This movie is curious because I remember liking it decently as I watched it, and that’s good. But only two days later I can hardly remember a thing about it, and that’s not so good. It was solid, wholesome, respectable…and just a little bit boring. This movie is so old fashioned it could be one of those old propaganda films the army used to recruit people during WWII. Plus, I feel that for all its 40’s corniness, the movie isn’t really sincere. It wants to replicate the look and feel and patriotic feelings of the WWII era, but it all feels airbrushed into this overly CGI-ed look, and the fact that the movie just wants to sell a few more tickets before The Avengers (which promises to unite all the characters in the Marvel Universe) opens next summer. In fact, at the very end of Captain America was a trailer for The Avengers, and even though that was loudly applauded, CA itself was pretty much treated with a big shoulder shrug in the audience I saw it with.
What Works: In a rare twist, the FEMALE lead is British while the male lead is American, and Haylee Atwell does a pretty great job looking sexy while being 1950’s wholesome. Also, Hugo Weaving (The Matrix’s Agent Smith) once again showed he’s the guy you want as a sci-fi villain bent on world domination as a Hellboy looking nazi with Werner Herzog’s accent. And in a world where superheroes are routinely miscast, Chris Evans is probably the right choice for Captain America.
What Doesn’t Work: I’ve already mentioned it: the movie really is kind of boring and deceptively old fashioned while still having a core of cynicism. It just feels like more Hollywood bean counting on the road to The Avengers movie more than an actually satisfying, standalone film. And I’m not really all that excited about The Avengers, which looks like it will probably be a mess, another kiddie film chockfull of CGI and familiar plot.
What I Would Have Done Differently: It wouldn’t matter. Next year is going to see Marvel throw every hero in their entire damn universe at us in The Avengers (Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Thor) and the new Spider-Man movie, and I feel played out on it. The only superhero I’m really excited about is DC’s The Dark Knight Rises. Sorry Marvel.
In some countries they will not even put the word America in the title. What does that say to the world?
Nice review