Captain America: The First Avenger

Directed by: Joe Johnston

Written by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Oh Captain (America)! My Captain (America)!

The early part of the film is consumed with the back story of how puny Steve Rogers becomes the great Captain America (Evans), interspersed with the Red Skull (Weaving) rising to power. Later, when the super-soldier program is cancelled, though, Cap becomes a bond-selling sideshow, unable to fight the war he was made for. Ultimately, though, after proving his worth by rescuing some captured friends, he is recruited to destroy the super-secret evil HYDRA organization.

The Marvel comic book films have shown themselves to be solid productions, and "Captain America: The First Avenger" is no exception. But it does not strive to be anything more than what it is, and so it falls just a bit flat. I blame this partially on the character of Captain America - it's hard to create good drama with a character who is basically perfect. In fact, the point when the film dragged the most was when the filmmakers tried to artificially insert some personal drama into Cap's story with the whole war-bond side-show.

Overall, the classic tones of the film really worked. The styles and colors effectively created a world that reflected the comics of the time-period, giving a totally unique feel to the film. I really enjoyed this aspect of the film. It felt like a comic-book had come to life.

If you're the type of person that has enjoyed the previous Marvel films, then you're certain to enjoy "Captain America."