User reviews

"Captain America" (1990) was just added to IMDB's infamous Bottom 100 List....the one hundred worst rated major release films of all time. This is unusual, as this film did not (until now) have enough votes to make it elegible to join the ranks of awfulness. However, with the release of the latest Captain America film ("Avengers: Endgame"), apparently increased attention has been on this poor movie...hence it's inclusion. However, there is one huge problem with this....while "Captain America" is clearly a bad film, it is ridiculous to consider it's among the 100 worst ever. I wouldn't even place it in the bottom 1000....let alone 100.

The first portion of the movie is actually pretty good. You get the creation of the Captain as well as Red Skull....and up until Captain goes into suspended animation in the ice of Alaska, I thought I'd probably give the film a 4 or 5...maybe even a 6. But the final portion was just terrible. First, the Captain was saddled with a stupid sidekick who looked like an extra from the film "Valley Girl". She was weak and silly...and totally out of place. Second, the climactic final battle was terrible. If Captain America is a superhero....why was he so wimpy...not only in the final battle but all the ones leading up to it?! Third, while he tried hard, Matt Salinger was a dull Captain America...very dull. Add to this, fourth, a weak script with weak dialog. Overall, one of the worst superhero films I've seen...but nothing like truly godawful films like "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or "Robot Monster" (which, oddly, didn't even make the list).

So would I recommend this movie? Probably not...unless you are intensely curious or like seeing all of the Bottom100 films.

I remember watching this movie once when I was a kid, it was on TV and I "watched" while playing. Some days ago I was looking for something to watch on Netflix and found this movie, so I decided to re-watch this. I wasn't expecting much since some years ago I watched a negative review of this movie, but it was actually worse than I thought it would be.

The script is weak with the story having a lot of inconsistencies. The villains can travel really fast from one location to another and always know were to go. Captain America's powers seems to be almost nonexistent and he fails a lot in the movie. Also most of the action scenes aren't very good.

With that said, this movie is at least watchable. On the positive side the Red Skull make-up is very good and the Captain's uniform is very accurate to the comics.

I've never read a Captain America comic book. But I don't have to to know that any fan of the comic won't be too pleased with this film. Matt Salinger does his best with a lousy story. Captain America doesn't even finish one mission before he's frozen in ice, only to be thawed out 50 years later. The Red Skull is the villain, but in most of the movie he looks like a guy with acne problems. However, we do learn that the Red Skull had a hand in the JFK assassination. How Oliver Stone missed that lead is beyond me. The Captain's super powers seem to be limited to throwing his shield and faking car sickness. On the positive side, at times the film does have the feel of a 40's serial. I would've liked to see that carried out, but the film never decides whether to be serious or kind-of-corny. Instead it just ends up being boring.

Unfortunately, this is not the Marvel movie that will endear you to comic book movie adaptations. However, I think Salinger gives an honest performance as the title character, even if he spends more time out of costume than in. For whatever reason, the Red Skull is made Italian, rather than German, but it didn't bother me as much as it did some other viewers. For being a B-movie, Captain America is tolerable. Watch it first, before you make any judgements. You might be able to suspend your disbelief long enough to enjoy it.

Back in the mid-90s I watched this film and thoroughly enjoyed it as a child even though Captain America wasn't my favourite superhero. However, out of intrigue in the last few years, I have found out that this movie got a lot of the characters and settings completely wrong. For example when was Red Skull an Italian Fascist? He's always been a Nazi. Still, after watching the excellent 2011 Captain America movie with Chris Evans (not the former DJ) I set out to purchase that film. Picked the DVD and it turned out to be this one instead. Don't get me wrong, it's not as bad as some say however there was a lot of potential wasted. One big problem the film suffers from is that the writers tried to cram every single major moment of Captain America's history into a 90-95 minute film. It dosen't work successfully. Another problem is that the film obviously had severe budget constraints as you can often tell that actors are facing backdrops. Some actors have to even play multiple roles. On the plus side the acting is watchable with a very dark opening (on par with the opening of Xmen). The actor playing Captain America (Matt Salinger, son of author JD) gives a pretty believable performance as does the actor playing Red Skull (Scott Paulin).

Its not a bad comic book movie, that title goes to Green Lantern for me. This one just should've stayed close to it's original resource material and not include every major moment of Captain America's history in 90 minutes. Having an ending where it could've been left open for sequels might've been a better idea.

5/10

Superhero movies are again a hot property thanks to the big screen adaptations of Spider-Man, X-Men and Superman. As such, many film buffs who know little or nothing about Captain America have no doubt been picking this one up at the video store. Too bad nothing but pure crapulescence awaits them.

Where to begin? The movie has a dim look to it; the acting is second-rate; and the action and battle scenes are few and far between. It will disappoint most die-hard comic book fans, perhaps as much as those silly 1970s Cap films were. On a positive note, the action scenes aren't awful when the viewer finally gets to them. As well, the characters stay pretty true to their illustrated roots, and kids aren't going to be nearly as fussy as adult moviegoers about this one.

Okay, so after watching the Republic serial from 1944 in which Captain America's alter ego was Grant Gardner, district attorney, and then two TV movie versions starring Reb Brown as Steve Rogers, occasional painter, I finally watched this 1990 version from Menahem Golan's 21st Century Film Corporation starring Matt Salinger as the super soldier from World War II that gets frozen for several decades before being thawed out. I liked the beginning where we find out about both his and The Red Skull's (Scott Paulin) early lives and there was a quite entertaining fight between them during the WWII sequence though it would have been nice to know what dastardly thing the Skull did that lead to that battle. But then we're abruptly taken to the present day to when Cap finds himself waking up to and it takes a little time to once again find some momentum. That said, having Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty as a couple of old pals now serving as president and reporter, respectively, was a nice treat for anyone who remembers them from Deliverance not to mention Beatty for his previous superhero encounter in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies. And how awesome it was to finally see the CA costume done right this time with both the wings on the cowl and the shield just the right size and color. Even more so was all the hot women that abounded though I have to wonder how any of them could realistically be daughters of the disfigured Red Skull! So in summation, this filmed version of Captain America may be a little on the underwhelming side concerning story logic but the action for the most part makes it worth it for at least one viewing though I probably wouldn't mind watching it again. Can't wait for Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger later this summer.

Major B movie. (That's a good thing :-) Not a complete waste of time if you appreciate melodrama with some scene-chewing hamming. I do. Quite a few fun continuity issues to have fun spotting. No more or less unfaithful to the comic book Captain America than any of the other superhero movies/TV shows. Much better than the 1979 made-for-TV movie and (mercifully) short-lived series and a little better than the 1960s animated TV show, IMO.

What raises this above a "B-" movie level is the "seriousness" of the melodrama. Fun. Watch it on cable, if it comes around or on a dollar rental. Have popcorn ready.

Steve Rodgers becomes Captain America and must fight against the Nazi super soldier Red Skull. Captain America is however frozen in time until he awakens in 1990. Red Skull still wishes to fulfil his plan of world domination by becoming the president of the United States.

I went into this movie expecting to hate it since that seems to be the general consensus. What I saw was bad on many levels but not what I would call irredeemable.

On the positive side the production isn't too bad. The editing is passable except for those awful montage sequences. The cinematography and lighting is not what I would call inept. The acting is okay but the terrible writing makes for some awful line deliveries.

However, this movie has quite possibly the worst superhero costume of all time, rivalled by the motorcycle helmet wearing Captain America from the 1979 TV movie. He seems to have prosthetic ears attached to his head and the wings makes his appearance seem comical.

The tone is also all over the place. You have Nazis and Germans executing people and at the same time you have a running gag where Captain America pretends to be car sick and hijacks cars.

It's bad in a cheesy way. I would say the Fantastic Four 1994 movie was miles better in being faithful to the source material while having an extremely low budget. However, as I said, I did find some little things enjoyable like the action, special effects and even production qualities.

I think you will either hate it or find it as a harmless bit of cheesy entertainment and fun.

After the Nazis have developed a process to turn an innocent boy into a super human entity, the Americans likewise experiment on average American youth Steve Rogers (Matt Salinger), who has polio. Steve develops incredible strength and resilience, is given a costume and shield, and is rechristened Captain America. The Cap fails spectacularly in his first mission, which is vanquishing Red Skull (Scott Paulin), the adult version of that Nazi experiment. He ends up frozen in Arctic ice for 47 years, reemerging in 1990 to do battle with the Red Skull once again.

It may be that this initial feature film vehicle for the legendary comic book hero (after two TV movies in the 1970s) will appeal more to casual viewers than longtime fans of the character. As it is, it lacks the spit and polish of major American product, and it will come off as cheesy and tacky to many viewers. Also, the scenario requires Steve to spend more time in civvies than in costume.

But this viewer didn't find it completely worthless; it's not without some amusements. Like the sight of the President (Ronny Cox), who'd glimpsed the Cap as a child, engaging in fisticuffs with various bad guys. Paulin is not a truly great villain, but he's a mild hoot anyway, and his minions include some very sexy (if inept) female assassins, including Red Skulls' own daughter (Francesca Neri). The action scenes won't blow the audience away, but they're adequate.

