In Marvel’s march towards its superhero epic The Avengers next year, it had to go about introducing all of its main characters, and it should go without saying that some of them needed that service more than others. What few people could have expected a few years back when Marvel and Paramount gave us Iron Man is that these characters, initially considered second tier when compared to the likes of the X-Men, Spider-man, and the Fantastic Four, is that these would become some of their biggest hits of all time. This summer was the last leg and, despite having one film steeped in mythology and another once considered too much of a boy scout to be accepted by a more cynical audience, Thor and Captain America were exactly what people needed to finally get a grasp on what the Avengers really are: a fantastical team with heart. Captain America is that heart, and if Joss Whedon’s The Avengers can embody any of what Joe Johnston created here in Captain America: The First Avenger, then Marvel just might have the soul it needs for an enduring epic superhero franchise.
As a scrawny young man, Steve Rogers might lack the physical fortitude required to serve his country in World War II, but he has all the convictions and moral integrity needed to be the prime candidate for a special program that transforms ordinary men into super soldiers. Headed by Howard Stark, the Super Soldier program has the potential to turn the odds in a battle that has become increasingly dire after the Nazi scientist known as the Red Skull acquires a mythical power source. Unfortunately, Rogers becomes the one and only success story of the Super Soldier program, becoming a paragon of moral and physical strength but with no opportunity to use his newfound powers. Instead, Rogers receives the name Captain America and becomes a fundraising tool traveling around the country and finally to the front in Europe, where a large number of Allied forces have just been taken prisoner. Deciding to finally live up to the expectations that saw him chosen for the Super Soldier program in the first place, Captain America stages a rescue of the troops and in the process proves himself the ultimate weapon for good in World War II.
Considering the last superhero Chris Evans played was the cocky, womanizing Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, that he can so convincingly transition to a character of such modesty and integrity speaks volumes for the actor. Bringing Steve Rogers to life has a few challenges related to the process since the character has been criticized at times for being laughably wholesome and a product of a bygone era of patriotism. Overcoming these impressions thus becomes tantamount to Captain America working first and foremost as a character, and then finally as an adventure story whose protagonist seems almost naively earnest in his moral convictions while still being palatable. Evans pulls it off almost flawlessly, with the greatest detriment to his performance having less to do with his own personification of Steve Rogers and more with the CGI used to superimpose Evans’s gaunt face on the 90-pound weakling body. It’s not a flawless special effects execution, but luckily it doesn’t last for too long before the Super Soldier transformation makes him Captain America.
Equally important is the performance of Hugo Weaving who never stoops to making the Red Skull a moustache-twirling villain or a cackling mad scientist undone by his god complex, even though elements of both pervade the character. What we get instead is a well realized scarlet visage, aided by practical makeup and prosthetics instead of CGI, which gives way to Weaving’s portrayal of a man disillusioned with rhetoric of genetic superiority in the face of a greater power that can give and take that ideal with the proper administration.
The supporting cast deserves credit for bolstering the film’s element of humanity so that it never feels over-the-edge silly or sci-fi insane. The immediate focus on the moral fiber of a person gives the film a perfect anchor, but it wouldn’t exist without Stanley Tucci giving a solid round as the scientist Erskine who selects Rogers and gives the film its earliest moments of sincerity and levity. Erskine passes that baton onto both Rogers and his love interest Peggy Carter played by Hayley Atwell. Unlike in Thor where the love story between him and Jane felt rushed and crammed in between the more important plot points of the film, Peggy’s presence feels more natural and her relationship with Rogers has the opportunity to develop over time, with moments of both disappointment and joy.
The ultimate flaw of Captain America has to do with its creation with 3D viewing in mind. The large CGI backdrops, when viewed in normal 2D feel entirely false and nowhere near as large in scope and enveloping as they are when viewed in 3D. Instead, they look flat and when you consider how often Johnston used them in the film, it can pose a very serious threat to enjoying the film. In 3D, the problem is slightly fixed in that the sets look as cavernous and vast as they were intended to be, but then you have to deal with the post-conversion 3D wherein the film appears to have been constructed of layers of cardboard set apart from one another. Either way you view the film, there’s something to be griped about on the visual level. On the plus side, there’s usually enough else on the screen to distract you.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The combo set includes Captain America on every format out there: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and as a digital copy. All of the extras are on the normal Blu-ray disc and include: an audio commentary by Johnston, Director of Photography Shelly Johnson, and Editor Jeffrey Ford; another of the Marvel one-shot short films that sees S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson foiling a gas station hold-up; a collection of deleted scenes, some good but disappointingly short production featurettes, and the pseudo-trailer recapping all the Marvel movies that lead into the upcoming The Avengers mega-blockbuster.
"Captain America: The First Avenger" is on sale October 25, 2011 and is rated PG13. Action. Directed by Joe Johnston. Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, . Starring Chris Evans, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones.
