Fun, entertaining and a terrific superhero flick...no more and no less

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2011)

Marvel had a solid lock on this summer's superhero genre with the exception of Green Lantern. Regardless there was a barrage of Superhero flicks to choose from and they ranged from just okay (Thor) to exceptional (X-Men First Class.) Captain America sits firmly on the better end of those films and delivers exactly what you want from a fun action filled flick that brings an age old superhero to life. I'm not a Marvel comics fan, in fact I'd be surprised if I ever read one but the movies seem to work most times and this one is a little more set to your typical regiment of a modest and unassuming man who finds himself endowed with super human abilities. The special effects were solid without being overused, the story was tried and true to what most know about Captain America and it was an excellent introduction to bringing together all the characters for 2012's Avengers film.
Chris Evans wouldn't have been my first choice for Captain America although I do like him. He's known more as the sarcastic one liner heroes than someone more serious but he pulls it off terrifically and the computer effects of him as the younger weaker Steve Rogers and then Captain America were astounding. Hugo Weaving was the perfect choice for Red Skull but I also thought he was underused given he is Captain America's number one adversary. I just thought Weaving could have done more with the character. Tommy Lee Jones is completely wasted as a third or fourth string character unfortunately and Hayley Atwell was also underused as the lead female in the film. Basically the movie focused on Evans and that's okay and even makes sense but if they wanted to give this real depth they could have done more with the supporting cast.
If Captain America has one fault it would be that it doesn't surprise you. What you see is what you get and maybe that lack of risk should be heralded as if it ain't broke don't fix it but they certainly don't take any chances with the character or the film. Its exactly what you would expect. Director Joe Johnston has done some terrific adventure films and even worked with George Lucas and Spielberg at various times in his career so he has plenty of experience backing him. This is probably one of his most exceptional projects and I hope he stays with the project if they serialize it. Captain America is simply put, fun, and there isn't anything wrong with that at all. Its the perfect introduction to the first avenger and worth seeing!! 8.5/10