As part of the EPIX Marvel weekend I took advantage of, I also got to see Captain America. And it was really good!
The whole movie plot was close to the original comics in that it both had the origin of Captain America (result of a secret super soldier experiment during WW2) and of his nemesis Red Skull (another super soldier but one whose process was not done correctly) and the Hydra organization he headed. The plot was both fairly simple but also had enough moving parts to keep it interesting. The end also shows us how the Captain comes to be in our time (for the Avengers movie).
The movie has a really good "retro" sort of feel that gives it a bit of the vibe of "Raiders of the Lost Ark". It works very well at drawing you in and keeping you interested the whole time. The other part of the way it is constructed that works well is that it shows the birth of Hydra and the war against Hydra - in this respect it feels a little like an alt history film. The other film I think Captain America owes a tiny heritage to is "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". It is, however, a better film than Sky Captain.
The acting is mostly good. Chris Evans plays Captain America just right - he is a straight arrow hero here and it works for the role. This would not be the place for the typical modern melancholy angst hero. Hugo Weaving is fantastic as Schmidt/Red Skull, giving the part a proper sense of maniacal genius. Tommy Lee Jones chews up the scenery well in his supporting role, and Hayley Atwell does a good job as the "love interest".
I admit to being surprised that I liked this film - in my comic book years I never liked Captain America. I think the difference is the movie takes the "goofiness" off a bit and is more like a war story. and to me it worked.
The whole movie plot was close to the original comics in that it both had the origin of Captain America (result of a secret super soldier experiment during WW2) and of his nemesis Red Skull (another super soldier but one whose process was not done correctly) and the Hydra organization he headed. The plot was both fairly simple but also had enough moving parts to keep it interesting. The end also shows us how the Captain comes to be in our time (for the Avengers movie).
The movie has a really good "retro" sort of feel that gives it a bit of the vibe of "Raiders of the Lost Ark". It works very well at drawing you in and keeping you interested the whole time. The other part of the way it is constructed that works well is that it shows the birth of Hydra and the war against Hydra - in this respect it feels a little like an alt history film. The other film I think Captain America owes a tiny heritage to is "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". It is, however, a better film than Sky Captain.
The acting is mostly good. Chris Evans plays Captain America just right - he is a straight arrow hero here and it works for the role. This would not be the place for the typical modern melancholy angst hero. Hugo Weaving is fantastic as Schmidt/Red Skull, giving the part a proper sense of maniacal genius. Tommy Lee Jones chews up the scenery well in his supporting role, and Hayley Atwell does a good job as the "love interest".
I admit to being surprised that I liked this film - in my comic book years I never liked Captain America. I think the difference is the movie takes the "goofiness" off a bit and is more like a war story. and to me it worked.
I just hope it is not slathered up with political propaganda, even if heavily concealed. You did not mention that bit, but it was very pervasive in the comic book series.
