Captain America: The First Avenger

“I don’t like bullies; I don’t care where they’re from.”

Swift shot: Captain America is one bad-ass hero.  He defines courage and commitment; quite literally he has inspired thousands of people, men and women, to don their nation’s uniform as soldiers – and Chris Evans doesn’t hump the bunk.  He was Human Torch in Fantastic Four as well, and that character was a real cocky little punk.  With Steve Rogers, though, Evans brings a more serious presence to the classic shield-wielding super soldier.  As his creator reminds him, a strong man loses respect for strength and power, but a weak man will never take it for granted.  Still, none of that matters a hill of beans, because Tommy Lee Jones as the ever charming, Colonel Phillips, steals the whole film!

Steve Rogers is a courageous man in an ill-matched frame.  He is never afraid to stick up for the little guy, and his passion for his nation is unequaled.  When war is upon his people, he wants desperately to join the military ranks.  But, try as he might, he always comes back a 4F, reject/defect.  He has tried lying several times, but the astute military doctors always give him the same diagnosis, and merely the asthma alone keeps him disqualified after countless attempts.  On his last attempt though, he earns the attention of a German Doctor Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who selects him for a top-secret, super soldier squad.  From there, his life is never the same – his path as the First Avenger is chiseled in stone.

Captain America was always one of my favorite heroes as a kid, because he symbolized hope and the promise that regardless of size or stature, the size of your character can lead to great things if you commit yourself.  Really, that is what Cap is all about, and that is why he hates bullies – they have strength but use it for evil.  They are spoiled.  Steve does quite a bit of bully bashing in this film, but his journey to become Captain America doesn’t necessarily play out as he envisioned.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the Nazi super scientist group, Hydra (kill one head, two more grow back) led by the incredibly power- hungry Johan Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) is searching for what most assume to be legend, but he and Hydra deem fact.  Finally capturing the super-natural element, Hydra is nearly unstoppable on the battlefield.

And, while this movie may be torn from a comic book, it is, in earnest a war film, set almost entirely in the 1940s as war ravages the world and madmen are commonplace.  Still, that is an adequate setting for a comic book, now that I think about it.  Because Rogers is a Captain, he needs a commander, enter Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) who had high hopes for the super soldier serum, but Hydra quickly shatters his dreams and he becomes more grounded and pragmatic as the film proceeds.  Still, Phillips’ team is staffed by the lethally accurate Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell), who is as gorgeous as she is deadly with a pistol, and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), yes, THAT Howard Stark, the head of Stark Industries.  And where would any self-respecting super-hero be without his trusty side-kick, for Cap, the omnipresent Bucky (Sebastian Stan) who is there for Steve regardless of risk.

Some of the things that really worked in this film, the Gothic stylized Hydra sequences, where the action really feels set in the forties against somewhat modern technology courtesy of Hydra and Stark conversely.  The story was a bit hokey in places, but for the most part can be forgiven for simply trying to stay true red, white and blue to Cap’s origins.  Remember, this is an origin film, and they can be difficult to keep flowing.  The costumes and the 3D effects with the shield were pretty smashing, if you’ll excuse the pun . . . one guy to my left actually flinched when Cap tossed his shield seemingly at the audience through a clever bounce off a troop-carrier to dispatch a Hydra agent.

There is plenty of action in Captain America, but there is also a lot of cheese – even scenes that were supposed to be ‘dramatic’ captured a few unintended laughs from the audience, like during the Hydra salute scenes, each time they drew a moan and a snort-giggle.  But, while those laughs were unintended, EVERY line Tommy Lee Jones delivered got a huge reaction from the audience, and I would see this film again just to experience them with new friends at my side.  Finally, the Howling Commandos make their first appearance, much to the delight of stalwart Cap fans – and they blow up a lot shit and cause a huge ruckus.

What I didn’t like about Captain America was, sadly, Chris Evans was believable, and he passed, but I never got a lump in my throat where I felt he had become Captain America, where I really felt for him.  It was more like, I knew I was watching a film and being entertained the entire time – still, he was Human Torch already, so maybe that destroyed the immersion factor that so many Role Players seek when casting their two ten-sided dice and comparing FASERIP.  Like, to me, Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine, period.  I can’t say the same for Evans.  Also, Red Skull was never developed to any significant degree, he was well portrayed by Weaving, who simply loves wearing false faces it seems.

But, if you just love The Avengers, and especially if you love the Captain America character, this is one for you to screen – there is a lot of big action, grandiose special effects and while I saw this in 3D, there were really only three sequences worthy of 3D and almost so self-serving it becomes detracting.  See this in a high quality theater or watch it at home on Blu Ray, but if you are a fan of Marvel – this shouldn’t disappoint.  Make sure you stick around after the credits, this Avengers teaser is one you don’t want to miss!