We went to see Captain America: The First Avenger on Tuesday, and despite other reviews that you may have read, it’s a damn good movie. If you don’t know anything much about Captain America, we’ll give you some of Cap’s back story as we write, okay?
After the outbreak of World War II in Europe, a young patriot named Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) attempted to serve his country by joining the army. He was rejected, due to his scrawny and frail physique, and was classified 4-F. He gained the attention of scientist Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who was searching for test subjects for a top-secret experiment to create a Super Soldier, called Operation: Rebirth.
As a result of Operation: Rebirth, Steve Rogers gained speed, strength, endurance and agility that was nearly superhuman. With his abilities, unwavering courage, and ‘never say die’ attitude, Captain America is a living legend. He went on to fight Nazis during World War II, many times battling his arch-enemy, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).
Now, unlike most superhero movies that have a ton of flashy effects other over-the-topness, Captain America: The First Avenger, is something way different. It’s not only a superhero movie, but also a war movie. The movie never forgets itself or falls into spandex-draped stupidity. As a matter of fact, the movie feels less like a superhero movie set in World War II, but a World War II movie that just happens to have a superhero running around in it (Kind of like Battle: Los Angeles).
Captain America isn’t just good for a superhero movie, it’s a legitimately exciting and entertaining flick, with solid, believable performances from all of the actors. We all know that Chris Evans was capable of getting heroic, especially during his run as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies but he displayed an impressive amount of range and depth with the character of Steve Rogers, especially during his pre-transformation scenes.
Origin stories are always tough, as a superhero movie’s core demographic is usually intimately familiar with every facet of the legend after decades of iconic tales. Captain America: The First Avenger skirts this problem by fully investing the audience in Steve Rogers back when he was nothing more than a 90-pound weakling.
For long-time fans of Captain America and those of us who just can’t wait for the Avengers movie, Captain America: The First Avenger is loaded up with Easter eggs, cameos, references and foreshadowing. Definitely a must-see.