The main draw is a remarkably sincere Salinger, who makes for an appealing hero. Kim Gillingham, who gets an "introducing" credit, plays both Caps' lady friend and her daughter, and comes off better as the older lady. A variety of familiar faces - Ned Beatty, Michael Nouri, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Bill Mumy - are kind of wasted here, although McGavin at least gets a chance to be somewhat funny (it'd be a shame if he didn't).

Kids will likely be less judgmental than their adult counterparts, and might have some fun with it.

Five out of 10.

im not gonna sit here and justify this movie cus it cant be its crap...however if you like cheesy film (and i do) then its so cheesy its actually quite good....the effects are weird the acting is terrible and the story is poor and really weird and full of plot holes, however for some strange reason i cant fully comprehend i enjoyed it....i love these cheesy films....that aren't delibertly bad....but just cus they were cheap and couldn't afford better actors and sets...the film goes in a strange direction and i like films like that for some strange reason i cant comprehend, it isn't a movie i can really recommend but if your a fan of movies such as "Plan 9 from outer space" then this is your movie you'll love this....if you hate movies like that and your a fan of transformers and modern action movies then i'd probably avoid this one i think

to say it lightly, i loved this movie. it's one of those cheesy types that is so poorly done that you can't help but smile. if you're the type who likes dumb movies like bring it on, the mummy, and chicken run, this could be the one for you!

The movie is quite bad, but not that bad. It has its good moments. If it plays on cable TV and you have nothing better to do, it's a nice way to waste a little time. Captain America deserves a better treatment, but what's done is done...

I'm confirming it is lame. It suffers from the same issues as the 1994 Fantastic Four, but unlike FF I can give it a, it's so bad it's good stamp (And I'm very happy about that).

Captain America is a pretty easy comic to adapt to the big screen, it's just an action adventure war movie about a guy who sometimes wears a mask. They did take some liberties with the character that make my Fanboy radar point up, but it's superficial.

Steve Rodgers is now a boy from Southern California who has polio and offered himself up to the super soldier experiment headed up by a woman who escaped from the Nazis (The idea of a woman creating the star spangled avenger was cool, not enough female brainiacs in the comic book industry ).

Shortly after Steve Rodgers becomes Captain America the doctor is killed making Steve and The Red Skull the only one's like them. After stopping the Red Skull from destroying the White House he is trapped in Ice for 60 years and wakes up having to stop the Red Skull, who has formed an underground crime unit that basically is Hydra without saying it,again.

Proving how well Cap works as an action movie, Matt Salinger who plays Steve Rogers, wearing some sort of padding to make it look like he's got more than he does, barely wears the cartoonish suit they made for him (of course wearing the uniform makes him Captain America, duh)

It's got that 80s swagger to it. The Red Skull has his daughter do all the heavy lifting for most of the movie with her small army of rich Nazi brats who drive the fastest cars and wear the hottest fashions but more than capable with the guns.

They took some liberties with The Red Skull's origin too, I think this was to save money and film the entire movie in Italy (I'm also guessing that certain places in Italy look more like Southern California than New York City)

I am being harsh on the movie because I've grown to like the character more now than I ever did when I was a kid and saw this, but like I expressed before, the movie does have a so bad it's food quality that makes it real enjoyable.

http://cinemagardens.com

Like many Cap fans, I eagerly waited for the Captain America film and was disappointed when it went direct-to-video. When I finally saw the video, I was disappointed with the story. I did like the physical acting with Cap in costume, and I think that was the one true thing about Captain America. Rather than rant on about what was wrong, let me tell you Hollywood scripters how to do it right;

1. The first movie must spend a great deal (if not the whole movie) in WWII, where his legend will start. No urban legend in the 21st Century.

2. Steve Rogers is a NEW YORKER! He kept his optimism despite losing both parents to disease (alcoholism, pneumonia) during the Great Depression. Even in the new millennium, he loves listening to big band and 40s music and anything that sparks such nostalgia. He's still a BROOKLYN Dodgers fan.

3. What the hell was that with the plastic ears?! (Sorry, had to get that one out.)

4. Get that shield back...it was way better than not having one in the serial (a gun?) or a clear one in the TV movie.

5. Don't forget that the costume has a star on the front *and* back.

6. If you make the Red Skull (most likely villain) Italian again, so help me...

7. I wouldn't mind seeing Bucky, but you can do like the Ultimates storyline and have him non-costumed in the war if it'll help. But please don't make Cap's costume like the one in the Ultimates (either version).

