Fourth Time is the Charm...(mostly)

Rating: Null/10 (29 October 2011)

It's been a long road to a major motion picture for the good Captain, with many potholes along the way. First, there was the 1944 Republic Studios movie serial, starring Dick Purcell, with little identifiable from the comic (the script had been created for another comic book character, probably Fawcett Comics' Mr. Scarlet). Then, there were two made-for-TV movies (pilots for a series), starring Reb Brown, which drew on more elements, though suffered from budget and lackluster writing and directing (clear plexi shield didn't help). The 1990 21st Century production, starring Matt Salinger didn't even make it to theaters in the US and is a textbook case of no money, poor direction, and bad producing. Finally, we have a Captain America film with a budget and a definite connection to the source material; and it's pretty darn good! The cast are universally excellent, with Chris Evans having the hard task of playing a good, honest, determined hero. That's a lot tougher than a villain or more flawed person. Evans lets you connect to Steve Rogers the man, so you cheer for him when he becomes the hero and symbol of a country at war with evil. We share his frustration when he is held to a propaganda role. We cheer as he smashes the bad guys with his mighty shield. We keep hoping for him to finally land the girl.
The first half of the film is brilliant, detailing the origin story. Steve is a man determined to stand up to the bullies of the world, no matter how many times he gets knocked down. We see him get his chance and prove his mettle, even before he receives the super soldier formula. The film hits every note perfectly up to the point where he defies orders to undertake a rescue mission. Then, the chief flaw of the film comes to the fore.
The studio was so determined to lead into Avengers that it sacrifices the second half of the film and plots for potential sequels. The montage of attacks by Cap and the Howling Commando demands to be expanded further. It feels like one or two more movies was truncated into about 10 minutes, then a mad rush to the climax. Joe Johnston was working the same brilliance he displayed in the Rocketeer, until he's forced to kick the film into overdrive. It's not bad, but you feel cheated out of scenes and time with characters, especially Bucky. We really get a Cliffs Note version of their friendship, which makes Bucky's apparent death less impactful. The Howling Commandos are also cheated of time to connect to the audience. All the actors do great work, with a few scenes and lines (Thor had the same problem with the Warriors Three).
The film is still quite good, but could have been great, given some more time. As it stands, it still rates above the rest of the Marvel Studios films, except possibly Iron Man. Here's hoping that Avengers will pick up the character and give the audience more time with him, without feeling like half the story was left for another time.