www.thefilmbuffs.tumblr.com - SPOILERS

Rating: 6/10 (30 September 2013)

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from" – Steve Rogers
Captain America: The First Avenger was the last big summer blockbuster from Marvel before Avengers Assemble (in fact, the typical post-credit Easter egg is a teaser trailer for the Avengers' then upcoming film). Captain America is arguably the most important figure in the Avengers, and giving him a strong footing in the run up was essential to getting the final product right. This was some task for Joe Johnston, whose biggest accomplishments to date were Jumanji and Jurassic Park III (which, let's face it, was a let down). Adding to the pressure of creating the perfect leader in Captain America, my guesses are that Johnston would have been reminded by Marvel of how big a media monster Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man had become, and that Cap' would have to match, or better this monster. In short, he didn't. But Johnston did create an acceptable film, with compelling imagery and a unique tone. It just didn't reach any highs, and descended into normality after a strong start.
Steve Rogers is a would-be superhero whose background I can relate to. A young man with confidence in his morals and ethical code, but without any kind of physical stature, often bullied for his meek disposition. He wants nothing other than to stand up against the oppressive Nazi regime and fight for his country, and would give anything to be on the front line. When given the opportunity by an experimental scientist Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) to become the next step in engineered warfare, Rogers immediately accepts. Emerging intelligence discovers that the real enemy to the allied forces (and the entire planet) is Johann Schmidt (Weaving), an experiment gone wrong who has found the Tesseract: an object that can be used as a sustainable energy resource, or a catastrophic weapon. Rogers proves himself to be the only man who can stand against Schmidt, and save planet Earth from his grasp.
The first hour of Captain America shapes up to be a very strong piece of cinema. Rogers' story is sympathetically presented, complimented by a sincere, resolute Evans who has come a long way from his performance as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films. Evans is supported well by Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones, and Hayley Atwell's Peggy Sue stamps down a marker as a strong female character, independent and liberated in her position. Unfortunately, cliché takes over in the second hour, and Peggy Sue falls for the hunky Captain America. I felt the strength of her character depleted the more Cap' achieved, his manliness forcing her into romantic submission. Things also became a bit boring, at several points I found my attention drifting elsewhere, but never really missed anything in the way of plot points or of my understanding of what was going on.
The brilliant imagery of the World War II setting also faded as the film progressed; Schmidt's futuristic factories and technology looked out of place and too pristine for the time. Alas, had he harnessed the power of the Tesseract with the weaponry of the age, it might not have appeared silly.
Schmidt himself was acceptably portrayed by the seasoned Hugo Weaving. His character's story and representation falls far short of other villains of the time (Ledger's Joker, Hiddlestone's Loki and both of Iron Man's antagonists) however, and he never really gets any reaction from you. The "Heil Hydra" nonsense was just laughable, and was one of a couple of cringe-worthy things within the film (the other being the embarrassment of Roger's and Carter's flirtation).
As mentioned, the imagery of Captain America and the visual effects were both strong points. A murky grey-brown colour palette created scenes reminiscent of the first colour war movies, breaking only for Cap's blue uniform, and for the red in Red Skull's make up and Agent Carter's dress. The camera work is great, especially for the slow-motion action segments, which were really cool to watch, and were unique within Marvel: Phase One. The score complimented the feel of old war films, however nothing was very inspiring, or very original for that matter. Silvestri definitely improved between Captain America and Avengers Assemble.
Captain America never really got the film he needed to spearhead him towards his role in the Avengers. Despite some decent performances and a unique presentation, Captain America: The First Avenger suffers from some "cringey" scenes that are out of placed in a more serious film, the lack of a commanding villain, and also from at times feeling like an old war film, with the exception of lasers and a costumed hero. Most disappointing however, was the sliding of what was a very promising start into predictability and mediocrity.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Allan's Score: 5.5/10