Oscar 2012 contender so far: "Captain America: the First Avenger"

Genre: Drama; Action/Adventure; Science Fiction/Fantasy;

Director: Joe Johnston

Starring: Chris Evans; Hayley Atwell; Hugo Weaving; Tommy Lee Jones; Sebastian Stan; Dominic Cooper;

Release date: 22nd July, 2011

"Until the computer-generated effects bog it down and mess up its rhythms, Captain America: The First Avenger, has a measured, classical pace and a lot of good, old-fashioned craftsmanship (...) The movie looks wonderful. The production design by the great Rick Heinrichs is bold and unfussy, the palette monochromatic with splashes of comic-book greens and reds, and the compositions evocative of World War II newsreels and propaganda (Allied and Axis) without ever slipping into camp. Heinrichs mixes up architecture styles — Expressionist, futurist, Deco — into frames that might have leaped from the collective unconscious of forties moviegoers. The score by Alan Silvestri is a marvelous pastiche with a life of its own"

by David Edelstein in New York Magazine

"So far the summer of 2011, especially with offerings Thor and Green Lantern, has hardly been hitting them out of the park. And it hasn’t achieved that with the backstory for Captain America, setting him up as the final member to join the rest of the Marvel crew in Joss Whedon’s massive hero-fest The Avengers next year. But it’s the best of the lot so far, thanks to the gentle heart, some snappy quips and the novelty of a 1940s setting, which elevates the proceedings above the usual"

by Linda Barnard in Toronto Star

“Captain America,” based on a character that first appeared in Timely Comics, a precursor to Marvel, in the early 1940s — the era of Batman, Superman and other old-growth, popular-front superheroes — has a winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit. With a dusty color scheme that evokes newsprint and cheap ink, and a production design that captures the Deco-inflected futurism of an earlier time, the movie is nostalgic without making a big fuss about it."

by A.O. Scott in New York Times

Oscar potential categories:

Best Art Direction

Best Costume Design

Best Makeup

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