Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel, DVD

[Valar]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

Came back a while ago, man it was good, I am so pumped from the movie and then the Avengers teaser that I drove around and then popped by my gym for a workout.

Good- the casting is perfect, Evans is Cap America now, no one can replace him, just as Reeves owns Superman and RDJ is Iron man. The Cap seen here is just such an earnest and good character, without being naive or silly like the Donner superman movies, that you just want this guy as your buddy, and you just want to root for this guy. OMG the action scenes were great, and the Howling commandos were good- wish there was more screen time for them, but it was enough to give a lasting impression. Bucky was perfectly done, the scene foreshadowing his future was perfect.. Humor- only a few spots but they were well done, Cap is not a wise ass, this is not GL part deux.

Bad- 1-because I've read a Cap comic here and there the two major deaths weren't that affecting- I know they have a future. 2- the ending wasn't an ending as much as the film felt like it stopped mid sentence, and then the credits roll, it was weird.

the Avengers teaser after the credits was awesome, but waaaaay too fast.

 

[Warped9]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I wouldn't be surprised if many critics are just burnt out on superhero movies. You can sense that most of them don't think much of the genre to BEGIN with, and now Captain America is the fourth such film coming out this year.

Fair point. Film critics, just like television critics, can be a rather jaded lot.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

Loved it and gave it an "A".

- It didn't feel like a by-the-numbers superhero movie. A good central character as Valar described above, some substance and it being a period piece helped set it apart. I couldn't help but think that this is what G.I. Joe should have been.

- I was quite impressed with the way they made Chris Evans look small and thin.

- I liked the retro style high tech.

- Loved all the connections to Iron Man and Thor.

- Caps got the girl. Too bad it was only a kiss.

- The end scene got an applause from the audience and I loved it too. I'm very much looking forward to The Avengers and hope to see at least a little of what became of everyone Steve left behind.

A few nits...

- With Captain America's shield being one of a kind, I kept worrying that he'd lose it. Then what?

- Having the wrong thing on the radio seemed like too much of a misstep for S.H.I.E.L.D.

- Red Skull did look a bit cartoonish but Hugo Weaving was fantastic. I wonder how they got his nose under that make-up since Red Skull doesn't have one. Or was that a CGI manipulation too?

 

[JD]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I'm hoping to see this today and I can't wait. I've been loving all of the Marvel movies (even IM2 and Incredible Hulk) and it looks like this won't be changing that.

 

[Captain Craig]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I finished watching this at a midnight show 7hrs ago in 2-D with a packed crowd.

Grade: A-

You can tell that Thor and Captain America were both done at the same time and more in synch than when IM and TIH were done. Now I love TIH, wish it had caught on just saying that Thor and Cap are both high quality and if there is justice will at worst perform the same at the box office.

Captain America opens in the present day with some SHIELD agents answering a call by some Arctic Circle researchers who've stumbled on something BIG. The agents uncover Cap and then we are whisked back to 1942.

The "skinny" Steve part of the movie sells you on the character. They do a really great job of showing why Erskine is going to pick him for the project. Not once was I ever thinking Evans looks off right here. The affect was excellent.

Evans does a great job as Cap/Steve. He really brings out the heart of the character in a way I wasn't sure he could. I knew he could look the part when cast. However, roles like PUSH, Losers and Johnny in FF don't sell you on an actor whose going to pull off the humbleness of Steve Rogers. He does just that, he acts the required part and did it convincingly. Acting, huh, who knew?

Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter is brilliant and looks fine in every scene. Even with her hair wet out on the frontlines. That red dress at the pub though, WOW!! You really do sense the attraction that is there before they really reveal it's there.

Hugo Weaving as Red Skull was fantastic. Skull is a more 1 dimensional bad guy and kudos to Weaving for bringing the flair to the part. He and Evans share 3 scenes that I counted and each one was fun to watch.

