root for. One of my favorite scenes of the film that defines why Rogers is such a great character is a quick moment that some may consider a throw away scene but for me is a defining moment in the film. Colonel Phillips and Erskine discuss whether Steve or another soldier are fit for the Super Soldier Serum. Phillips argues that the other soldier is big and strong while Erskine disagrees claiming that he is a bully in contrast to Steve's kindness and willingness to die for others. To see whose a better candidate, Phillips grabs a grenade and tosses it out towards the men as they perform jumping jacks. While everyone scatters, Steve rushes toward the grenade and throws himself on top of it. When Peggy Carter comes near him, Steve screams, "Get back!" Everyone quickly realizes that the grenade is a dummy when Steve asks, "Was that a test?" Phillips looks at Erskine and replies, "He's still skinny."
This is a very charming, important, and moving scene that defines why Steve is the man to become Captain America. Steve is willing to sacrifice himself to save anyone, including a soldier who has repeatedly bullied him during his training. This sacrificial attribute of Steve comes back into play in the final minutes of the film when Cap is put into a situation that potentially spells the end of humanity.
The rest of the supporting case is all aces. From Sebastain Stan as Cap's good buddy Bucky, to Tommy Lee Jones as the hilarious colonel, to Stanley Tucci as the kind scientist who creates Cap, to Hayley Atwell as the love interest, to Dominic Cooper as Tony Stark's father, and to Hugo Weaving as the iconic Captain America villain, The Red Skull. Everybody is great in their roles and makes each character fun, memorable, or important to the plot (minus Cooper, he is there simply to connect Cap to the rest of the Marvel U films).
I especially want to praise the make up work for the Red Skull. He looks fantastic and I couldn't be happier with the outcome of his design. Comic book villains are adapted to the big screen in varying results all of the time (The Good: Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, The Joker in The Dark Knight, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 / The Bad: Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, Bullseye in Daredevil). Fortunately, the Red Skull looks like he was literally lifted straight out of the comics. No liberties were taken here; Weaving is the Red Skull without a shadow of a doubt. The removing of Weaving's nose in post-production seals the deal.
Unfortunately, I do have some gripes with Johnston's Cap film. One of my biggest qualms with the film is its heavy reliance on green screens and computer generated effects. There are simply too many computer graphics for an adventure serial film set in WWII. These CG heavy moments pull the viewer out of the adventure and remind them that they are simply watching a contemporary imitation of the genre. It should be noted that some sets look practical and suit the setting fine. However, the film goes too far during scenes where interiors are entirely computer generated. It is especially notable during the fun montage when Cap fights off Hydra agents and tanks in entirely computer generated environments. The hanger inside of Schmidt's hideout also looks cartoony. It is unfortunate that the film looks like a video game in a few shots.
Fortunately, most of the action scenes are pretty good for a PG-13 summer blockbuster. I am surprised that Captain America and the Red Skull both nab hefty kill counts of their own. The two best action sequences of the film are a gun fight inside of the Hyrda train and the final battle at Schmidt's hideout. I love any film that makes time for an action scene upon a train (Under Siege 2 anyone?). Seeing Cap and Bucky fight Hyrda agents side by side in a tight quarters shootout makes for a blast of an action scene.
The film also has a bizarre inconsistent attention to blood effects. While early action sequences feature fairly explicit amounts of blood, the latter half of the film's action is nearly devoid of blood. When a character gets shot early in the film, blood splatters out of their back. However, when a Hydra agent gets shot by bullets later on in the film, they simply fly back or fall over. This blood qualm of mine really pisses me off because it frustrates me that the world established in the film features such a bizarre inconsistency. A Hydra agent gets shot and no blood is shown, yet a Hydra agent falls through a propeller and gets chopped into gory nothingness! What gives?
The score by veteran composer Alan Silvestri is also spot on with the character and the time era. Silvestri's score helps give The First Avenger its heart and soul. Various triumphant and emotional tunes will have you cheering on Cap and weeping alongside him at the same time. The entire finale of the film is ripe with powerful and emotional themes.
Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger is a blast of a superhero film backed by a fun story, memorable characters, and entertaining action sequences. I think that Cap's first successful big screen outing (sorry Albert Pyun's 1990 Captain America) is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest successes. The film is essentially one emotionally charged first hour and one action packed second hour. Add those up and what do you get? A pretty fun superhero flick that gives us some good 'ol WWII era action. The film also makes a nice compliment to Johnston's similar The Rocketeer. Highly recommended.
