Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence
and Action)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 5 Minutes
Cast-
Chris Evans-Steve Rogers/Captain America
Hugo Weaving-Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
Hayley Atwell-SSR Officer Peggy Carter
Tommy Lee Jones-Colonel Chester Phillips
Sebastian Stan-Sergeant James Buchanan
'Bucky' Barnes
Dominic Cooper-Howard Stark
Stanley Tucci-Dr. Abraham Erskine
Toby Jones-Dr. Arnim Zola
Neal McDonough-Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan
Derek Luke-Gabe Jones
Kenneth Choi-Jim Morita
Bruno Ricci-Jacques Dernier
JJ Feild-James Montgomery Falsworth
Samuel L. Jackson-Nick Fury
Directed by Joe Johnston
 |
| You don't mess with the first Avenger! |
So…many…comic book…movies! All the pieces
of the puzzle are now in place for next summer’s highly anticipated “The
Avengers” with the release of “Captain America: The First Avenger,” although
the subtitle is rather ironic since he’s the last character to earn his own film. Created by Joe Simon and Jack
Kirby, Captain America first appeared in Captain
America Comics #1 in March, 1941, which makes him one of Marvel’s oldest
superheroes with seventy years of publication history. As both the creators
were Jewish, the character’s creation was politically motivated and Captain
America was often depicted fighting against the Axis powers, particularly Nazi
Germany, during World War II. After the war ended, the character’s popularity
began to wane until he was brought back by writer Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in The Avengers #4 in 1964. Since then,
Captain America has remained a permanent fixture in the Marvel Universe with
his own series and numerous spin-offs. This is actually the third film
appearance of Captain America with the first being a fifteen-chapter serial in
1944 but the depiction bore absolutely no resemblance to the character except
in name only. The second was more faithful but it was hampered by a low-budget and
instead debuted on direct-to-video in 1990. It was produced by Menahem Golan of
Cannon Films. Yes that Cannon Films,
famous for killing off the “Superman” franchise for nineteen years. Of course,
there’s no way this new adaptation, backed by a proper production budget, would
fall flat and to the great relief of all comic book fans, it does not. “Captain
America: The First Avenger” plays it safe by sticking close to the superhero origin
formula and while it lacks the nuance of its peers, the film is a solid summer
blockbuster thanks to Chris Evan’s likable presence and a nostalgic tone that
harkens back to the original “Superman” where good is good and evil is evil.
“Captain America” begins in the present
day when a group of scientists discover a massive jet buried in the Arctic and
a red, white, and blue shield amongst the wreckage. Flashbacking to March,
1942, Nazi officer and leader of science division Hydra Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving)
invades a castle in Tønsberg, Norway in search of a powerful tesseract in the
shape of a cube (comic fans will recognize it as the Cosmic Cube which ties
into “Thor”). Meanwhile, Brooklyn native Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is rejected
from military service for the fifth time due to his sickly physical appearance.
While at the Modern Marvels of Tomorrow exhibition with his best friend, Sergeant
James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Steve slips into a recruitment
center to try to enlist again. He meets an expatriate German scientist named
Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who is working with the U.S. government's
Strategic Scientific Reserve. Sensing something good in Rogers, Erskine allows him
to enlist and he trains with his fellow soldiers at Camp Lehigh under the
supervision of Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and SSR officer Peggy
Carter (Hayley Atwell). One of the trainees will be chosen for a
‘super-soldier’ experiment and because of Roger’s courage and strong morals,
Erskine is convinced that this is the man he is looking for. The experiment
proves to be a success and Steve is transformed into a taller and muscular man,
his strength and agility at peak physical condition. However, an assassin sent
by Schmidt manages to infiltrate the facility and he shoots Erskine dead, the
secret of the super soldier serum dying with him. Although initially used to
sell war bonds while wearing a gaudy costume, Steve proves his worth when he
rescues his friend Bucky and over four hundred soldiers from a Hydra facility in
Italy. Working with Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), Steve dons a more
combat-ready uniform and wielding an indestructible shield, he becomes Captain
America! Elsewhere, Schmidt harnesses the power of the cube-like tesseract to
make weapons of war and sets his sights on conquering the world.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” is
literally a comic book come to life on the big screen. Unlike most Marvel adaptations,
this is a period piece like “X-Men: First Class” with the action set during the
1940’s, bookended by scenes in the present day but while the film remains
faithful to the source material, it plays it safe by adhering to the superhero
origin formula so there are little surprises to be had. Initially, I had feared
the tone would be overly jingoist like the abysmal “Battle: Los Angeles” or a
Michael Bay film but thankfully, this is not the case. Yes, as the main
character bears the word ‘America’ in his name, the film is patriotic but in a
more innocent, nostalgic sense. Steve Rogers is portrayed without any real
flaws compared to other superheroes and exhibits an honest, ‘Aw, shucks!’
attitude, which is a breath of fresh air with the current tread of heroes
always brooding and full of angst. Sometimes you just want to watch an
old-fashioned good guy win and get the girl. It’s hard not to relate to Rogers
whose been picked on his whole life due to his small stature and his lack of
experience with women. In some ways, he reminds me of myself. With its sharply
defined lines of good and evil, “Captain America” conjures up memories of the
original “Superman,” although it lacks the grandiose quality of Richard
Donner’s classic. Much of the plot ties into “Thor” and sets up “The Avengers”
but these elements are weaved in such a way as to not be overly intrusive,
which was one of the common criticisms of “Iron Man 2.” The depiction of Hydra
and the Red Skull can come off as cartoonish and is reminiscent of “G.I. Joe:
The Rise of Cobra” from the uniformed soldiers to the retro futuristic,
energy-based weapons. What it lacks in subtlety and nuance, “Captain America:
The First Avenger” makes up for solid, wholesome entertainment.
Initially, I was skeptical of Chris Evans
being cast as Steve Rogers. I always felt he was more at home playing sarcastic
and snarky characters like Johnny Storm from “Fantastic Four” or Jake Jenson
from “The Losers.” However, Evans creates an instantly likable presence in
Steve Rogers and imbues the character with an earnest goodness and a slight
naiveté. You really do believe he can inspire and be a leader. Even when he is
forced to do an embarrassing musical number, Rogers takes it with a smile. Hugo
Weaving was a natural choice in playing the Red Skull. Sure, his nastiness is
the stuff of comic books but it’s great to see one of the most iconic villains
in the Marvel Universe done so right. Hayley Atwell is fine as Peggy Carter and
has some nice chemistry with Evans but their romance didn’t feel real until the
final minutes when the two share a heartbreaking good-bye. Tommy Lee Jones uses
his crusty demeanor to his advantage, delivering plenty of one-liners with a
straight face. He’s definitely one of the more fun supporting characters since
J. Jonah Jameson from the “Spider-Man” films. Dominic Cooper largely apes
Robert Downey Jr. as his father, Howard Stark while Sebastian Stan as Bucky
Barnes just isn’t in the film enough to make an impression, despite his
importance in the comic books.
The action scenes aren’t too memorable but
they remain enjoyable, especially when Cap finally engages in a brawl with the
Red Skull. Despite all the fantastical elements, there’s something
old-fashioned with watching two people go at it without the use of crazy
powers. The CG is competent, if unremarkable but I do agree that the special
effects crew did a stunning job in slimming down Evans. Originally, director
Joe Johnston used a body double but it never felt right to him, so he decided
to use Evans but shrink him down using CG. “Captain America: The First Avenger”
is another one of those
post-converted 3D films but I decidedly to stick with good old-fashion 2D. I
cannot comment on whether if the conversion is done well but I feel 2D fits
since the picture takes place in the 1940’s.
Released in regular 2D and 3D on July 22,
2011, “Captain America: The First Avenger” has received largely positive
reviews with 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the film a ‘solidly
old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment’ with ‘plenty of pulpy action, a
pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances.’ Although opening in
the shadow of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” caused some
concern, the film is doing solid business and has earned $26 million so an
opening weekend of $60 to $65 million is possible. “Deathly Hallows Part 2”
seems to have experienced a massive drop due to being frontloaded. With this
last film, all the characters are now finally in place for “The Avengers” next
summer. While its origin story fails to break new ground and lacks nuance,
“Captain America: The First Avenger” uses its simple, good-natured tone to its
advantage, creating a wildly enjoyable flick with likable performances and
plenty of solid action.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5
“Whatever happens, stay who you are. Not
just a soldier, but a good man.”
Note:
Make sure to stay through the entire credits for a special teaser trailer of
"The Avengers," to be released on May 4, 2012!
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