8. Don't try to combine love interests (Bernie was the girlfriend during the 1980s, Sharon was the girl in the 60s and 70s, but it was wrong to make them mother and daughter.).

9. I gotta say it again...don't make him an urban legend like Batman! Captain America was created to be a symbol and INSPIRE American public and forces as a response against the Red Skull. He can't do that if he's skulking the shadows.

Thanks and good luck.

This movie begins in Italy just prior to World War 2 with government soldiers breaking into a house to kidnap a young boy and then murdering his family in the process. The reason for the kidnapping is that they need a test subject for an experiment which might allow them to create super-soldiers for their army and dreams of conquest. Yet, even though the experiment is a complete success, the doctor involved in it becomes horrified by the ruthlessness of those she works with and manages to escape to the United States with all of the secrets required to continue her work in her head. She then continues her research in the United States which eventually concludes with the making of a super-hero named "Captain America" (Matt Salinger) to counter the super-villain created in Italy who goes by the name of the "Red Skull" (Scott Paulin). Unfortunately, her success is short-lived as she is assassinated by Nazi agents and the secrets she had dies with her shortly afterward. But with war breaking out both Captain America and the Red Skull soon clash with each other and the story becomes even more pronounced after that. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say this the particular movie lacked the special effects of the more modern Captain America films which clearly resulted in an inferior picture by comparison. Even so, I didn't think the movie was necessarily bad as it still managed to entertain to a certain degree. That being said, I have rated this movie as about average and recommend it to those who enjoy films of this type.

Steve Rogers is turned into a super soldier to fight the Red Skull during World War II. He loses and is frozen for fifty years. When he comes back, he finds the Red Skull has assassinated Kennedy, King and has become one of the world's most powerful supervillains and businessmen. Can he stop the Skull now?

This film is fun if you like seeing a guy in a bad costume run around and throw a shield, while a man who looks and acts like Jimmy Carter is a crime-fighting president (and protector of the environment). It's light on plot, light on character development and even the action comes off as more cheesy than anything. But to be honest with you, this was more fun than almost any of the modern comic book films. (For example, "Batman Begins" is a phenomenal film -- but it's not as easy to sit back and laugh at with a beer.)

Why is the Red Skull Italian? As I recall from the comics, he's quite German, and there was no real reason to change this for the movie. I mean, if you're fighting the Nazis, isn't it just more logical to have the villain be German? Where did he get a daughter from? This remains unanswered. Other things seemed fishy... and even the decoder ring, which was important to the story, never paid off as fully as I would have liked (and what exactly did it decode?).

If you get a copy of this movie, keep your expectations low and your supply of Busch Light very high. Not a good movie, unless you love ripping apart such films. I do, so I loved it. But I wouldn't foist it anyone... but maybe the old "Punisher" film...

You really have to be a fan of............oh what the heck, this movie just plain stinks! The costume looks horrible, too many liberties were taken with the characters and the plot lurches forward badly. It basicly starts out with a few minutes in one place, a few minutes in another, a few more elsewhere......you get the idea, and then all these separate incidents gradually and slowly lead to one single plot. MST3K's Pod People was easier to follow ! Few good things about this, Matt Salinger looks enough like Steve Rogers should, but is hampered by the lousy script and implausible plot. The culture shock he has returning home after too many years is done fairly well, and the Red Skull seen at the top of the movie reminds me of a cross between Freddie Kruger and Jason Voorhees. This movie could have been so much better set entirely in WW2 with the opening scene of Hitler screaming at his generals, "I could make that bellboy a better leader than any of you !" That is from the mythos of the comic book. After the opening credits, we should have seen the process of Rogers becoming the hero who goes on to fight the Red Skull, who through most of the movie should have been spoken of and referred to, but not seen. This movie needed that sort of impact, the indication of the sort of evil the Nazis represented, but as it is, it's just one big car wreck on the "to-do" list at MST3K.

This is something that is often overlooked about this film. A couple of throw-away lines of dialogue between the future president and his friend after spotting Cap strapped to a rocket indicate there may have been plans to start the MCU with this film, as two other Marvel characters are directly name-checked. Sadly, these plans were put on hold, due to this disaster that involved Cap stealing cars by feigning car-sickness, walking away from the car, then running back and driving off when the driver went to check he was okay. Other than a few laughable moments like this however, this film is extremely dull. It's worth watching if you're a die-hard Marvel/Captain America fan, or a lover of bad film, but otherwise don't bother.

Watching this movie was mildly entertaining, I was not really bored. But when it was over I was like "man, that was a dumb movie". Started to realize the plot was not good, acting was not good...

