Better than I remember

I hate the term popcorn flick because of the implication of low quality. Genre films designed to elicit excitement through stunts, effects, and characters that are easy to understand are often considered popcorn flicks because of those elements. That's bonkers to me because before art house and Oscar bait films, as derisive as those terms are, there were those genre films.

Captain America: The First Avenger is what happens when a campy WWII action movie is blended into a fairy tale.

I saw this opening night back in 2011, and I thought it was just okay. It was a little campy for my taste. At the time, I was still aching for the self-serious allegories for the modern world that I got from Nolan's first two Batman films. What I got instead was a fun, campy action adventure featuring a character I knew of but didn't know much about. I enjoyed the ride well enough and didn't think much more about it after I walked out of the theater.

Watching it again, I find myself better able to enjoy the camp of the film. Joe Johnston is an earnest director who seems to specialize in bringing out the best of what's in the script. His direction gets the story across and almost removes any trademark or flourish, aside from inviting you to simply enjoy what you're seeing.

Chris Evans is a good actor who can step up his game when needed. I have never not enjoyed his work, and what he does to make Steve Rogers more than just Captain America's alter ego is really good. Rogers feels like a man unmoored from his world because of his principles.

Everyone else is good. Hugo Weaving plays Red Skull, a villain that gives Nazis pause with his obsession. Weaving has fun hamming it up in the best way, even through all the makeup. He is a great foil to Captain America because he is selfish and believes world domination is his destiny. This is where the fairy tale comes in. Red Skull is that bad. Steve is that noble.

The whole cast is game to have fun on screen, though. Hayley Atwell helps to ground the film as she plays Agent Carter, and no one plays a curmudgeon like Tommy Lee Jones. Sebastian Stan plays Bucky, Steve's best friend, and is a part of Steve's platoon of commandos.

The effects, especially those used to make Steve seem weak and scrawny at the start of the film, are impressive. It's clearly not all CGI. Clever perspective work and costuming all work together to make Steve start as small and sickly as possible. The stunts are fun, even though you know stuntmen are being yanked off screen after every punch by wires and pulleys.

This movie wants to be fun, and that is what it is. A simple story, simply told and well executed.