Superhero movies have been done to death. World War II movies have been done to death. So why did I expect Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), a World War II superhero movie, to be any good?
Shrimpy, asthmatic Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is repeatedly turned down by Army recruiters during World War II. Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) learns of Rogers's predicament and recruits him into a secret project involving a super-soldier serum. The serum works, and Rogers becomes Captain America. Rogers is at first used to sell war bonds, but with the help of British Major Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), he finds himself on the war's front lines. With a hand-picked team of sidekicks, he squares off against HYRDA, a top-secret Nazi research organization led by Johann Schmidt/Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), whose plans exceed even Hitler's wildest dreams.
Captain America brings absolutely nothing new to the table. It rattles off the expected superhero cliches in rote fashion: origin story, plucky love interest, colorful sidekicks, megalomaniacal villains and tragic deaths to provide extra motivations. The WWII setting feels tacky and artificial when mixed with ridiculous sci-fi technology, and the film's Nazis aren't even real Nazis. Just about the only creative element is the Captain's use a propaganda tool, and this clever meta angle is dropped in favor of exposition and laser shootouts as soon as possible.
Cliches aside, the film just isn't very good. The plot doesn't lack for potential but the screenplay spends way too much time on back story and build-up. The cast is generally ill-served: the Captain's commando sidekicks are so insignificant they don't even warrant onscreen names. The script is terrible, with blatantly anachronistic dialogue and puerile humor that never ceases to irritate. There are lots of character cameos and nods to other Avengers films like Iron Man that might excite the geeks but add nothing to the film. And don't get me started on the ending.
Director Joe Johnston provides his usual hackwork. The action scenes - a running shootout/foot chase through Brooklyn, the Captain's one-man rescue mission - are competently but unimpressively staged. There's a lot of meticulous period detail but the heavy use of CGI and green screen effects creates an airbrushed, sterilized and boring depiction of the '40s worthy of a Medal of Honor game.
Chris Evans is a poor choice for the Captain. He's likeable enough, but he lacks the raw charisma and forceful presence necessary for the part to work. Evans at least isn't completely ridiculous running around in star-spangled tights, but he's too busy being a swell guy to inspire the appropriate awe and admiration.
Hayley Atwell (very fetching) plays a stereotype passably well but Sebastian Stan is a boring sidekick. Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings) and Tommy Lee Jones steal the show playing parts they could assay in their sleep. Weaving makes a fun villain with a dead-on Werner Herzog impression, and Jones's crabby old geiser schtick never gets old. Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon) contributes some humor as Weaving's less-than-devoted sidekick.
Captain America is a bland, cliched, all-around forgettable superhero romp. Maybe if you're queing up for The Avengers next year, it's a must-see. But I say, in a summer which has already seen Thor, X-Men: First Class and The Green Lantern come and go, what's the point?
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