So Captain America is the last piece of Marvel's grand "Avengers" experiment, where super heroes each with their own franchise come together, played by the same actors, as part of a cohesive storyline, in next May's Avengers picture. Captain America is one of Marvel's heavy hitters. Nominally the leader of the Avengers, he's sort of a legendary figure in Marvel's universe, and a movie featuring him could either go very, very right, or very, very wrong, depending on how capable the hands responsible turn out to be. When I found out that they'd be setting the Captain America movie in WW2 where it belongs, and that the flick would be in the very capable hands of director Joe Johnston, who proved to be more than up to the genre and period in the underrated classic "The Rocketeer", I breathed a little easier, and Captain America was one of my most anticipated flicks of the summer. So it's 1942. The US is newly joined in WW2, and the nation's war machine is gearing up for the war of the century. Basically every able-bodied man has enlisted or been drafted into the armed forces, and 90 pound Steve Rogers wants nothing more than to be able to do his duty, like his father before him and pretty much everyone he knows, including best friend Bucky Barnes. Despite rejection after rejection, all-around good dude and general weakling is determined to do his part and continues to try and enlist, despite common sense and the advice of pretty much everyone, everywhere. His determination and heart of gold catches the attention of a Dr. Erskine, a German scientist who has been working with a secret American program. This program seeks to develop "super soldiers" to combat advanced Nazi weaponry. Steve gets selected as the test subject, and the rest, as they say, is fate. He becomes Captain America, whose strength, speed, and agility are greatly enhanced, and he becomes a legend both at home and abroad.
Now in the wrong hands this flick could come off as overly corny or jingoistic at worst. Captain America is the most American of super heroes.. he's literally in the US military and a wartime propaganda tool after all. Rather than run away from this fact and attempt to insert some postmodern cynicism, the filmmakers decided to embrace it headlong. At times the flick seems like a wartime propaganda film, but it's so earnestly and well done that it works. 21st century snark doesn't belong in World War Two.. and the ethos of Steve Rogers, which would be naive and laughable in 2011, are endearing and heroic in World War Two's greatest hero. The tone of the flick is pitch-perfect. It's part super hero story, part Indiana Jones-type adventure, part war flick. It's funny when it needs to be, and yet serious enough for the subject matter.
Now none of this would be possible without the cast. They all hit the right notes. Chris Evans plays Rogers' earnestness just right.. you truly understand why such a man would be beloved by children and fellow soldiers alike. Tommy Lee Jones is great as the gruff Colonel Phillips, in a role that few other actors could have pulled off. Hugo Weaving (as the villainous Johan Schmidt), Dominic Cooper (as Howard "Tony's Dad" Stark), Sebastian Stan (As Bucky Barnes), and Stanley Tucci as Dr Ermitage create a great cast of supporting characters and round out the world of Captain America. English Actress Hayley Atwell is both slamming hot and terrific as love interest Peggy Carter.
All in all, this is a movie that's a ton of fun to watch. The characters are well-rounded, the plot is straight-forward enough, and the atmosphere, direction and acting are done just right. This is what summer movies and superhero movies are all about. Personally, I can't wait for this one to come out on DVD so I can watch it repeatedly. Marvel has done it again, kudos.
8.3/10.
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