Monday, February 6, 2012

The Man In the Red, White, and Blue



2011 was the year of the superhero movies, although 2012 has plenty more in store. Even though Captain America isn't one of the year's best movies, it is one of the best superhero movies of the year. Chris Evans proves to be a fantastic choice to play Captain America, going from a nobody to someone who ends up saving the day, although he naturally gets in over his head. Joe Johnston acknowledges that this is a origin story, and clearly had fun directing it, making it not only an entertaining action/adventure film but also one that pays great homage to the 1940s.

Really the look and feel of the movie reminds one of old school 1940s adventure serials, or at least movies such as the Raiders of the Lost Ark that embodied the clever spirit of those shows that played in the old days, when things seemed a bit more simple and good guys and bad guys were very obvious. Red Skull, the villain of this movie, is a great counterbalance to the Captain, and he's played with cold hearted cruelty by famed character actor Hugo Weaving, who gives him just the right amount of sneer. Having Hayley Atwell play the gorgeous Peggy Carter was also an inspired and right choice, as was featuring Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Phillips and other famous actors such as Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones. Basically giving this movie a fantastic cast enables one to overlook some of its clear flaws, as well.

Since he also directed The Rocketeer, another enjoyable action/adventure movie set in the 1940s, Johnston was a good choice. Its kind of a shame that the next Captain America adventure will be The Avengers in terms of sticking him merely in the 21st century when watching him, say, fight commies or battle the forces of neo-fascism in America would be really cool to see. Still its interestingly enough this movie that makes me excited for The Avengers, if only to see how the Captain handles a new age, and in addition to actually having more help than he's normally used to for once. 80

2 comments:

  1. Too high of a grade IMO. I don’t think I’d ever sit through this movie again. This movie only seems to exist as a placeholder for the Avengers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nah, it was great fun and really entertaining. The overall cast really sold the material, too.

      Delete