Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger
When a superhero origin story movie is made it is inevitable that someone will be disappointed. Character introductions, lengthy exposition, and transformation scenes are all keys to getting the uninitiated up to speed, but can be merely a rehash for the target fanboy audience. Admittedly I went into Captain America: The First Avenger as a relative novice to the character’s history and status as one of Marvel Comic’s oldest heroic icons. The Captain has not exactly maintained a commercial presence outside of the realm of comic books like Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman (seriously how many people on the street would know his real name?). As a prelude to next year’s massive The Avengers, Captain America succeeds in introducing many of us to one of that film’s key heroes and does so with retro charm, efficient action sequences, and enough heart to care about the scenes in between all of the explosions.
Brooklyn pipsqueak Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is our hero – a diminutive scrapper determined to join the U.S. armed forces as World War II rages. On the home front, Steve is designated 4-F (not fit to serve) but continues to prove his masochistic mettle in fights with guys twice his size. His best friend is called up and the two celebrate by checking out the Stark Industries Modern Marvels pavilion at the World’s Fair (lots of in-jokes for the “true believers” here). Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) is aligned with Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci doing his best Dr. Strangelove) in a secret government experiment to perfect cell regeneration in the human body and beat Hitler in the “Supermen” race. Rogers’ foolhardy bravery in trying to sneak into the army impresses the scientists and he is subsequently strapped into a human-size blender. But before that it’s off to basic training.
Here’s where the movie lags in its crucial early stages. The training scenes are played for laughs – especially the gruff deadpan humor of Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips (a Men in Black-style role he could play in his sleep) and the flirtations between Rogers and his comely British superior Peggy Carter (buxom caricature Hayley Atwell). The corny stuff and all-American hokum is in keeping with comic book tradition, but for an audience primed for action it may prove wearying – a patriotic musical sequence in the George M. Cohan tradition is the most egregious example and might remind some of Peter Parker’s indulgent disco moves in Spider-Man 3.
A few minutes in Dr. Erskine’s contraption and tiny, bullied Steve becomes the muscle-bound warrior soon to be dubbed Captain America and within seconds is chasing down a Nazi spy’s getaway car and submarine in the movie’s first big action sequence. Another entry in the 3D bonanza, Captain America employs the technology to dazzling effect and helps to hide the distractions of CGI – though the weird sight of pre-Cap Chris Evans’ normal head on a frail CG body is a bit unsettling. After enduring the ignominy of being a USO mascot, Rogers finally sees real action when he, Stark, and Carter go on a covert mission to rescue the soldiers (including Roger’s best friend) being held at the fortress of the diabolical Johann Schmidt – a superhuman so evil he has gone AWOL from his work as a Nazi occult expert because Hitler’s plan for world domination is small potatoes to him. Hugo Weaving relishes this slithery role with a Werner Herzog accent and a red skull lurking beneath a synthetic human mask.
Chris Evans in Captain America: The First Avenger. © 2011 – Paramount Pictures.
With an updated costume and a stars-and-stripes shield made from impenetrable metal and a taste for vengeance when his friend is killed, Rogers leads the charge in a series of battles leading to the rushed, inevitable showdown with Red Skull. After dispatching his nemesis, the finale sees Steve’s plane crashing in the snowy tundra – it is an anti-climax which pays short shrift to the romantic angle with Peggy in favor of making sure Rogers ends up in the 21st century in order to join forces with the rest of the Avengers next year. We have much to look forward to next summer if the entertaining formula that kept me interested through most of Captain America: The First Avenger remains in place. I can’t speak for the satisfaction level of dyed-in-wool fans, but can say with confidence that Captain America is an above-average, nostalgic tribute to the WWII-era purpose of American superheroes in a year which saw Superman of all characters renounce his U.S. citizenship.
Gregory Fichter
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