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Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Production Company: Marvel Studios
Director: Joe Johnston
Screenwriters: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

On Saturday, July 23, 2011 I went to see Captain America: The First Avenger. I went in, expecting a solid, if flawed story of a “perfect” character who battles evil bad guys. What I experienced, was a film that called to the classic good vs. evil struggle, while retaining a modern style and remaining a “comic book movie.”

The story is a familiar, but classic tale. Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) is a patriotic, courageous young man who makes repeated attempts to enlist in the United States Army, but is physically unfit to serve due to his thin frame and poor health. When he attends an exposition (a stand-in for the World’s Fair) with a friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Rogers catches the eye of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci). Rogers is enlisted in an experimental super-soldier program, which has the potential to enhance his physical and mental abilities. He emerges from the program a changed man physically, but circumstances force him to serve his country in a way he never envisioned, as Captain America. He evolves from a mere symbol of America’s war efforts to eventually combating the forces of HYDRA, an offshoot of the Nazi regime which has taken an ambitious plan of its own. Along the way, he developes new relationships with allies such as Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), testing the waters of romance with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), and confronting the head of HYDRA itself, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving).

Even though this story is very grounded in the nostalgia for yesteryear, what makes Captain America refreshing is that Steve Rogers, unlike many superheroes as of late, is a generally good, well-rounded person. He is not flawless, though, and it is interesting to see his heroic impulses and naive nature cause trouble while he remains a smart and capable young man. This is in large part to Evans. He gives Captain America a vulnerability that cannot be given by stage directions and dialogue alone. The action is very clearly shown, and at no point did I lose track of what was happening on screen.

The special effects used to create the illusion of a thin Rogers are near-flawless, and helps elevate the film to a higher level. Unlike traditional superhero experiences, where the costume is the embodiment of one’s inner identity, in the case of Captain America, it’s the physical change itself that brings forth the hero within. Instead it’s the adversary who wears a mask, if only to discard it during the course of the movie. Despite the movie being steeped in standard storytelling mechanisms, this inversion reinforces that it is what is on the inside that determines one’s destiny. Captain America is a superhero without a “secret identity” and he wears his heart on his sleeve.

There are some minor flaws in this film which render it less than perfect. Also, the body count is somewhat high for rank-and-file henchmen in comparison with most super hero films, calling back to the films of yesteryear. The 3D is used to display depth and there is only one instance in the film where it is used to make the audience jump, but this restraint is appreciated and holds the film to a nostalgic 1940’s feel.

Despite this, Captain America: The First Avenger is delightful experience. If you have seen other superhero films such as Iron Man and Thor, the tie-ins abound, but this film works very well as a piece on its own.