Tommy Lee Jones, I guess I expected him to be a glorified cameo but he had a real big part in the film and has some of the best lines really. The one "he's still skinny" is just one of several great lines.

Regarding the foreign markets reaction I can't say unless you just have a predisposed bias against anything you recognize as AMERICAN you'd not like this. If your an action movie fan, a period piece fan then this should be right up your alley. Outside of the USO War Bonds selling moments(where it is intentional propaganda) there isn't anything that screams "AMERICA F&CK Yeah!"

Armin Zola was great as the quirky side kick to Red Skull. Not in the funny "kick him around" type way. In the "there is genius here, don't screw with it" way but the character recognizes Skull's madness and plays along accordingly.

I'll be seeing this again shortly. Can't wait.

PS-YES there is a teaser for THE AVENGERS, sit tight it's very much worth it. A montage mostly but a few spoken lines.

 

[Shazam!]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

With Captain America's shield being one of a kind, I kept worrying that he'd lose it. Then what?

I'm pretty sure the shield in the comics is one-of-a-kind too. I remember him losing it and Stark trying to make a new one.

 

[od0_ital]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

- Red Skull did look a bit cartoonish but Hugo Weaving was fantastic. I wonder how they got his nose under that make-up since Red Skull doesn't have one. Or was that a CGI manipulation too?

CGI.

I read a set report at AICN that described it - his nose was painted so they could remove it later in post production.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

A-. Best superhero film of the summer (and I liked Thor and X-Men: First Class quite a bit), and I'd put it ahead of other previous Marvel films apart from Iron Man. Some of the reviews thought it was a bit generic, which I can see, though for someone who loves this genre as much as I do, that's not an issue. The superhero period piece is still a rarity, too, so that's more of a novelty (even though after years, we ended up with two in one summer).

First, the skinny effects on Chris Evens were extremely impressive. Some of the best "person" effects I've seen (or, at least, been conscious of seeing); when he bulked up and started looking like himself, I almost missed the CGI version for a second. The rest of the effects looked pretty good, including the Red Skull's appearance. I've seen some complaints about the 3D conversion, but it seemed fine to me (I liked it more than the 3D in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2).

They did a good job not just with Steve but with giving him a supporting cast, something I was a bit concerned about when this was first announced as all-WWII. Team Diversity/the Invaders were done well, though it's a bit odd to see people like Neal McDonough and Derek Luke in such small parts, particularly the former. Though they also had Anne Boleyn from The Tudors show up for one scene, so there you go. Chris Evans was very good, and very unironic, as Steve. Hayley Atwell fit well into the period (and looked smashing). Tommy Lee Jones was Tommy Lee Jones, good for any era as an officer (at least, any American era).

On the subject of the characters, I'll particularly say that the film makes better use of Dr. Erskine than the comics ever have. I think that's one of the things a good actor can bring to a character on screen compared to on the page, where he's really never been more than a plot device.

Alan Menken's song was extremely catchy.

I was interested to see the specifics of Bucky's "death", and yeah, this definitely leaves him open to return in the future.

They did a good job balancing the patriotic elements of his character with modern sensibilities (and they also avoided making any jokes about how stuffy the British are or how cowardly the French are).

 

[Sindatur]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

They did a good job balancing the patriotic elements of his character with modern sensibilities (and they also avoided making any jokes about how stuffy the British are or how cowardly the French are).

Well, that's a relief, considering that's where this American's roots are (Mother British from Britain, Father French and his Father from France)

 

[TemporalFlux]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

- With Captain America's shield being one of a kind, I kept worrying that he'd lose it. Then what?

Yep; he's lost his shield a few times in the comics (a couple of times even had it shattered), and Cap had to come up with something else. The most creative solution was the photon shield Stark designed to generate from Cap's glove; Cap could even rapid fire shield sized energy disks.

One thing they didn't get into in the movie was why they would use a one-of-a-kind alloy to make a round, medieval style shield. In the comics, the scientists were actually trying to create tanks out of that material, but only one test ever succeeded. And the one success? Well, it came out in the form of the test piece they were running - the round, domed hatch of a tank.

