(Guest post by B.J. Bethel)
My mistake: expecting “The Rocketeer.”
“Captain America: The First Avenger” certainly isn’t director Joe Johnston’s first-take on the super hero. Johnston tackled the caped crowd in 1991 with “The Rocketeer,” starring Bill Campbell, Alan Arkin and an almost ridiculously attractive Jennifer Connelly. The movie was a box office dud and its retro-swashbuckler feel didn’t do much for fans who were entering the age of grunge and vernacular gymnastics over the meaning of “is.”
It’s a shame, because “The Rocketeer” was one of my favorite ’90s blockbusters. Given Johnston’s sense of nostalgia I expected a repeat of the rocket flick when I ventured to see “Captain America,” which certainly would have pleased me to no end. I didn’t get it, which was a pleasant surprise.
That surprise was a nice amalgam of movie genres. We get the World War II action yarn (think “Guns of Navarone” and “The Dirty Dozen”) with enough pulpy serial goodness and old-school action to put a smile on Charles Bronson’s face. There is a nice dose of patriotic rouser and, most importantly, a big heaping handful of Spielberg fantasy. It’s different, and it works.
Johnston cut his teeth while working on “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and you see the influence of the movie all over “Captain America,” especially during one tip-of-the-hat early on. The criss-cross of genres could be dangerous and cost the movie its identity, but it doesn’t, and it works well.
Johnston has always been a very talented director, and he shows it here. The cast is fantastic. Chris Evans is note-perfect as Steve Rogers, the digitally un-enhanced 98-pound Brooklyn weakling who has a calling for military service. He catches the eye of an ex-German scientist (Stanley Tucci). He gains the ire of a military commander (Tommy Lee Jones) and the eye of an attractive British operative (Hayley Atwell).
For anyone who has seen the trailers, the rest is no mystery. Jones delivers his funnest performance in years, dropping one-liners galore and playing the old coot to a hilt. Atwell is a ’40s bombshell come to life. The script is clever and light at times, though serious when it has to be. The movie leaves you wanting more, but not in a good way. Exposition would have been nice, though it would have slowed the whip-bang plot, which did keep some in my packed theater confused. This problem keeps “Captain America” from rising to the top of the comic book pantheon alongside “The Dark Knight” and the first two Spider-Man movies.
Hugo Weaving chews more scenery than Godzilla as Johaan Schmidt, the irrepressible Red Skull. He’s a true Spielberg villain, and Weaving seems to enjoy every second he’s on screen and relishes his own villainy. Weaving and the rest give hints of the film’s potential. One wonders if a creative mind like a Christopher Nolan would have been given a bite at this apple, what he could have added. Instead, what we have is a very enjoyable actioneer that won’t have a problem putting smiles on the faces of moviegoers. For me, that’s enough.
(Photo: Chris Evans (with helmet) plays a spindly soldier who becomes a war hero after taking an experimental serum in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Paramount Pictures)
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
A question: Would a score by John Williams have been able to elevate it to the ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ stature that Joe Johnston was seeking?
Liked the movie but it was kind of bland in the action dept, missed seeing the Shield bouncing I was used to in the comics. Not to mention the quick version of The Howling Commandos left them unknown to most who had never read the comics
It needed more than a score, more like a sizable amount of exposition and a bit of of valuim. The movie flew by too fast, and while there were a few tingle-inspired moments, I didn’t have one that sent me out of the theater ready to don my red, white and blue. I actually enjoyed the score, it’s nothing on Williams in his prime, but it was certainly more rousing than most I’ve encountered.
Wow. And here I was the only person who loved “The Rocketeer” (from the graphic novel of the same name). I saw it in the theater and loved it. Thanks for the nice review, B.J.! I will definately see
“Captain America” now…and only because of this review…
Loved it. It is the perfect Summer movie. And Evans plays Cap with the right mind of humility and aw-shuckness that makes you want to believe in him. Not quite Dark Knight greatness but I say the best movie of the year!
Loved this movie. If you just want to have a good time and enjoy a movie for a couple of hours this is it.
I really liked it – it’s definitely far far better than the dreadful X-Men, Thor and the other poor comic-book movies that have already been released this year. Story, acting, direction and the like all function together really properly.