The film journey leading to the Avengers movie has been a wild and exciting ride. Each hero screenplay was fun to watch, giving the general audience a simpler, leaner version of the stories without losing the essence of the comics they were based on. What's even more exciting is knowing that each new film that came out a step closer to the grandest one yet!
Thus, a year before the grand reunion of all these super heroes, we get one last stand-alone movie, Captain America: The First Avenger.
Synopsis
Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) is a lanky, clumsy and sheepish young man who is determined to join the army and serve his country. After some evaluation, he is accepted as a test subject for an experiment that will create a new breed of super-soldiers to fight against Red Skull and evil his army.
A Strong Human Story
Of course the movie has great fight scenes and spectacular special effects, that's expected of the series. What sets Captain America apart from the other Avenger movies is the very human story behind it. Instead of jumping into the super hero fray immediately, we are led to a rocky path of pity and disappointments in which our hero emerges from. It's not easy to make a hero look like a genuine dancing dummy, but they were able to believably do so. And while we can never relate to how awesome it would be to sling a heavy iron shield around, or jump long distances whilst a sea of fire roars from beneath us, we can relate to hope and determination.
And through that same story, they paid homage to the old costume while introducing the new one. It was smart, it didn't feel forced, and it was just plain brilliant.
Red Skull is as stereotypically boring as his name implies
Unfortunately, there's a big disconnection between the hero and the villain, ending the flow of the story and stuffing us with fights and Michael Bay explosions. In a lot of successful super hero movies, there's always a bond between the hero and the villain: Batman and Joker, Thor and Loki, Xavier and Magneto. Whether it's blood, goals or simply a clash of ideals, the hero and villain were made for each other.
With Captain America and Red Skull, it feels like everything was just a coincidence. Anybody could have replaced one or the other, it wouldn't make a difference. The villain was too shallow, there's absolutely nothing interesting about him other than his chilly red face. I've seen more interesting villains in kids cartoons. He wants world domination, that's it. No strange hobbies, no sick sense of humor, nothing. He was the villain, and Captain America was the hero. There was nothing in between to relish.
Recommendation
Despite its flaws, Captain America is still an enjoyable movie, though it's slightly weaker than the more popular titles of the Avengers franchise. Its second half is weak, but the first and last part - particularly the end of credits trailer *wink wink* - makes up for it. Feel free to take a bathroom break when they start blowing things up, you won't miss much.
