I was lucky enough to go and see Thor earlier this year with my brother and his family. It seemed only fair then, that I should also see Captain America with my brother when he came down to visit me this weekend.
My brother has been a comic book fan for as long as I can remember and is also a very talented cartoonist in his own right. Thus making comic book adaptations a joy to watch with him as he undoubtedly knows all about the genre, the artists and writers behind each comic, the characters motivations etc etc. Fun facts galore.
Lets see what I managed to pick up about this one. Captain America was not always the typical US marine. He was once Steve Rogers, dweeb. A young, under-developed, man who was desperate to join the army and fight for his country in 1940's war torn America. He has guts, just not the physique to match, something which catches the eye of Dr Erskine, the head of a secret project which will transform Steve's life. It will make him taller, stronger, bigger, faster. The perfect soldier. When the project is complete, and a success, it is decided that Steve will become a mascot for good v's evil, rather than being sent to the front line to fight. So Steve becomes Captain America, the star spangled man, with his tights and shield. But soon he finds himself fighting the good fight for real when his best friend is captured by the evil Red Skull, who's goal is one of ultimate power.
I will begin by saying that if you are a fan of the comic book, or are someone who is looking forward to seeing The Avengers next year, you should definitely go and see Captain America. For two reasons:
1) This is the last 'setting up' story before The Avengers. We've had everyone else's story, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, but this is the first time we've met Captain America and therefore he deserves his chance to tell his story.
2) There is a mini trailer for The Avengers which is attached to the scene after the credits. And boy is does The Avengers look gooood!
Unfortunately, the downside of how good the trailer for The Avengers looks, is that it somewhat makes Captain America less good. If that makes sense? The lasting impression you have is for The Avengers and how much you are now looking forward to it. And it kinda makes Captain America a little bit forgettable.
Which is a shame as Captain America is a good stand alone movie. Not great. It's not as good as Thor. But it is enjoyable, it has it's heart in the right place and the effects for the first half of the movie are incredible, making the rather buff Chris Evans into a short, skinny guy must have had it's difficulties but the effects to make him so are flawless. And the hero of the hour, Steve Rogers is a genuinely good guy, which just makes what happens to him truly, for want of a better word, shit.
So if you like your comic book movies, are looking forward to The Avengers or even if you're just an action fan, I would recommend Captain America. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 30th July 2011
UK Release Date - 29th July 2011
Cast Overview:
Chris Evans ~ Steve Rogers / Captain America
Hayley Atwell ~ Peggy Carter
Sebastian Stan ~ James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes
Tommy Lee Jones ~ Colonel Chester Phillips
Hugo Weaving ~ Johann Schmidt / Red Skull
Dominic Cooper ~ Howard Stark
Richard Armitage ~ Heinz Kruger
Stanley Tucci ~ Dr Abraham Erskine
Toby Jones ~ Dr Arnim Zola
Director ~ Joe Johnstone
Writer(s) ~ Christopher Markus (Screenplay), Stephen McFeely (Screenplay), Joe Simon (Comic Book) and Jack Kirby (Comic Book)
No comments:
Post a Comment