Avengers Assemble: Captain America: The First Avenger

“Whatever happens tomorrow you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”

Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4

Captain America: The First Avenger is the last film before the team up movie. This was directed by Joe Johnston. If you do not know who that is, he directed the famous "The Rocketeer" film which he made for Disney in the 90s. It is in similar style to Captain America because "The Rocketeer" is about a gun-ho man fighting Nazis. It's wonderful, if you have not seen it.

This film is the origin of Captain America. It's good, until it's not. Captain America must become the hero sixty minutes into the film until the writer realized he was short an hour so he wrote in a guy to punch.

It should be noted, again, that I love Captain America because he is the ultimate underdog and hero. He's not an asshole. He's not witty, he's level-headed, charming, heroic, has flaws, but still tries his best regardless of them. That's a hero! I love the first half of the film. It's terrific. Then the film gets the origin crap out of the way because Cap needs to punch futuristic Nazis.

The first half really leans into the whole 1940s propaganda angle and gives the film a cheesy, fun charm to it. Steve Rogers starts as a skinny, short kid. He has a strong heart, but not the size or strength to be in the army, so he is rejected for his own good. His underdog personality gives him immediate likeability, so that when he's a hero, we care.

And because of his big heart, a Doctor brings him onto a special program for soldiers that have the opportunity to be picked for a super soldier experiment. He is then transformed into the Cap we know now.

What I really like about this entire section was how much the film takes advantage of its setting. We see Mr. Stark giving a presentation about the future and his new flying car invention. We see War Bond ads given by Captain America. It's all fun, cheesy hero stuff and it's all great.

Literally the minute after Steve becomes a super soldier, he is doing something heroic. Can't say the same for any other hero thus far.

I also love how he is the army's poster boy now because he saved a kid from a Nazi spy. He is now on stage prancing around, punching fake Hitler and it's all realistic as to what probably would have happened back then because it was the second World War. People thought there would only be one, hence the "War to end all wars" slogan of WWI. So America desperately needed the support of Americans to fund the war, so it makes perfect sense that a strong, patriotic man, be the poster boy for War Bonds. It's so great.

Then Captain America hears about his friend, Bucky, being captured and against orders, he goes into enemy territory alone to free hundreds of prisoners. That's why I love Captain America, he breaks the rules because he knows that what he's doing is right. And seeing him be that hero is fantastic.

Then after that sequence, the movie, almost on a dime, shifts into boring "we need to fight Red Skull." Immediately after Cap gets back with the prisoners, we are in a montage of him doing other heroic things and being awesome. But I want to actually see that. I don't want a montage of it. I want to see that.

Also, two minutes after he rescues the prisoners, he is wearing a high ranking officers uniform, pointing on a map, ordering soldiers to go places. When did he all the sudden become a general and giving orders? But for the rest of the film, the interesting stuff about Captain America's origin is done. Now he just needs to fight man. There is no story left, he just needs to defeat Red Skull. And this film, unfortunately, falls into the generic superhero origin structure where the first half is great, then the hero needs someone to punch in the second half.

It's also very strange because Captain America is fighting Hydra, which aren't Nazis. But Hydra have high tech weapons and armor. The time period it's set in is very simple and adding high tech laser weaponry, does not mix well and makes for a odd second half. Agent Carter is also there just to be the love interest that may later pay off in another movie.

Whenever I watch this film, I watch the first half then turn it off satisfied. I would recommend doing the same.

Rating: Rent It

-Nolan