Summer Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

Another superhero movie? What a surprise. Well, 1967 was the Summer Of Love; and 2011 is apparently the Summer Of Superheroes. I wasn’t very familiar with this superhero, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to see the movie. So here is my review of Captain America: The First Avenger:

Chris Evans portrays Steve Rogers, a young man desperate to serve his country during WWII (the movie takes place in 1942) but constantly rejected, marked ‘4F’ wherever he tries to enlist, because he is underweight and plagued with health issues. But Steve refuses to give up, dedicated to follow his friends into battle. Having been bullied most of his life, Steve sees the Nazis as bullies and wants to help in defeating them once and for all.

Just when Steve thinks he will never be able to serve his country he finds himself approved/marked ‘1A’ by a kind doctor, Dr. Erskine (played by the delightful Stanley Tucci) and is officially enlisted in the US Army. Steve struggles during boot camp, but his endurance and determination capture the attention of Dr. Erskine, who recommends that Steve be selected for a top secret medical experiment. The experiment involves having Steve injected with a special serum that will increase his stamina, his muscle tone, his endurance - but this is not just some 1940s steroid. Steve survives the painful, dangerous process and emerges as a super-strong, physically fit soldier.

But, instead of being utilized in battle Steve removed from the army and picked up by public relations firm, is named Captain America and goes on a tour around the US, selling war bonds, becoming a celebrity and spokesman for patriotism. Steve is disconcerted, wanting to fight in battle alongside his friends and colleagues.

Meanwhile, a Nazi named Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) has gone rogue and created his own army and an alternate identity, named Red Skull; he is involved in a dangerous project called HYDRA, that could mean obliteration for the entire world.

Steve/Captain America succeeds in single-handedly rescuing a large platoon of captured soldiers, proving himself to the skeptical Colonel Phillips (played with perfect gruffness by Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones). Several members of the rescued party become devoted to Steve and with him form a small, special ops band assigned to seek out and destroy Red Skull.

Steve receives assistance from the technical genius Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), who builds Steve the ultimate accessory - a specialized shield that can withstand just about any kind of weapon and that can work as a boomerang! Steve is also aided by the beautiful, brave Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

I was completely captivated by this movie - it exceeded all of my expectations, and then some! The movie successfully embodied the look and feel of the early 1940s, yet managed to be contemporary without betraying the era it represented. The effects were incredible, yet appropriate for the time. The entire cast performed their roles quite well, with Chris Evans a stand out! He successfully held the mantle of the leading man and portrayed Steve Rogers earnestly, as just a regular “good guy”, wanting his chance to make something of himself. And I would like to make a special mention of a song used during Captain America’s war bonds tour - the song is called “Star-Spangled Man” and it is rousing, riveting and very catchy!

I stayed through the closing credits of the movie, hoping that there would be an extra, surprise scene, and I was not disappointed! I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say that there is a brief scene and then a mini-trailer for a new movie, set to release in May 2012 called The Avengers! Awesome! I can’t wait!

Captain America: The First Avenger gets my highest ranking of a: