Captain America: The First Avenger

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Summary: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers for a risky procedure to transform himself into a super soldier. As Captain America, he battles against the evil Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), who is determined to destroy the world.

Review:

Tim: I'm a unabashed Marvel fanboy, but I don't feel any guilt about really enjoying Captain America: The First Avenger. The movie was not easy to pull off- it's a superhero film set in the 1940s, during World War II, and features a superhero without any real "super" powers. And yet, director Joe Johnston pulls the movie off incredibly. The film is entertaining, fun, and everything I was hoping from a Captain America movie.

There's a lot of ways this movie could have gone poorly, but it avoided them all. It's always difficult when you adapt such a patriotic superhero to the screen. Captain America stands for what makes the United States of America great. He was terrific back in the day, but how would he translate today, where America's place in the world is on shaky ground? I found that he worked very well on the big screen. The movie wisely makes him stand for universal values- not just American ones. I didn't see any problems with this aspect of the film. The time period helped, as it connected these character to a time when American pride was at an all-time high.

The cast was superb. Selecting an actor for Captain America wasn't easy. They went with a big of an unconventional choice, in that Chris Evans was already recognizable as another Marvel superhero. However, the performance Evans gives completely wiped any memories of the Human Torch away. He really embodies Steve Rogers the man, and I very much enjoyed him in the role. It's a very serious performance, and I like the way he approached it. I can't imagine any other actor in the role. He plays it straight, but that's exactly how it needed to be done.

The film also did terrific work in casting the Red Skull. He's one of the greatest Marvel villains, yet isn't exactly easy to make believable on the screen. They did two things right that made all the difference. First, they cast the incredible Hugo Weaving in the role. I love Weaving and believe he makes every film he's in better. He was the absolute right choice for the role. Secondly, the makeup and special effects did a fantastic job bringing his bright red skull to life. He looks exactly as you'd hope he would.

The rest of the supporting cast is very good. I love the casting of Tommy Lee Jones. It was the perfect part for him. Sebastian Stan is very good as Bucky. Hayley Atwell was surprisingly good in a strong, fearless performance as Peggy Carter. I thought she worked well with Evans and their relationship was the heart of the film. I absolutely loved Stanley Tucci in the film. His performance is understated, but brilliant. He's in my favorite scene (the night before the procedure) and he brings so much heart to the film. I wouldn't have liked this film as much as I did without Tucci's presence.

The film does a great job of channeling those rip-roaring adventure films of yesteryear. This movie feels very different from most comic book superhero movies. I love that it takes place in the 1940s, while also doing a fantastic job of connecting the story to the larger mythology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie features some very good action sequences and special effects, but it's always focused first and foremost on the characters. Because of that, we care about what's happening on screen.

The movie also did an incredible job with the Steve Rogers transformation. With a combination of a stand-in and special effects, they transform Rogers from a 90 pound weakling (which is pretty shocking to see Evans look like that) into the perfect super soldier of Captain America. The moment when we see the transformation take place is truly something amazing. The film absolutely got this aspect right, which wasn't easy to pull off. Once they believably transformed Rogers like that, I was sold the rest of the way.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a unique, entertaining action movie. It recalls films like the Indiana Jones trilogy with nice comic book flourishes. The film does a fantastic job of introducing this character to the big screen, as well as setting up next summer's The Avengers. I was very, very pleased with how this came out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk