“Captain America: The First Avenger,” based on a character that first appeared in comics in the early 1940s, has a winning spirit because its star, Chris Evans, brings humor, heart and virtue to its hero and our interest holds even when the action becomes predictable. With its muted color scheme that evokes an earlier time, the movie is nostalgic although there are plenty of CGI and over-the-top action. Steve Rogers (Evans), a skinny Brooklyn kid, tries desperately to pass a World War II army physical that will put him in the middle of the action. After several failed attempts, Steve meets Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a doctor who thinks this earnest but scrawny kid is a perfect fit for his super soldier experiment. Injected with a blue serum and then bombarded with a ‘Vita-Ray,’ Steve emerges, muscular and fit and ready to serve. Unfortunately, Col. Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), the grumpy officer in command of the top-secret project, doesn’t know what to do with just one super soldier. So Steve is put to work as a stage performer, selling war bonds. Meanwhile, the Nazis and their science division, known as HYDRA, have their own secret weapon, a series of nuclear-style bombs designed to be dropped on American cities. Its project mastermind is a rogue officer named Red Skull (an effective Hugo Weaving) and if Steve’s transformation is into a godlike hero, Red Skull is his polar opposite.
Weaving is not the only member of this strong supporting cast. Toby Jones is creepy as HYDRA’s second in command, Dr. Arnim Zola; British actress Hayley Atwell is both feisty and sensuous as potential love interest Peggy Carter; and Tommy Lee Jones has a lot of fun with Col. Chester Phillips. Joe Johnson demonstrates a firm directorial hand with the fantastical elements, the staging the 1942’s World’s Exposition, the War Bond road shows and the requisite special effects. And, depending how you look at it, “Captain America,” along with Hulk, Thor and both Iron Man movies, is a teaser for a movie coming out in May 2012 called “The Avengers.’ (It’s a movie I’m looking forward to seeing.) “Captain America: The First Avenger” is often corny and preposterous, but it’s also touching and satisfying. 7/22/11
2 comments:
This is the best "Super Hero" movie so far! The reason........it has a pretty good story and some good characters. I thought the cast was great and the villain was truly nasty. Surprisingly good!
This film is touching, well acted and had a couple of surprises for me. Tnis movie is a must see!! One of the top ten films of the year!!
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