Review: Captain America: The First Avenger Doesn't Really Have A Plot
- Feb 1, 2018
- 2 min read
Captain America: The First Avenger's WWII setting and realistic look at the character held a lot of promise. With raw talents such as Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving attached to the film, and relative newcomer Chris Evans nailing the titular role, it all came together beautifully. Well, besides the writing.
Steve Rogers (Evans) is a true patriot who wants nothing more than to serve his country in WWII, but is too small, thin, and unhealthy. He receives the opportunity to enter into a secret "super-soldier" program, one that is successful. Steve comes out taller and stronger, the antithesis of his past self. Given a colourful costume and the title 'Captain America', and tours the country promoting war bonds. On tour, Rogers learns that his old friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) was captured by HYDRA, Hitler's science division led by Johann Schmidt (Weaving) and Arnim Zola (Toby Jones). Sick of never seeing any real combat, and with the help of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) and Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), he sneaks out on a rescue mission. Following his success, the true Captain America is born. He, and his personal band of brothers, The Howling Commandos, take the war to Hydra as Schmidt makes plans of his own.
So what's my problem with this story? It's got a start, middle, and end; it never fails to be an interesting movie; it doesn't have the same pacing issues as Iron Man 2. All in all, it's not an awful story. Except that the villains of this movie - two of the most interesting ones in the MCU - have scenes all throughout the film that really don't go anywhere, and really don't build up to anything. Red Skull and Captain America don't really get a major climactic battle. I don't even understand the details of Schmidt and Zola's plot to take control of the Reich, besides the fact that it involves a neat gun.
The entire plot, and any kind of threat presented, is actually no more than a vessel to allow Captain America to go from skinny kid, to dancing monkey, to war hero, to "Capsicle" (as Iron Man calls him later). There's basically no hero / villain story here, just a protagonist running into an antagonist a couple of times before everything sorts itself out. It takes one of the best threats that the MCU has had, and one of the best settings, and rushes a climax just to get Cap into the ice.
The First Avenger is not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, with great acting all round and a beautifully depicted setting. But fans of the Red Skull, or villain plots that actually wind up to something, will be disappointed by the movie seemingly pressing the Skip button partway through the climax.
Comments