The latest superhero movie is out, and I believe, the last set-up movie for The Avengers. I’ve never been a comic book kinda gal. Never bought or read them so I never know how far the movies stray from their source material. However, I almost always enjoy comic book or graphic novel movies (the only exception I can think of is Watchmen, didn’t really enjoy that one). Captain America didn’t disappoint!
Chris Evans played a wonderful Steve Rodgers. He really seems to be coming into his own as an actor and this role really let him shine. Unlike Johnny Storm, this character has a little depth to him! Evans has great comedic timing and delivered some really funny lines. His interaction with Peggy was sweet and heartfelt and made me just want to pinch his cheeks. Some of the other characters fall a little flat. Johann Schmidt in particular is little more than a foil for Cap. Dr. Abraham Erskine and Col. Phillips however, stand out as excellent supporting characters, though how can you go wrong with Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones?
Next thing I want to talk about is the CG… there’s a lot of it. I usually find lots of CG distracting. My brain likes to look for it and then analyzes how good it is and I wind up thinking about the effects and not the movie. Captian America was no different. I spent the first 30 minutes trying to figure out how they made Evans look like a 90 pound toothpick instead of getting to know his character. On the other hand, most of it was done really well. It was smooth and seamless; everything from the first part of the movie really reminded me of old school comics. The Stark Expo espcially brought to mind all the old black and white Superman shows I used to watch as a kid.
I’m saving this for the end because it’s a little spoilery. I’d recommend not reading if you haven’t seen the movie:
SPOILER ALERT
Something Scott Kurtz of PvP mentioned also hit home with me. The good Dr. Erskine was an excellent character and Stanley Tucci was excellent as well. As a person of German heritage I greatly appreciate how they handled Dr. Erskine’s character. He reminds us that Nazi and German aren’t synonymous. A lot of Germans weren’t in for all of Hitler’s genocide, they just wanted a better life after the economic depression of WWI. Hitler promised a better life. I caught some flack in school for being proud of my German ancestors, mostly from stupid kids who didn’t know any better. My family immigrated to the US in the mid to late 1800′s, they fought against Napoleon as Germans and as Americans in WWII.
Anywhoo, I’m getting side tracked. I just really appreciate that the writers and director took the time to make a real, sympathetic German character in the movie.
TL;DR
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
- Take the kids? It’s rated PG13. Skip it for the little ones, I don’t think there’s anyting they’d enjoy, but over 10 or so should be ok. If they’re sensitive to violence you might want to preview it first, but there’s nothing gory or bloody that sticks out in my mind. Of course, YMMV.
- Length: 124 mins, if you need to go to the bathroom, go right after Cap rescues the soldiers there’s a little lul and you won’t miss any important plot points (though you will miss the Stan Lee cameo)
About Chris Evans: that man has eyelashes that make me want to cry, they’re so long and dark and thick. I’m jealous.
