CAPTAIN FREAKING AMERICA!

So, I recently saw Captain America opening night at midnight, and it was AMAZING. Since this is a film I actually really liked, I doubt it will be as long as my previous rants. Here's my thoughts on the film overall. Obviously *SPOILERS* ahead:

1.) The Acting

The acting in this film was phenomenal. There wasn't a single person whose performance took me out of the movie, or made me sigh dismissively. Some performances were better than others, but overall, great cast. Chris Evan's Captain America was excellent. I actually find him to be a much better actor than I did before after watching this movie. He plays the part seriously, and I enjoyed his character as he experiences a real arc throughout the movie (more on that later).

Hugo Weaving's Red Skull was pretty hammy, but in a good way. Its an over the top character, who's fairly one dimensional, so it makes sense to have him act over the top. I couldn't see the Red Skull sitting around filing paperwork and sipping on coffee. No, he has to scream and be all over the place with his acting.

No, I don't think you can go quiet and demure with a face like that.

Tommy Lee Jones as a no-nonsense dismissive Colonel in the army was excellent. I've never been let down by Jones' acting, and this film was no exception.

I do not blame this on you, Mr. Jones!

For his character not being a huge character in the comics, he was a totally welcome addition to the cast and not at all superfluous part of the cast.

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes was as well portrayed as Evan's Cap. For not having much screen time together, you get a real feel for the comradery between him and Steve. Making his ultimate fate as tragic as it needed to be.

Dresses like a Boy Wonder, shoots like a MAN...Wonder.

Stanley Tucci as Dr. Erkskine played his part perfectly, as did Dominic Cooper as Tony "Iron Man" Stark's dad, Howard. Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell wasn't bad. She's not so much a love interest as she is the only female with a name, so she has chemistry with the lead, similar to Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films.

Wait, its the 1940's? All of her scenes take place in the kitchen, right?

The Howling Commandos, though underused, were cool. The only one that really stood out was Dumdum Dugan, and they totally nailed his appearance. Personally, I was glad to see Neal McDonough play a likable character, after seeing him in the crappy Street Fighter sequel and a crooked priest on Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Damn, that man can pull off a bowler derby and handlebar mustache... 

2.) The Story

Pretty much what I expected. Its not a complex story by any means, but it doesn't have to be. Much like Iron Man, it was very character driven. It boils down to a young man going through a journey to develop physically and mentally into the man he always wanted to be. The character interaction is great. The connections between Cap and Bucky, and Cap and Dr. Erkskine are the most interesting, but the relationships between Cap and everyone else are each unique and fun to watch.

There were PLENTY of Easter eggs for the die-hard fans. The first time we see Dr. Arnim Zola, is on a distorted screen image, making reference to his comic counterpart existing as data traveling between screens on robot bodies.

Just prior to his death, Bucky picks up the famous shield and fires off a couple rounds with his sidearm, in reference to Bucky's all too brief role as Captain America.

After gaining his powers, but no direction, Cap winds up being a media sensation, and his cheesy costume is reminiscent of his original costume and shield, and even shows one of the first comics he appeared in.

Steve's artistic ability gets a subtle nod as well when he draws a self-loathing sketch of himself as a performing monkey. The film makers really took their time to make this one appeal to as many people as possible, and I applaud them all for that.

3). Shortcomings

To be fair, here are my brief concessions where I think the film faltered a bit. First of all, the effects used on the Red Skulls face where kind of iffy. The CGI head on a real human body was noticeable, and the voice sync was slightly off. The montage of Cap being a cheesy show-pony went on a little longer than it had to. And while I was cool with the way they ended the film, the prologue in the present day was annoyingly unnecessary. It ruined the suspense of whether or not Cap was going to wind up frozen by the end of this film or a flashback in Avengers. Once he got on the ship in the end, you knew how it was going to play out. Which also meant that Bucky was going to bite the big one by the end of the movie too.

4). My Hopes

Avengers looks amazing. The teaser trailer at the end of the credits was an awesome surprise. Seeing Thor interact with Iron Man on the big screen is just unreal. Its finally happening. I have very high hopes for the film, and can't wait to see more trailers over the next year.

The letter of the day is F*CK YES!

Assuming this film does decently well, I don't doubt that a sequel will follow after the Avengers. I'm looking forward to present day Cap now that they got the origin done. I'd be surprised if they didn't go with the Winter Soldier storyline for the sequel. They made a point of building up the relationship between Cap and Bucky, so it only makes sense to me to take it to that plot next. The director has mentioned it being a possibility, so SWEET!

This film was excellent. 4/5 in my opinion. Favorite movie of the summer, and one of my favorite superhero films overall. Better than both Thor and Iron Man.