“Captain America: The First Avenger” Entertains and Underwhelms
Here is the truth ladies and gentlemen: I’m tired. No, not just physically tired (give it a few hours) but absolutely worn down by the superhero genre. With Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011 has now produced FOUR films that would be considered “superhero” pictures. Sadly, they have also delivered ZERO films that would even remotely be called super or heroic.
While Joe Johnston’s Captain America may be better than this year’s predecessors, it’s still a chaotic and middling comic book adaptation that simply makes us long for the days when these films were of actual quality. Now, it would appear that every Hollywood executive has taken the famous lines of Gordon Gecko to heart and followed the path of greed. And boy, for the audience, this isn’t such a good thing.
Set in the 1940s during World War II, Captain America follows the dedicated and scrawny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). He desperately wants to join the army, fight for his country, and see to it that World War II is brought to a suitable conclusion. However, after several rejections due to his serious lack of both strength and height, kind scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci hamming it up with some German accent that is so ridiculous it makes Transformers: Dark of the Moon appear coherent) approaches him and proposes a scientific solution to his lack of, well, just about everything.
Rogers enthusiastically accepts and is injected with an experimental serum that causes his muscles to grow tremendously. The end result of this top-secret research project is Rogers transforming into Captain America: a now enhanced and powerful soldier who is dedicated to defending both Americans and their ideals.
Captain America is helped by its supporting cast. We have Tommy Lee Jones as a cranky officer who doubts Rogers at first, Hugo Weaving transforming his character from evil German lieutenant Johann Schmidt to the powerful Red Skull, Dominic Cooper playing a young Howard Stark, Sebastian Stan as Roger’s best friend who’s captured by the Germans Toby Jones as an evil scientist assisting Johannand relative newcomer Hayley Atwell as a sexy British spy who knows her way around the battlefield.
Just about everyone in the film is more compelling than the hunky (so says every screaming teenage girl) Chris Evans. He has the inherent charisma but perhaps it’s the character of Captain America that is just a bit of a bore on screen. Unfortunately, the character isn’t as conflicted and morally complex as Batman, nor is he as reckless and satirical as Tony Stark, he is just kind of bland.
Another disappointment here is how dull the film looks. Especially when wearing those atrocious 3D glasses that don’t enhance, but dim the film-going experience. Beyond the look of the picture, the rest of the film’s shortcomings lie within the story. Like every other superhero film to come out this year, Captain America: The First Avenger feels forced and inconsequential. In particular, the first 30 minutes of this film are so exceedingly boring – infusing clichéd dialogue and overly predictable character developments in order to dramatize Roger’s big change from minuscule underdog to heroic superhero.
When it comes right down to it, Captain America: The First Avenger is entertaining and has this surprisingly old-fashioned atmosphere to it. Nonetheless, I can’t help but feel that it’s a somewhat underwhelming film which, along with Thor, Green Lantern, and The Green Hornet, feel as if it was made on an assembly line. None of these pictures seem to attempt to step out of their enclosed, contained plots. The films merely feel like mere distractions until The Avengers is set to hit theaters next year.
I’d like to just keep blaming the studios for continuously producing such uninspired efforts. But at what point do we take the blame? We are the consumers and we keep buying tickets. Which, in the grand scheme of things, I suspect is the problem. These movies no longer feel like art, but are in fact products that are likely to give you a jolt of energy and dazzle, then, in the nip of time fade in your memory. At this point the only thing I’m surprised about is that we haven’t been given a happy-meal toy as we leave the theater.
B-
2.5 Stars out 4
Notes: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, 125 minutes.
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21 Comments
For the most part I enjoyed the film (though the ending was a bit too forced and abrupt) but you are correct with Captain America being a blander character than people like Batman and Iron Man (or for that matter Wolverine, Magneto, Spider-Man and the Hulk). A big thing with reading the comics is Rogers’ interaction with other heroes (especially Iron Man and Hawkeye) so The Avengers may play on that old-fashioned man out of time thing.
I haven’t read the Comics … so we probably had different perspectives.
wow, not a fan, huh?
