Captain America Meets General Mayhem

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2014)

What makes this a good movie is that I enjoyed watching it, only looking at my watch once to guess how long the army of credits would be at the end. If you don't enjoy watching it then it's obviously a bad movie and one you should have avoided. Basically these Marvel Superhero cartoons always split opinions depending on how much corn and cgi cartoonery you like and whether you're a superhero story purist or not – a well made film with an entertaining storyline that holds to the end is usually the last consideration.
It is utter nonsense of course: puny 4F guy keeps trying to join the Army to fight the enemy, is chosen for TS experiment in instant bodybuilding, becomes 1A Captain America and goes on a personal crusade. He, his shield and a small veritable band of brothers are up against the massive Nazi Hydra organisation controlled by self-styled god Red Skull – who apparently took his attitude cue from Paul Scofield's marvellous art-loving Nazi colonel in The Train, and a doctor who kept reminding me of Peter Lorre's mad doctor in Arsenic And Old Lace. Maybe that makes Red Skull looking like Sam Neill look like Raymond Massey looking like Boris Karloff from the same film? The bit with the flagpole reminded me of Will Smith with the noisy table in Men In Black with Tommy Lee Jones. The cgi used on the weedy Chris Evans at the start is absolutely amazing, the cgi used later for all the explosions is either routine or laughable depending on your mood, or amazing if you're a kid. I have a job lugging a shopping bag about but I suppose it's no biggie for a big strong man to be glued to a heavy metal shield. Jones as usual steals every scene he's in; what a shame the cgi wasn't up to making HIM Captain America instead. The attention paid to normal, genuine period detail is total. The only gripe I had was Red Skull seemed too quick to capitulate – firstly at and in one of his massive complexes he declares he's outmatched, presses self-destruct and skedaddles holding his petticoats, and later in the plane is swiftly despatched to the stars. But this is pure Marvel – with echoes of Raiders Of The Lost Ark and A Matter Of Life And Death – I only hope someone is in charge of Marvel Cinematic/Magazine continuation coherency otherwise I'm going to get (more) hopelessly confused.
Well made (Shepperton too!) and enjoyable but completely forgettable - an admirable time-passer with brain on off or standby; fun to watch as all fantasy films should be.