8.02.2011

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)



Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This and X-Men have been two of the best movies I’ve seen this year. I was a little concerned with how much I’d enjoy Captain America since I had a hard time getting into one of the graphic novels I picked up from the library (Winter Soldier) - I was, however, pleasantly surprised. The story was perfectly told with exception to some missing background on the Red Skull. How did he actually get a red skull face? We get bits of his history and position within the Third Reich, but not enough to really get pulled into his character. X-Men did a great job with getting us acquainted with the villain/s and I think that greatly increased the enjoyment of that film.

The music sequences were also great. It was nice to hear a little big band music come through the big screen.

[***Spoiler alert***]
I almost whooped when Steve Rogers doesn’t tell Peggy that he loves her right before he goes down. The film did a great job of depicting their relationship.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

Through Steve Rogers, we are shown the value of and need for good character. Though that may not be what most people look for in a hero (e.g., Col. Chester Phillips - played by Tommy Lee Jones), it is a strong moral foundation that truly gives us power beyond what we think we are capable. Not that it is a power in and of itself, but it allows for God’s power to play a stronger positive role in our lives and the lives of those we touch.

Be sure to stick around until after the end of the credits for an extra scene from the movie and the first trailer for The Avengers, coming out next year!

2 comments:

  1. There were a number of things I LOVED about this movie. First, Steve Rogers was chosen for power because of his willingness to put others ahead of himself. Most superhero stories are flipped: power is bestowed accidentally, and then the character must learn to use that power wisely through trial and error. It's almost as if power teaches the heroes to be courageous and selfless (which is the opposite of real world experience). Instead, Steve Rogers was selfless first, which earned him power. This seems to jive with what I read in D&C 121.

    Second, the relationship between Steve Rogers was entirely chaste. The companion movie, Thor, bothered me between the relationship between Thor's character and Natalie Portman's character was based entirely on looks. They knew each other all of two days, and she kept mentioning over and over again how good looking Thor was. That was about all they knew about each other. How shallow is that? In contrast, Steve Rogers and his girl knew each other for years, and you could see mutual respect grow on the screen. And you knew the mutual respect was based on character admiration, not on looks, because she admired him before he became a buff super-soldier. That was refreshing. It was also refreshing that there were NO sexual overtones in their relationship. It was all mutual respect and admiration.

    Cool, eh?

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  2. I couldn't agree more. Two great reasons why this was a great movie.

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