I gotta say that Captain America was very impressive. Not all superheroes can be as complex as Batman or Wolverine. That’d make all the movies the same and boring! Evans really did the best job at being Cap and Rogers! I will agree that there are only a few scenes that 3D is worth it, but you can’t put this one in the same boat as Green Lantern or Green Hornet. No way!
Perhaps not OVERwhelming, but Cap is definitely not UNDERwhelming. I’m curious. what were you exactly hoping for outta this movie? It stayed pretty true to the comic, tied in with the other films very nicely, and entertained with enough character and education of the Marvel world has necessary.
interesting review. fun to read nonetheless. check mine out if you get a chance.
They’re gradations within my rating. I actually gave it a positive review – and I attempt to expect nothing from any film. Go in blank and forget about preconceptions.
I have no interest to see this though I too, am tired of the superhero genre. I just heard from Rotten Tomatoes that they’re thinking about developing a film on “Captain Planet”.
I hated that fucking show. What a bunch of tree-hugging crap!
You said it.
Captain Planet! He’s a hero! Gonna get pollution down to zero!
C’mon, it was classic television show, right up there with Teenage Mutant Ninja (or Hero) Turtles! And I thinkt he superhero genre has legs. Counting on the Avengers and the Dark Knight Rises to do very, very well next year.
Your review reads like you were going to give it a D or a C- lol
Makes me sad. I have been looking forward to this one for ages. I am seeing it Thursday so I will have to see for myself!!
Thanks for the review
Hey, to each their own, Custie. I’d say go and see it and judge for yourself. I really enjoyed it even though I had no interest in it initially. This character is perhaps the only ‘hero’ who’s admirable because of his goodness as a person, not simply because of his superhuman strength. That makes him quite relatable. I like what Oldstuff said, not underwhelming so much as understated and you know what, I was pleasantly surprised that the films isn’t cheesy/corny which is a feat in itself given the subject matter.
When I 1st heard of this I was like Oh bother another comic book film. BUt I tell you having seen it at the weekend, I enjoyed it. Part of it had to do with the acting another part had to do with the vintage look and feel. I like that period stylistically and this film does it right.
It underwhelms in a good way. I liked it’s understated origin story. I liked that they took all the time they did to get to the action and to explore his talents. It was long but it was mostly necessary. And, as an aside, if I’m not mistaken, Captain America is still a virgin.
oldstuff!!!
Oh Dear. It’s not out over here yet, but I’ve been worrying about whether or not this film will work. Some of what you’ve said (particularly about Chris Evans) is exactly what I’ve been writing about…
http://storiesthatreallymattered.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/why-im-worried-about-captain-america/
Good review… I agree overall, give or take a point or two.
I think more than anything the Captain America blandness drags it down. Somehow there’s no charm here, you know?
I think he’ll fit in well in the Avengers at least. He’ll be the serious one.
Totally agree Dan. It was surprisingly bland. Almost even dull.
I don’t see how Captain America is chaotic at all; it’s pretty straightforward in terms of narrative, and the storytelling is tight and brisk. I actually wanted more out of it than we got– even at two hours it felt a little short, but that’s the good kind of complaint.
I wouldn’t have recommended seeing this in 3D; all I’d heard in advance is that the 3D really takes away from the set design and photography of the movie.
I guess my question would be– does a character have to be conflicted a’la Batman in order to be entertaining? It’s not as though Rogers is without his conflicts or without an arc, either. Most definitely he suffers some doubt after Bucky dies, and I would argue that his greatest conflict comes up in the war bonds montage.
Maybe what makes this feel underwhelming is that old-fashioned pulp sensibility. There’s a lot of action, but it’s low spectacle, emphasizing real people doing real stunts and how much impact a punch can have over the flair of flashy FX. For me, I got exactly what I wanted, though I do wish the beginning and ending had been either excised entirely or used as the post-script during the credits.
Wow! I saw a totally different movie! I walked out so happy. I’m writing my review so I guess we’ll see if I can argue my case!
Other than the rather silly montage and Rogers having a head 5 times bigger than the rest of his body in the beginning, I liked it.
Wasn’t it pauline Kael that said something alongs the lines of needing to be able to enjoy entertaining trash in order to appreciate fine art?
I’m digging the comments. I enjoyed quite a bit of the film. Thanks for reading beyond the rating.
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