Movie Review: ‘Captain America’

B+

Summer 2011 has brought avid moviegoers and comic fans disappointment after disappointment on the silver screen. The summer started off with “Thor,” which was a tribute to the gods of mediocrity. Next, “X-Men: First Class” gave us a first glimpse at some of the lamest of mutants. Then, “The Green Lantern” flickered out quickly. But, when all hope seemed to be lost, Captain America saved the day.

Though there are some minor flaws in the genesis story of The Avengers, “Captain America” was the first fun, original and intelligent comic book movie of the summer. The plot takes the audience back to the time of the greatest generation, a term coined by Tom Brokaw to describe the can-do attitude in America during WWII.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wanted nothing more than to be a quintessential part of the war effort against the Nazis, but had been repeatedly written off by military recruiters because of his mouse-like appearance. After repeated attempts to enlist, his bravado was noticed by Dr. Erskine, a genetic scientist working for the U.S. government.

Steve is turned into a super soldier by the U.S. Army and Howard Stark, intending to be the first of many. When the formula for his new-found strength is destroyed by a double-agent, Steve is turned into a propaganda tool instead of an actual warrior.

When he reaches the front line U.S.O. show on the European front, he finds his childhood friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is MIA with no rescue mission planned. Against the wishes of his commanding officer (Tommy Lee Jones), Captain America invades a Nazi-sanctioned military base run by the mad Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his army of followers known as HYDRA. This army, of course, is armed to the teeth with futuristic weapons. They are still no match for Captain America though.

Just when his rescue effort had been written off as a failure, Steve returned to base with nearly all of the captured American soldiers and a respectable sample of enemy weaponry. So, the Army gives Captain America his own attack team to wage war against HYDRA.

The plot takes a supernatural turn that is best seen in theaters that would be spoiled in a review. However, the magic of “Captain America: The First Avenger” doesn’t lie in its admittedly tired plot but in its unique display of an era of when American patriotism was at its peak.

Captain America is a truly inspiring hero, without the flaws of a common man. In a society used to flawed heroes like Thor and antiheroes like Batman, a real role model was a welcome reminder of the past.

Chris Evans did a perfectly good job of playing the hero, but it probably could have been portrayed by any trained monkey in red, white and blue tights just as well. His co-stars owned the show though- Tommy Lee Jones always plays a perfect hardened warrior, Hugo Weaving has mastered the perfect villain role, and the love interest Peggy (Hayley Atwell) serves up an era-appropriate beauty with a side of empowered feminism. Guest appearances by Nick Fury and Howard Stark also help tie the many Marvel stories together.

Bottom line: “Captain America: The First Avenger” was by far the best superhero movie of the summer, and a necessary piece of the Avengers story. It is not as fast-paced as “Iron Man 2” or as dramatic as “The Dark Knight,” but is still entirely enjoyable. It’s certainly worth a watch in any student’s last few days of freedom before the new semester starts.

Posted by Ryan Del Campo on Aug 4 2011. Filed under Features, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.