I went in with low-to-middling expectations for Captain America from The Rocketeer director Joe Johnston and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I enjoyed the movie very much for what it is. Of any comic book film out there, this felt like what comic books were originally thought of: fun, silly, hokey, disposable. There's nothing great about the film (Well, besides maybe Tommy Lee Jones and Dominic Cooper) and the fight scenes don't even seem like they are attempting to be groundbreaking or remotely memorable but the film works because of the quick pace and the peppy dialogue. The film also was bolstered by not having to set up the Avengers movie as much as Thor and Iron Man 2 had to. This film is allowed to move right along with its simple WWII story. Basically, it's a mediocre movie but it's capably made and doesn't make the mistakes that a similarly fun but forgettable film like Fast Five made (for instance, Fast Five has a lengthy training sequence that ends up being completely pointless since they don't actually do what they'd been training for.) Captain America doesn't make mistakes but that's because it doesn't really take any risks. It aims for cheesy mediocrity and succeeds (if achieving that can be called a success.)

If you're expecting The Dark Knight, prepare to be let down. The closest comparison might be the first Spiderman film although this film is earnest in its hokeyness rather than knowingly cheesy ala Sam Raimi. The people I saw it with weren't wowed but I enjoyed myself. So head in with optimism but measured expectations for what is probably the closest thing to a kids movie that Marvel's put out so far. In essence, it's a comic book movie made for the people who SHOULD be watching comic book movies.

In the end, the big question seems to be: when will Dominic Cooper get his starring shot? He does a nice job as Howard Stark and he's supposedly amazing in The Devil's Double. Part of me feels like he's going to get stuck in the Sam Rockwell space of being a great co-star but never truly making it into leading man territory outside of the indie realm.
Oh, yeah, and there are at least two scenes in which Hayley Atwell's breasts are downright distracting. Apparently they were kept under wraps for most of the film but in a couple spots, it's like she has her own Just One of the Guys moment (albeit fully clothed) or something.