Captain America: The First Avenger | Review

Remember when Marvel’s superhero films weren’t created to push forward the upcoming ‘Avengers’ movie? Those were the days. This new film by Marvel Studios, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, almost succeeds in being the type of superhero film I just mentioned. Sure, it does feature elements of ‘The Avengers’, but that’s literally only at the end of the film. Everything else in this film is strictly Captain America and his origin story, just like how the first ‘Iron Man’ film and ‘The Incredible Hulk’ were back in 2008.

Before he was Captain America, he was a frail and sickly young man by the name of Steve Rogers. Portrayed surprisingly well by Chris Evans (‘The Fantastic Four’), Rogers is weak but determined to serve his country in the line of duty during World War II. Roger wishes only to join the army to protect the country he loves. This kind of self-sacrifice and determination, added by the charisma and likability of Chris Evans, makes Steve Rogers a hero we root for.

Steve gets his with the help of Doctor Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who has created a super-soldier formula that’ll be tested upon Rogers. The formula is a success and as a result, enemies appear. The major antagonist within the film is Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), a Nazi leader and Hitler’s specialist on advanced weaponry, and who’s alter ego is the menacing Red Skull. The origin of the Red Skull and his relationship with Dr. Erskine is revealed early on. What makes this antagonist a little more interesting is the fact that he isn’t a strict follower of Adolf Hitler, and instead attempts to surpass Der Fuhrer with plans of his own involving a cosmic cube from the ‘Thor’ universe itself.

Red Skull’s team consists of a tiny scientist, Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), and hundreds of standard, faceless minions who always seem to miss their targets when shooting. Captain America’s team is far more interesting, with the brilliant engineer and future father of Iron Man himself, Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper); the tough and mean-faced Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones); the beautiful Army officer and Captain America’s romantic interest Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell); a side-kick by the name of Bucky Barns (Sebastian Stan); and various prisoner-of-war men of various characteristics and personalities.

Howard Stark is the man behind Captain America’s costume, and particularly the indestructible shield. Captain America’s shield, made out of the rare and fictional vibranium, has the ability to absorb vibrations, and thus pretty much all forms of energy.

Some of the most interesting films this year have been set in a different time period, such as ‘X-Men: First Class’ or ‘Super 8’. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ benefits from its authentic-looking 1940’s America setting, making for a more fun visual delight.

Of all the superhero-origins films this summer, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is the best. It’s much better than Marvel’s first summer film this year, ‘Thor‘, which I liked, but it’s pretty mediocre to some of the best superhero films. And it’s much, much better than the uneven ‘Green Lantern‘. In fact, ‘Captain America’ is almost as good as 2008’s ‘Iron Man’, because both films take their time setting up their main players, build upon the events that take place within the film, and focus more on story than idiotic and mindless action (that’s not to say ‘Captain America’ doesn’t feature explosions and action sequences, but they don’t over-take the film). But, like ‘Iron Man’, the film features a weak final battle between the hero and the villain. In fact, the ending to the final fight in ‘Captain America’ never really resolves, and it’s disappointing because something random and seemingly out-of-nowhere occurs that ends it.

‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is directed by Joe Johnston (‘October Sky’), who’s only film I’d seen is ‘The Wolfman’, which was horrible. But thankfully, he’s created a good superhero origin film that can stand on its own. Though Chris Evans is perfect for the role of  the cocky and comic-relief Human Torch in the ‘Fantastic Four’ films, he’s just as perfect, if not better suited, for the role of Captain America. Evans successfully portrays the human aspect of Steve Rogers, including the bravery and charisma.

Three out of four Kents.

Extra Notes:

• Wait after the credits, because there’s a scene involving the future ‘Avengers’ film, as well as a teaser trailer for it.