Film Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

As regular readers of this blog know, this Summer of 'Blockbusters' hasn't really done it for me. With the exception of the fantastic X-Men: First Class, my opinion on everything else has ranged from "Meh" (Thor), "Blergh" (Green Lantern, Pirates Of The Caribbean) to, well noises that pass any disgust barometer known to man (Transformers). Luckily this long stretch of suck finally comes to an end thanks to another Marvel property, in Captain America.

Not through any fault of the film (more the preceding event movies), but I wasn't exactly filled with hope for this, but I am glad to say it's an absolute blast and I can't really find a lot to complain about (don't worry Thom moaning fans, I do.)

In this adaptation of the Marvel comic, Chris Evans stars as Steve Rogers, who after repeatedly deemed unfit to serve in the army due to a laundry list of medical complaints, signs up to a medical procedure at the hands of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) which alters his genetics and turns him into Captain America. After an attempted sabotage of the experiment by a sympathizer of Nazi scientist Johann Schmidt (a former experiment at the hands of Dr. Erskine that turned him into the Red Skull), Cap is relegated to touring the country promoting war bonds and the like by Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), but it's not long before he finds himself in the midst of the war effort.

Amongst all this, of course, is the ongoing Avengers plot, last seen in Thor. The plot points bookend the film, and there is also a surprise at the very end of the credits, which I will cover later.

I should have more faith in Joe Johnston as a director, because this is exactly the sort of thing he excels (if you need another example, I direct you to The Rocketeer - review coming soon.) I loved how no attempt was made at all to contemporize the movie at all. I vaguely remember the 1990 movie attempt they made (starring Ronny Cox as The President, no less) was a lazy present day offering. No such laziness here, this is all set (bar the aforementioned bookends) in the 1940s and it feels like it for the whole way through. I was slightly startled at the appearance of Neal McDonough as 'Dum Dum' Dugan, an actor who I recognize instantly still from Band Of Brothers, obviously set during the Second World War also. But his massive mustache soon made me forget that link!

The excitement of the whole film just builds and builds, leading one of the most thrilling climaxes I have seen at the cinema in years. It's been a long time since I felt that kind of child-like excitement about this sort of film, I can't praise it highly enough.

The whole cast are great. Chris Evans is fantastic as Rogers, and totally believable as the skinny, asthmatic Steve Rogers, and the heroic Captain, and in the best praise I can heap on him, you can see both characters when look at him.

Tommy Lee Jones is his usual brilliant self as the curmudgeonly Colonel Phillips, exactly as you'd expect him to be really, and Hugo Weaving doesn't take the easy route and go crazy as Red Skull/Schmidt, when it would have been so easy to do so.

The only bit of iffy casting was probably Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark (Yeah, Tony's Dad), sadly his accent was all over the place at times. A minor quibble in the long run, really but a nice link to The Avengers storyline. Another slight negative was, for once, the Stan Lee cameo. Felt totally shoe horned in, where there were several instances where it could have been done previous to it.

And yes, if you wait till the very end of the credits we are treated to The Avengers trailer! A teaser, mind but it ramped the excitement up very well. A little too well, in fact. The Blu Ray I had purchased before getting to the cinema was left in there due to Avengers trailer giddiness, and it wasn't till I was almost home that I realised I left it lying in the screen. Cue mad dash back to get it.

You can easily just see the trailer online now, but if you see it at the cinema you get treated to the best Summer blockbuster of the year (so far.)

****1/2
A few minor quibbles prevent the perfect score, but this is as good a super hero movie as you are going to get this year. In fact, its the best one since X2, and that is high praise from me indeed. I plead with you to catch it while you can. Oh, and in 2D!