Captain America: The First Avenger: Iconic Super Hero on the Big Screen

It's 1942, and theUSis knee-deep in World War II. Having endured countless rejections for military duty, wiry-figured Steve Rogers (Evans) is given the chance of a lifetime in the form of Super Soldiers; a top-secret military experiment. Despite having the physique of a sickly 12-year-old girl,Rogersis picked out by Dr Abraham Erskine (Tucci) for his free spirit and good-hearted nature, even in the face of objections from Col. Phillips (Jones). The successful experiment dawns the new age of the super-hero: CaptainAmericais born, and he must defeat Hitler's head of weaponry; the very evil sounding Red Skull (Weaving).

Now we know what you might be thinking, because we were thinking the same: yet another Marvel super-hero film adaptation. The conveyor belt has produced the good (the X-Men,Spiderman and Blade franchises), the bad (Elektra, Daredevil, Fantastic Four) and the downright ugly (Hulk). So, although every release is a guaranteed money-spinner, it seems that their quality is about as reliable as their dependency on good logical science is. 

Fortunately, Captain America: The First Avenger falls on the right side of average; but only just. The story develops predictably; a likeable underdog is bestowed with powers beyond his imagination and struggles to master them before going on to become the hero trapped inside of us all. However, the brain likes familiarity, and this is as good a version of the formula as any. The storytelling is fast-paced, full of surprises and pretty darn entertaining.

The film can also boast a modest but perfectly cast collection of actors. Taking on his second Marvel super-hero role (you may remember him as the human-torch from Fantastic Four), Evans has the whole package. Being this generation's CaptainAmerica is a lot of pressure to handle, but Evans carries said pressure with aplomb. British actress Atwell plays the glamorous but stern Peggy Carter; an officer of the Strategic Scientific Reserve and our hero's love interest. 

Veterans Jones and Tucci only really function in supplementary roles, but are great as always. There is one letdown though, and it's a big one. Weaving, who of course found fame as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, is an intelligent character actor, but there's little he can do with the Red Skull. If Captain America is to be built up into the ultimate super-hero, he must have the ultimate foe, and the Red Skull falls short of his billing; a poorly written character.

What stands this out against other Marvel flicks is the setting. The nostalgia of a 1940sAmericaand war-tornEuropegives character to the aesthetics. It also highlights how good the CGI effects are. From Roger's painfully thin body to the Nazi battle scenes; the effects are realistic and feed into the whole narrative with ease.

A lot of people have been waiting for Captain America: The First Avenger, and although it's far from jaw-dropping, they won't be disappointed with this film. As with all the Marvel films, those who aren't comic book fans might fail to appreciate the details and nuances, but as a standalone action film, it isn't half-bad.

Final Destination 5: More Terrible Ways To Die in Latest Horror Chapter

Final Destination 5's story begins when a bridge collapses, sending most of those on it crashing to their deaths. Sam (D'Agosto) has a premonition of the accident and manages to save a handful of his coworkers while the rest join the deceased masses. The survivors are reduced to a bundle of nerves, looking out for death at every moment, while they get systematically snuffed out in highly gruesome and sadistic ways.

This film is not for the faint of heart. It isn't for gymnasts or anyone contemplating laser eye surgery either. The viewer is given just enough time to begin to like the character when they get killed. These aren't quick deaths either. You're taunted by many cases of almost fatalities and it's only when you're hanging over the edge of your seat, holding your breath, begging for the suspense to be over already that the character is killed in an even more sadistic way than you were expecting. This reviewer watched a decent chunk of the movie through a crack in her fingers and even then, the sounds were ghastly.

D'Agosto gives a competent though rather wooden performance. He wasn't very successful at appearing scared or worried which was problematic due to the fact that those were his two primary states in the movie. On the other hand,Bell, who plays Sam's girlfriend Molly, was far better at conveying these emotions which make you connect more with her rather than with him. Fisher turns in a good performance as Sam's friend Peter who is unable to cope with the stress of the bridge accident and with the fact that his girlfriend Candice (Wroe) was the first of the survivors to die. He is slowly driven crazy by his looming death and is consequently reduced to a ‘kill or be killed' mentality that enables him to contemplate cold blooded murder.

The 3D was really cool here. You start off the movie with the title sequence filled with splintering glass and heavy objects swinging around and smashing everywhere before moving on to the film where again you have a whole load of precariously placed heavy objects. Metal rods impale people, cars fall on top of their heads and severed hands are flung out towards you. The 3D really does give the action that extra oomph to even freak out the most experienced of horror movie aficionados. And while some of the effects looked rather fake, including the blood and a few of the explosions, the sheer brutality is enough to make you overlook it.

These freak accidents rattle you because they could happen. They're highly unlikely but not impossible. So, if you have an overactive imagination and already see death everywhere, spare yourself. However if you do like horror movies of the marginally realistic kind, this one will fill your blood-and-scares quota.