Mascots, war bonds and comic book characters are just a few of the many symbols created during the WWII era in an effort to raise the hopes and morale of Americans. One of the most famous examples is the Uncle Sam “I Want You” posters, and even Superman was thrown into the war with some of the Fleischer cartoons. But the award for the most blatant example of pro-American WWII pop culture would have to go to Captain America. Dressed like a big American flag and fashioned with a bold letter “A” right on the top of his head, the character was immensely popular during the Nazi fighting days of the early ‘40’s. However, as the war concluded so did the clamoring for super heroes, particularly Cap himself. But when it comes to characters in soap operas and comic books, never say, “die.” Just like in his own storyline, Captain America has once again been resurrected. No, it wasn’t being thawed out from a big block of ice that led to the character’s resurgence, this time around it was something even more frigid and unforgiving . . . Hollywood.Steve Rodgers is a nebbish of man with the heart of a gladiator. Wanting nothing more than to do his part for America in the war effort of the early 1940’s, Rodgers goes as far as to falsify information of his background so he can apply at multiple recruiting centers, only to be perpetually rejected due to his diminutive stature. Refusing to quit, his determination is noticed by Dr. Abraham Erskine, a scientist heading a top-secret program to create the perfect super soldier. Lacking physical attributes but gifted with all of the mental requirements, Rodgers is offered the position of test subject by Dr. Erskine. The experiment transforms Rodgers exterior to match his interior, manifesting in the perfect physical specimen of human ability.
Captain America: The First Avenger is the final stepping stone to Marvel Studios’ incredibly ambitious and unprecedented The Avengers project. Although, director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman, The Rocketeer) made sure that this film was more than just propaganda material. Borrowing from his creative pool during his days on The Rocketeer, Johnston once again sets the quintessential tone of the WWII era by breathing life and a third dimension into Norman Rockwellesque illustrations while still maintaining the ambience already established by the previous Marvel films in The Avengers continuity.
The writing in this film might be unfairly and ironically criticized for sounding like something out of a comic book. However there is a big difference between bad and purposeful dialogue. The script of this film resembles the latter, what could be mistaken for lazy or cheesy writing actually emulates a simpler time period where actions spoke much louder than words. Also, the method in which Captain America is first used by the Army is very clever and poignant to the period, not to mention mirroring the main reason the comic book character was created in the early ‘40s to begin with. The story definitely feels a little frantic in the 2nd act with what seems to be a rushed storyline by way of montage, but Johnston’s intention was to mimic the quick pace of the old-time newsreels that appeared before films in movie theaters of that era. Unfortunately, more of that footage should have focused on Captain America learning how to use his new abilities and wield his shield properly, à la Tony Stark in the first Iron Man film. Instead Rodgers is just inherently able to fight flawlessly and toss the shield around like he’s been doing it all his life. All is forgiven though with the very entertaining 3rd act that invokes some real emotion and pulls the audience deep into the film just in time for its conclusion.
Chris Evans (The Losers, Fantastic Four) may not be the Captain America equivalent of actors, but he does bring the inherent heart needed to fill the role. Incredibly endearing, he embodies the pureness of the character and exerts believability to Cap’s personality. Lines like “I don’t want to kill anybody, I just don’t like bullies,” are definitely cheese infused to the point where Pizza Hut would like to throw it on their menu, but Evans delivers them with conviction, as if he was actually portraying a character from a comic book. Imagine that!
Evans also had the advantage of some crazy-good supporting actors around him, including Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada, The Terminal) as Dr. Erskine and Tommy Lee Jones (The Company Men, No Country for Old Men) as Colonel Chester Phillips, the stereotypical hard ass career Army man played with the meticulously precise amount of deadpan humor that few other actors can portray.
Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, also appears in this film and is an integral plot piece played with just the right amount of demur by Dominic Cooper (The Devil’s Double, Mama Mia). It’s no mistake that Howard Stark is Tony’s father, but Cooper is able to play the role without going into an all out Robert Downey Jr. impression, giving the character his own unique personality.
The Red Skull has to be one of the most evil characters in the Marvel Universe, not only does he want to enslave the entire world but he’s a Nazi to boot. There may only be a handful of actors that can match the intensity needed for such a character, Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix) would definitely be a prime candidate. Weaving, whose real name may actually be more intimidating than the villains he portrays, delivers his lines with diction so perfect that it actually becomes unnerving. The Red Skull is also one of the most challenging characters visually that Marvel has ever brought to life. Weaving’s makeup for his character was perfect, some might even say too perfect. The effects on the Red Skull looked very smooth, shying away from the grotesque shock value like that of Aaron Eckhart’s Two Face in The Dark Knight. But for the tone of this film, the production designers chose wisely. That kind of realism would feel out of place in the more stylized and lighter Marvel films. The Red Skull still looked very convincing, much like the character was transposed right out of the pages of the comics themselves.
Other visual effects in this film range from the “not quite ready” to “standout brilliant.” As astonishing as it is to see Chris Evans’ emaciated face on an even more emaciated body before Rodgers goes through the super serum experiment, there are some instances where it just looks a little off, particularly when he speaks. Then there are other scenes when it is rendered flawlessly and the phrase, “how the hell did they do that” rushes through the viewers mind. Overall the effect works more than it doesn’t and is only used for part of the first act anyway.
Another production quality that impresses is the final costume donned by Captain America. It’s probably one of the best movie costumes ever made for a comic book character. Not only does it pop off the screen like it’s made out of living watercolors, but it remains very functional and appropriate for the time period.
Captain America: The First Avenger definitely reaps the benefits of being part of The Avengers hype machine, but as a standalone film it’s the best Marvel Studios has produced since the original Iron Man. It might even be strong enough that after all the hoopla of The Avengers is over, moviegoers will still get in line to see Captain America throw his mighty shield a few more times.
Story: 6.5
Acting: 7.5
Writing: 7.0
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.5
Total = 7.1 out of 10
