Captain America: The First Avenger vs Limitless

It’s pretty blatant that Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America are all lead-ins for The Avengers, and that their primary function, aside from attempting to stand alone as good movies, is to lay the groundwork for that movie instead. They’re kind of the ultimate trailers. Two-hour, hugely-budgeted trailers you pay to see. They’ve all been good, mainly, but Captain America: The First Avenger is the best of the three. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it’s also the one that dwells the least on what may or may not happen in The Avengers.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants nothing more than to enlist in the Army and defeat Hitler, so much so that he’s tried under several aliases. He’s turned down, time and again, because of his asthma, and because, at barely ninety pounds, he’s unlikely to make it through basic training, much less Hitler-defeating. Chris Evans, as you’ve noticed, is typically not a tiny asthmatic. I assume that portion of the movie (Underdog weakling Steve Rogers gets a comfortable amount of the movie) is handled with some sort of CGI Benjamin Buttoning. I don’t care. Evans is a smart choice to play Rogers. He’s not such a big star that he distracts from the trick. On the other hand, he’s a big enough star that his transformation into Captain America (I’m not telling you how. If you don’t know, see the movie. And say no to steroids.) is a showstopper. He’s not just a ninety-pound weakling transforming into a superhero; he’s a ninety-pound weakling transforming into a superhero in a movie. Even better.

Once Steve becomes Captain America, he’s used primarily as a symbol in USO revues (wittily handled by Evans and Johnston), but soon he’s in on the action, on a Dirty Dozen-style rescue and escape mission by himself. How cool that the director of The Rocketeer (Joe Johnston) got to make this movie, and finally has the hit he deserves with this aesthetic. Captain America is set almost completely in World War II, filmed in shades of camouflage and the flag. The vintage vibe works wonders for Captain America. Not only does it give it a unique setting among the dozens of other superhero movies out there, but every special effect is spotlighted as truly special because of the juxtaposition of the time period. When Captain America boomerangs his shield around, knocking out Nazis, the effect is not just one of him being a badass, but also one of a 1940s’ movie with top-notch CGI. The effects are great throughout, especially the more subtle ones, like making Steve runs so fast he veers off the street like he’s in an out-of-control car, and of course, the make-up job on the film’s primary villain, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

The supporting cast is uniformly good. Besides Weaving, there’s Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and as Steve’s would-be love interest, Hayley Atwell. She gets to do more than most actresses in this sort of movie. Her Peggy is bold, witty, and one of the brains behind Captain America’s mission. If Captain America is Top Gun, Hayley Atwell is Kelly McGillis. Captain America’s team of commandos is fun and varied, with the biggest moments going to Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan, and Sebastian Stan as the loyal, doomed Bucky Barnes.

And yes, Captain America eventually does its part to set up The Avengers. It has a false ending, then a real one, and then post-credits, another for good measure. The last two are Avengers prequels, are completely unnecessary, and I loved them in spite of myself.

You know who was probably on the shortlist for Captain America? Bradley Cooper. I figure he’s on the shortlist for most things these days. I don’t necessarily have an aversion to Bradley Cooper. It may sometimes sound that way. I think what I have is a preference for Bradley Cooper as sleazballs, doucebags and liars. I’m sure he’s a good guy in real life, but on film, he comes off like one of the guys in Entourage, or like someone who watches too much Entourage. He made his friends learn a handshake, I bet. He’s got an opinion about the beer you order. He’s tan year round. Laughs a little too quick and loud. Stuff like that. When they were casting the Wall Street sequel, they should have snatched him up.

In Limitless, Bradley Cooper gets to play sort of a 1980s’ big-city money version of Captain America. It’s as if Adrian Lynne were playing Telephone with Bret Easton Ellis, and by the time “Captain America” got to director Neil Burger, it was the story of a novelist who’s all stringy-haired, pale and uninspired, until he gets a wonder drug from his ex brother-in-law, and becomes a genius Wall Street whizkid, all intense and tan and good with ladies. The drug in Limitless is for brain expansion. We’re told, and it’s obviously a tired myth at this point, that Bradley Cooper has only been using a tenth of his brain. This amazing pill makes him use TEN BRAINS. Or at least more of it. More brain. And he uses it to get rich, and to finish his book, and to speak the native language of whatever cuisine he’s ordering in any restaurant. He gets better with women. He learns to dodge bullets and fight bad guys. He starts waking up with memory loss. He starts getting stupider. He’s an addict who needs a fix.

Yeah, Limitless is a little like Flowers For Algernon, if the lead were played by Val Kilmer circa 1988. It’s pretentious, unintentionally funny, sharply-dressed and a fun rainy day rental. Abbie Cornish is pretty as the girlfriend. Robert DeNiro wears a suit and does not a single thing more as the movie’s pseudo villain/voice of reason. There are shoot-outs and montages and a completely unnecessary voice-over that in my imagination Bradley Cooper thinks makes Limitless similar to Fight Club. It’s not. Limitless, you can see this coming, has its limits. I suppose, on paper, that Captain America is simple as well. Knowing that Avengers movie is coming, even if it’s mostly not alluded to during the movie, gives it greater meaning. Captain America isn’t just a man on a mission, his movie is one as well. It’s out to make a shitload of money. Some people need their brain expanded to do that; the rest figure it out on ten percent or less.

Captain America: The First Avenger: B+

Limitless: C+