Rating: 8/10 - A solid, exciting, and romantic superhero film. Everyone is aces all around while the action is great in enough parts to make it worth watching.
Franchise:
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011, dir. Joe Johnston)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014, dir. The Russo Brothers)
Captain America: Civil War (2016, dir. The Russo Brothers)
This is a very charming, important, and moving scene that defines why Steve is the man to become Captain America. Steve is willing to sacrifice himself to save anyone, including a soldier who has repeatedly bullied him during his training. This sacrificial attribute of Steve comes back into play in the final minutes of the film when Cap is put into a situation that potentially spells the end of humanity.
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| "Mr. Rogers! I have been expecting you." |
The rest of the supporting case is all aces. From Sebastain Stan as Cap's good buddy Bucky, to Tommy Lee Jones as the hilarious colonel, to Stanley Tucci as the kind scientist who creates Cap, to Hayley Atwell as the love interest, to Dominic Cooper as Tony Stark's father, and to Hugo Weaving as the iconic Captain America villain, The Red Skull. Everybody is great in their roles and makes each character fun, memorable, or important to the plot (minus Cooper, he is there simply to connect Cap to the rest of the Marvel U films).
I especially want to praise the make up work for the Red Skull. He looks fantastic and I couldn't be happier with the outcome of his design. Comic book villains are adapted to the big screen in varying results all of the time (The Good: Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, The Joker in The Dark Knight, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 / The Bad: Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man, Bullseye in Daredevil). Fortunately, the Red Skull looks like he was literally lifted straight out of the comics. No liberties were taken here; Weaving is the Red Skull without a shadow of a doubt. The removing of Weaving's nose in post-production seals the deal.
Unfortunately, I do have some gripes with Johnston's Cap film. One of my biggest qualms with the film is its heavy reliance on green screens and computer generated effects. There are simply too many computer graphics for an adventure serial film set in WWII. These CG heavy moments pull the viewer out of the adventure and remind them that they are simply watching a contemporary imitation of the genre. It should be noted that some sets look practical and suit the setting fine. However, the film goes too far during scenes where interiors are entirely computer generated. It is especially notable during the fun montage when Cap fights off Hydra agents and tanks in entirely computer generated environments. The hanger inside of Schmidt's hideout also looks cartoony. It is unfortunate that the film looks like a video game in a few shots.
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| My favorite shot in the film. |
Fortunately, most of the action scenes are pretty good for a PG-13 summer blockbuster. I am surprised that Captain America and the Red Skull both nab hefty kill counts of their own. The two best action sequences of the film are a gun fight inside of the Hyrda train and the final battle at Schmidt's hideout. I love any film that makes time for an action scene upon a train (Under Siege 2 anyone?). Seeing Cap and Bucky fight Hyrda agents side by side in a tight quarters shootout makes for a blast of an action scene.
The film also has a bizarre inconsistent attention to blood effects. While early action sequences feature fairly explicit amounts of blood, the latter half of the film's action is nearly devoid of blood. When a character gets shot early in the film, blood splatters out of their back. However, when a Hydra agent gets shot by bullets later on in the film, they simply fly back or fall over. This blood qualm of mine really pisses me off because it frustrates me that the world established in the film features such a bizarre inconsistency. A Hydra agent gets shot and no blood is shown, yet a Hydra agent falls through a propeller and gets chopped into gory nothingness! What gives?
The score by veteran composer Alan Silvestri is also spot on with the character and the time era. Silvestri's score helps give The First Avenger its heart and soul. Various triumphant and emotional tunes will have you cheering on Cap and weeping alongside him at the same time. The entire finale of the film is ripe with powerful and emotional themes.
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| Cap tries to cope with the fact that a Forever 21 is in the middle of Times Square. |
Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger is a blast of a superhero film backed by a fun story, memorable characters, and entertaining action sequences. I think that Cap's first successful big screen outing (sorry Albert Pyun's 1990 Captain America) is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest successes. The film is essentially one emotionally charged first hour and one action packed second hour. Add those up and what do you get? A pretty fun superhero flick that gives us some good 'ol WWII era action. The film also makes a nice compliment to Johnston's similar The Rocketeer. Highly recommended.
Rating: 8/10 - A solid, exciting, and romantic superhero film. Everyone is aces all around while the action is great in enough parts to make it worth watching.
Franchise:
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011, dir. Joe Johnston)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014, dir. The Russo Brothers)
Captain America: Civil War (2016, dir. The Russo Brothers)
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