Well, the beginning is kind of good, it sets a darker tone with the origin of Red Skull. I liked how the movie goes straight to action and does not waste too much time on explaining every detail. Things start to happen, and I'm ready for a great fun action flick. But on the latter half the plot starts to stagger and not much interesting happens. I'm glad I finally watched this weirdo movie but I hope I don't have to watch it again anytime soon.

But if you think this is bad, then watch "Three Giant Men"...

As the planet whirls toward the devastation of floods and earthquakes, famine, disease and war, I will remember the horrible onslaught this movie defacated into my memories and nightmares. This... "film", will utterly lower your I.Q. It is an assault on your intelligence and dignity as a human being. The Red Skull is not even the Red Skull!! It's the Red Skull after plastic surgery to make him look human. I wonder if there is a category of movies that is BELOW low budget. If even ONE actor in the movie could act, this film might be able to pass for a piece of crap. When all is done and I lay on my death bed, I know these are 2 hours of my life I will never get back.

For starters, Matt Salinger is the best captain America, he has the same looks as the comic. And he looks likable to be someone who want to save the world.

With that said the rest of the movie feels lazy, but still entertaining enough specially for the kids.

Not the worst movie, it is what it is.

Say what you will about this movie, the Captain America costume in it and the shield was amazing to watch. the costume designer faithfully recreated the costume and did a wonderful Batman like thing with the cowl. I own the Matt Salinger cowl and tunic from the movie and I assure you they are works of art. The movie? Well, thats another subject. I think if I didnt have pieces or props from the movie it wouldn't seem as interesting to me....but some of the eyeball candy in the movie is worth it. I just despised the physical depiction of the Red Skull...they could have done so much more with the make up...instead it looks like a bad Darkman rendition.

Before 1998's "Blade," Marvel Comics couldn't seem to catch a break when it came to movie versions of their different properties. In the wake of "Iron Man 3" and "The Avengers," I know that's very hard to believe. There was a serial for Captain America released in 1944 through Republic Pictures. George Lucas executive produced a live-action adaptation of "Howard the Duck" in 1986.

The next few years up to Wesley Snipes' take on the legendary vampire slayer were plagued with low-budget versions of the comic book publisher's characters. Dolph Lundgren's "The Punisher" couldn't even muster a theatrical release in the U.S. Roger Corman's "The Fantastic Four" never officially saw the light of day anywhere, although bootleg copies float around.

21st Century Film Corporation released "Captain America" straight to video in the middle of those two disasters. For many years, the movie was hard to get a hold of and only released on VHS. Shout! Factory released it on DVD and made it widely available to those who sought it out for so many years as a sort of Nerd Holy Grail.

Several years after being caught by Red Skull and left for dead, Steve Rogers is found frozen in the ice and thawed out. He discovers Red Skull received plastic surgery to hide his true identity and is heading up a group of world leaders set on kidnapping the President of the United States for their own diabolical ambitions.

Is "Captain America" filled with cheese? If you judge it from a modern standpoint, of course it is. If you look at it as being a piece of World War II propaganda filmed in the 1940s, you'll find it totally hits its mark. That's the standpoint I choose to view it from.

My only real issue is that we only get about 5 minutes of face time from the real Red Skull. The rest of the film features actor Scott Paulin in flesh-colored make-up topped with scar lines. It's a real letdown for fans of the Red Skull who wanted to see the character the way he looks in the comic books.

I still think that "Captain America" gets way more flack for being cheesy and low budget than it deserves. Is it on the same quality level as "Captain America: The First Avenger?" No way! However, it has an inviting and personal flavor to it that still works 23 years later. Real comic book fans will find value in this adaption and appreciate it for what it is.

Captain America returns after over a decade on the shelf with a shiny new shield and somewhat less ridiculous costume but is it any less cheesy?

Well, yeah but it's no better.

Captain Americas origin story is told and after thawing out he goes after his nemesis the Red Skull.

Much like the 1970's movies Cap is in civilian clothes for the vast majority of the film which I find a strange decision, the action sequences aren't as frequent but a tad more realistic.

Costing over 10 million this was considered a big deal but despite a star studded cast this was actually somewhat of a bore and the leading man seemed out of his depth.

Outside of the modern Cap movies I'd recommend the 70's movies over this or the 1944 classic.

The Good:

Red Skull actually looks quite good (For the brief moments he's in it)

The Bad:

Matt Salinger is such a goofy looking guy and the mask just makes it worse

Incredibly boring for an action film

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Marvel actively declaring one of their heroes is inferior to a DC one seems a bit foolish