Having read a number of rave reviews, my expectation from Captain America were sky high. But, as the saying goes, "all things that go up must come down," my expectations came crashing down.
It's important to note that I have never read any of the Captain America comics and his origin was unknown to me, so I cannot compare how close the story is to the original comic-book. Although on the outset the entire set up is very good and comprises of a number of factors that are evident and essential in any superhero film, the story falls short coming across as shallow and one sided.
Injected with a serum that makes a puny, eager to fight Hitler, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) into Captain America, the story is simply predictable to say the least. At the other end we have Hugo Weaving as Red Skull who is on an agenda of his own with his organization Hydra which eventually defies Hitler. In fact Captain America (the film) to me seemed almost comical at times when the henchmen, after the rebellion, begin to shout Hail Hydra rather than Hail Hitler. I secretly wished that Mike Myer's Dr. Evil would pop out from the corner and do his iconic evil laugh.
On the positive side, the film fits in beautifully with the entire Marvel universe. I like how Howard Stark, first introduced in Iron Man 2 with the Stark Convention video, is part of Captain America from the offset. I like how the movie ends with the now obligatory visit from Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury. I also liked the propaganda retro posters that were used to promote the film. I'm not sure if the film was available in 3D as well, but once again watching it in 2D I know I enjoyed it more than I would have in 3D. The action was good, the comic moments few, and the drama a tad childish.
I did wonder if Captain America was too American for my liking, but then I've never really had a problem with a movie before if it was too patriotic with regards to any country. Also, since it is Captain "America", I think to an extent it needs to be Americanized.
Captain America - The First Avenger is a part of the Marvel puzzle and fits into it perfectly. Unfortunately as an individual piece of cinema it leaves a lot to be desired. A mediocre action film that gets a 2.5/5 star rating from me.
