Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

To me, Captain America was arguably one of the most difficult superheroes to adapt just because the character in itself had such a one-note personality - a genuinely good guy! No, I'm not saying that it's particularly a bad thing, but in some cases this could actually be a problem as the lead character could eventually come off as boring and a tad earnest. Good thing, that wasn't the case in this film.

I mean, the character himself was possibly one of the things that impressed me about the movie. Despite Captain America's lack of dimension - at the very least, compared to Iron Man and Thor - I found myself rooting for him. The character never came across as anything less than believable, and I think a huge part of that was because of Chris Evans' great portrayal of the role.

Yes, Chris Evans nailed it! I admit, I had doubts with him playing the role of Captain America - I always thought he was just a pretty boy with not enough acting skills - but he proved me wrong. He may not be the best actor in Hollywood today, but he absolutely fit the role perfectly. He was very much likable, had great charisma and he really portrayed the role with subtlety, which I didn't expect.

The supporting cast were also quite stellar. Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were both remarkable and brought a couple of good laughs to the film. Same with Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan and even Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark. As for Hugo Weaving, I thought he did good for the material he was given, but more on that later.

Visually, the film was obviously stunning. The look and feel of the movie was very authentic - coinciding its setting in the '40s - from the hairstyles down to the set pieces. Even the musical score felt more classic than modern, which to me was a nice touch. Of course, the special effects were absolutely grand. I did feel that some of the sequences looked a bit cartoonish and campy, but that execution somehow worked.

It wasn't without it's flaws though. I, for one, found the pacing of the film a bit uneven. Yes, I appreciated the time it took to establish and develop Steve Rogers as a character during the first half, but it was just a little too long and slow for my liking. Then, when the second half started, everything suddenly went relatively fast that I wanted to see more of Captain America in action! Don't get me wrong, the ones they had were fine, but I just would have liked to see more.

Also, Red Skull wasn't a particularly compelling villain. His character set-up was actually quite nice, but I somehow NEVER saw him as a serious threat to Captain America. I mean, all he really did was to give orders to his people right? Maybe it's just me.

Overall, Captain America was just exactly what it sets out to be - a solid blockbuster film that was guaranteed to entertain. It's flawed - no question about that - but it was immensely enjoyable. And yes, a good set-up for The Avengers next year.