Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, Samuel L. Jackson, Stanley Tucci
Captain America: The First Avenger is among the superior Marvel films, as is its sequel, The Winter Soldier (2014). Its backdrop is World War II and Captain America is created to take on extreme evil in the form of Nazis at first and then Hydra, which threatens to engulf Nazism as the biggest threat to humanity. A super soldier like Captain America is needed, but will he be enough to thwart Hydra? His task is daunting, especially when their technology is far ahead of anything even the genius Howard Stark (Cooper) can dream up for the Allies.
We first meet Steve Rogers (Evans) as a scrawny, tiny Brooklyn guy who dreams of joining the fight against the Axis Powers in World War II. Because of his size and his variety of physical maladies, he is repeatedly rejected by the Army, but Rogers is not one to take defeat lying down. This catches the eye of Dr. Erskine (Tucci), who thinks Rogers just might be the man for his new experiment which turns guys like Steve Rogers into guys like Captain America. When the experiment is completed, Rogers is no longer a shrimpy punching bag, but a tall, buff superhero with super quick metabolism and even quicker ability to heal. He soon wears a red, white, and blue costume and is fitted with the emblematic Vibranium shield which can stop a tank. That Vibranium stuff later comes in handy in other Marvel films, such as Black Panther and Iron Man.
Helping out Captain America in his war against the Nazis and soon, the dastardly Johann Schmidt/Red Skull (Weaving-who has this villain thing down to a science) whose modest goals for Hydra include launching missiles which can destroy the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, are Agent Carter (Atwell), Steve's childhood friend Bucky (Stan), and the ornery Col. Phillips (Jones), who warms up to Rogers very, very slowly. The Eastern Seaboard seems to be prime target for many a villain's schemes in moviedom. Just saying.
What separates Captain America: The First Avenger from other CGI inundated superhero films which come later is that it relies on characters more than effects. I'd rather see Captain America take on the Nazis than a group of Avengers fighting the incomprehensible Ultron or Thor trying to save Asgard from yet another hostile takeover. There is something pure and true about Captain America which we can relate to, and very human as well. Sure there are CGI effects in Captain America, but they don't overwhelm everything else.
What happens in this film sets the stage for the two Captain America sequels, and the introduction of The Winter Soldier to the mix. The Captain America films are about something, and are interested in furthering the story than just filling the screen with nonsense. There is a darkness about Captain America because he sacrifices so much to win. If you're wondering how a World War II era superhero can become one of the modern day Avengers, well this movie fills in those blanks quite nicely too.
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