 

[timothy]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

ALL I am going to say is FUCKING AWESOME plan to see at least two more times. loved it loved it. best super hero movie of the year.

 

[JD]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I just saw this this morning and I LOVED IT! It was a very fun entertaining comic book movie that wasn't embarrassed to be a comic book movie. I swear there were a few shots in the movie that looked to like they could have been torn directly from comic book panels and I loved that. It had just enough campiness to it to be fun, but not enough to come across as cheesy, which is something that can be hard to do, so I really have to give the director credit for being able to pull that off. I think the whole cast did a great job, with Evens, Weaving, Atwell, and Jones being my favorites. I do agree that the CGI skinny Steve was really impressive, it didn't look fake at all. Did anyone else get a kick out of how Zola's first appearance was his face magnified by a computer (well I guess not a computer, but whatever) screen? And I LOVED the Avengers teaser, I think that has quickly equaled The Dark Knight Rises as my most anticipated movie of next year.

 

[Goliath]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I give it a B+. Nothing really exceptional, but a good, solid two hours' worth of summer entertainment. I would recommend it.

 

[JD]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I went with an A rating.

 

[Admiral2]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I say A.

As usual, I offer my gut reactions:

-Chris Evans nailed the Brooklyn kid who didn't like bullies, and I wasn't as weirded out by the CGI 100-pound-weakling as I thought I would be.

-Peggy Carter...hmmm...bitch can shoot.

-Nice to see that the women had actual Forties figures (hourglass) and not 21st century supermodel builds (beanpoles with boobs).

-This is the part where I usually complain about how Hollywood never tries to do the costume as drawn. Can't this time. They did three costumes as drawn and worked them all.

-Is it just me, or did they try to make Howard Stark look like Leo DiCaprio's Howard Hughes?

-Did everybody else feel a rush when Cap threw "His Mighty Shield" the first time?

-Speaking of, Vibranium? I thought it was made of Adamantium. Does Fox still own that term from the X-Men movies or something?

-One thing I can't get past is the revisionist history where Hydra is the great menace we faced in World War 2. No, it was Nazis, national socialist goosestepping racists that walked around with a tribal symbol as their standard. Former Nazis (like Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker) led Hydra, but Hydra was Chaos to Shield's Control, a post-war terrorist menace. It just flips my switches when somebody in Hollywood decides, "Oh we can't show swastikas in a superhero film," when the film's about a guy who got his start punching the head swastika in the face!

-Anybody else wanna see Big TV Arnim Zola with limbs? Anybody?

-I name Tommy Lee Jones THE MAN. I do not name people THE MAN lightly. He is THE MAN.

Anyway, A.

 

[JD]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I say A.
-Anybody else wanna see Big TV Arnim Zola with limbs? Anybody?

Yeah. Given the content of this movie, I'm thinking the villain of the sequel (if there is one) will be either Zola in his robot body, or Bucky as the Winter Soldier.

 

[DWF]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

-Speaking of, Vibranium? I thought it was made of Adamantium. Does Fox still own that term from the X-Men movies or something?

It was originally made out of a mix of both but I do think Fox still has the copyright on the name right now.

 

[Samurai8472]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

The Vibranium ties in more with Iron Man 2

Joe Johnson can't make a bad 1930's/1940's period movie
The hourglass comment reminded me of Jennifer Connolly


The art of Captain America book shows some concepts

 

[royalfan5]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

I gave it a B-. I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away. To be fair, I'm not a huge comic book person, so I'm sure there was stuff I missed. However, I do believe it would have been awesome to have worked in a Inglorious Basterds crossover when they were out killing Nazis.

 

[sojourner]

Re: Captain America: The First Avenger-Review, Discuss, Grade, Sequel,

Armin Zola was the spitting image of Brain from Pinky and the...