Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater (3D)
Premise
Chris Evans stars as Captain America.
Liked
The 3D, the story.
Thoughts
That was fun, and with substance.
It was definitely one of the more interesting origin stories for a comic book character in a while. There was some thought put into how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America with well-done character-building obstacles. I especially loved the twist after he became 'roided up and single-handed taken out some bad guys while weaponless.
Another cool aspect was the old-school feel in terms of visual style, setting, and dialog. Obviously it made sense, since it took place in 1940's America. The film makers succeeded in creating an old-fashioned universe without being anachronistic nor archaic.
Like recent Avengers Marvel flicks, the cast was solid. Surrounding Chris Evans were the likes of Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones and excellent Hugo Weaving. Hayley Atwell was quite the looker. And Dominic Cooper was very fun as Iron Man's old man.
The 3D was very well-done. Director Joe Johnston was diligent in making sure the post-conversion did not feel like one. The depth of that universe was truly immersive and enhanced the well-executed action sequences. While there was hardly any gratuitous 3D shots, I was definitely caught off guard by the shield ricocheting towards the camera that I actually ducked my head out of instinct. Too bad my local AMC theater gipped me of clarity by dimming their projectors again.
While the story was interesting, I could've done without the two prologues before finally meeting our beloved protagonist. Speaking of Evans as Rogers, he was believable as the underdog and hero, but I still found him to be quite a stiff. I don't think it's entire Evans' fault, as his character lacked any personality other than his underdog-ness.
Thanks to a strong story and 3D, Captain America: The First Avenger was another enjoyable Marvel film that also helped build up to the Avengers movie in 2012.
What I would change
Moved the second prologue later.
