For many years, the Hollywood system has been bound to creating sci-fi blockbusters with nifty technology and flashy special effects. Marvel seemed to have been the one to set this up ever since the first X-Men in 2000. Once that became a hit, Hollywood had been under the impression that the reason people liked that film so much was because of its advanced sci-fi style. Since then, the only superhero films to come out of Marvel were films under such scientific establishments, such as Spider-Man or Iron Man, especially after how films like Hulk and Daredevil were not doing nearly as well. But through their creation of Iron Man, they took a gigantic risk by creating a continuity series building up to an adaptation of The Avengers. From what I can recall, The Avengers is the first attempt to tie together all sorts of superheroes into one big-budget blockbuster. But in order for The Avengers to work, all four films tied in with it have to be successful. This is a big risk, as some of the Avengers superheroes don't involve the scientific establishments of those other superheroes. So far, both Iron Man movies, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor have made big bucks and are even getting sequels in the near future, and I've personally given them all huge thumbs up ratings. Now, we've come down to the last of Marvel's Avengers movies.
To be honest, I didn't expect this one to be particularly good. I was never a fan of Captain America. I personally rarely ever read comics, but I always study them through other sources, and Captain America always seemed like a silly superhero to me. A soldier who wears tights themed as the American flag and fights a red-headed Nazi? It sounds more like a parody of a superhero than an actual superhero! Sure, I was able to tolerate Superman, but this was really pushing it! But at the same time, I didn't think Marvel would take this huge of a risk and throw out a sloppily put together adaptation to go along with this Avengers series after everything else they did right. Then again, I thought something along those lines for The Last Airbender as well, and we all know how that turned out. Regardless of my beliefs that it wouldn't be particularly good, I was hoping that it would be entertaining at the least. Needless to say, the film went beyond my expectations.
The film takes place in 1942 during World War II, during America's attempt to fight off Nazis. One ex-Nazi named Johann Schmidt, played by Hugo Weaving, has set up a secret group known as HYDRA. He's on the search for a mythical power that could give his army the advantage that it needs. He finds a stone that he states belonged to a god named Odin (SOUND FAMILIAR?), and he utilizes its power to create a new line of weapons for his soldiers. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, is attempting to enlist in the army, but he constantly gets rejected because he's short and wimpy. However, one recruiter/scientist named Dr. Abraham Erskine, played by Stanley Tucci, recruits Steve and chooses him for an experiment. He gets a serum injected into him and gets "zapped" (or something along those lines), and he becomes a superhuman, growing stronger and taller than ever before. His first job as a superhuman is dressing up as a mascot known as Captain America and trying to get people to by war bonds. At first, he gets angry, but after a rescue mission, he realizes that this symbol becomes popular and inspirational, and he decides to stylize his war uniform in the same manner for his next few assault missions to fight against HYDRA.
One challenge that both Thor and Captain America were meant to overcome was giving what was essentially campy on paper just the right tone so that the audience could take it seriously as well while also throwing together a few funny moments on the side. While Thor managed to overcome this challenge, Captain America was an even bigger challenge. As I mentioned, I always found this hero to be silly and over-the-top, so I expected nothing more than a campy superhero flick. However, the way the story is established in this film lets the audience know that what was presented in the comics was essentially silly. Not only that, but they let us know that Captain America is the true hero that we never saw from afar. That alone makes it the polar opposite of that terrible film from the 70s..... I mean, the 90s.
For me, the best thing about this film is how compelling the protagonist is. On the outside, Steve Rogers is a wimp, but because he's so weak, he's grown to be kind and responsible on the inside. There's even a scene where he uses his body to try to cover up a grenade while everyone else runs away, proving that he has more guts to put his life on the line for his country than anyone else in that army. That's why he was chosen for the experiment in the first place; so that they can make him just as strong on the outside as he is on the inside.
The last thing I expected from this movie was visual flair, but they pull that off rather nicely. The visual style of this film is slick and appealing. The lighting and shading of everything shows just how much effort was put into what was essentially a big risk. What especially surprises me is how realistic Schmidt looks in his Red Skull form. I'm still trying to figure out if that is CGI or make-up, but it looks fantastic. Granted, it's not the most unique visual style; in fact, it brought me back to the 2005 version of King Kong. Also, it's definitely the most low-key visual flair among all of Marvel's Avengers movies, which is kind of disappointing after the grand style of Thor. Regardless, considering the standards of the superhero at hand, they did a fantastic job.
The action scenes are very well-constructed as well. The shoot-em-ups are flashy, the hand-to-hand combat is well-established, the camera rarely ever gets shaky.... In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's on par with the action scenes in the other Avengers movies. Granted, there's more hand-to-hand combat than gunfire and explosions, but it's still very exhilarating. I can't even go as low as to call it campy. It honestly looks like the big-budget action blockbuster that we usually expect and get from other Marvel superheroes.
The performances are stellar. Chris Evans, usually playing the badass dude in just about any other movie he's in, pulls off the weak yet kind nature of Steve Rogers. Even when he does become a superhuman, there are still moments when he comes off as pathetic (as in, emotional). But to be perfectly honest, just about everybody else in the film is a cartoon character. But I'm sure that's somewhat what they were shooting for, and those cartoony performances are nevertheless very entertaining. Hugo Weaving's performance is equivalent to his performance as Agent Smith in the Matrix movies in the way that he's an oddball, but with a certain sense of elegance. Though one thing I have to complain about is how he tries to pull off a German accent. When he says that the stone will lead his army to "wictory," my palm went straight into my face. Tommy Lee Jones is.... well, Tommy Lee Jones. He walks and talks in straight lines.... Who else would be better to play a general in Captain America?
Though it's fully aware of how silly it tends to get, Captain America is a surprisingly well put together comic book movie. Much like Thor, it manages to deliver just the right tone so that the audience can take it just as seriously as it takes itself while having fun on the side. The visual style is extravagant, and the action scenes add to its flair. The performances are stellar, knowing who's supposed to be silly and who's supposed to be serious. This is the last film in Marvel's attempts to introduce the characters that will be in next summer's Avengers flick, and now that all five films have turned out solid, we can only hope that it will live up to its four-year hype.
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