14 DAY TRIAL // Always keep an eye out for the little guy – this seems to be the lesson one takes from “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Directed by Joe Johnston on a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, “Captain America” is the best movie Marvel has put out since the first “Iron Man,” a true inspirational, heartfelt and well-executed story of bravery.
One imagines it would be hard to sell to today’s younger audiences a story about WWII and the sense of idealist patriotism that goes with it, without falling into cheesy clichés.
Nevertheless, “Captain America” manages to do just that, in a manner that should become a standard for all future superhero movies from the studio, and not only.
Chris Evans, whom fans have already seen in a superhero role (The Human Torch in “Fantastic Four”), is Steve Rogers. He’s a scrawny, 90-pound, asthmatic, shy kid whose biggest dream is to enlist in the US Army to fight for his country.
As he later explains to scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), he doesn’t believe that killing is ever the answer, but he’s very much against bullies and thinks they should not be allowed to engage in such behavior – an idealist to the core, but a very adorable one at it.
The bullies in this case are the Nazis. Johann Schmidt (known better to comic book fans as Red Skull, and played by Hugo Weaving), Erskine’s former employer who did some experimenting on himself, aims to top Hitler with his Hydra division and ultimately conquer the world.
He has not only mad science on his side, but he’s also aided in his quest by a vast army of faceless soldiers (with quite a flair for the over-dramatic in both style dress and behavior), and a high IQ he’s more than willing to use for devious purposes.
Back to our hero, after no less than five attempts to join the Army (all resulting in failure and humiliation), the skinny Rogers and the brilliant Dr. Erskine meet. Steve, you see, has something that is prerequisite for the new breed of soldiers planned: a heart of the brightest, purest, 24-carat gold.
By the time Steve is turned into Captain America with his endearingly silly, visible-from-the-Moon costume, we’re already halfway in the film, which means Evans gets plenty of room to wow us with his performance, which is precisely what he does.
As all superheroes worthy of the name, the good Captain is not alone, he does his best deeds as part of a team. Comic book fans will be happy to be introduced to “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Howard Stark, the father of Iron Man (Dominic Cooper) and Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones).
There’s also the typical “dame,” a career woman herself, hard as steel but soft on the inside. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), with her delicious British accent and fiery red lips, seems ripped right out of the magazines of the time: the standard pin-up girl, the perfect match for Steve who, regardless of how handsome he’s become, is still the same shy kid as before.
Together, they set out to save America and, with it, the world.
When the proper action scenes kick in (actually the only ones truly worth paying for the 3D premium ticket), “Captain America” is no longer a superhero flick, but a proper film.
“The First Avenger,” as its name also suggests, is only the first in another series of films from Marvel inspired by the Marvel Universe (make sure you stay until the end of the credits to get a first taste of what’s to come). In other words, it’s an origin story.
Nevertheless, it stands apart from other recent releases, also inspired by comic books, in that it truly struggles to be a film, with weight, a strong narrative and characters that have more than one dimension – or, in Evans’ case, well-defined muscles.
Seeing the skinny Rogers in action (or lack thereof) is just as good, if not actually better than seeing the buffed Captain America take giant leaps and use his vibranium shield as the world’s most powerful weapon ever created.
“Captain America” is just as absurd as any other superhero movie, but it makes sure it presents all absurdities onscreen with a certain elegance and style.
The retro-futuristic settings, the costumes, the props all have that old comic-book patina, infusing a vintage quality to everything happening on screen. This is no longer a movie made of relatively unrelated action sequences, but a film that uses CGI and Hollywood explosions to make a story come to life.
It may not be the best superhero movie ever made (critics name the aforementioned “Iron Man” and the recent “X-Men: First Class” as candidates for that title), but “Captain America” is definitely up there with the big dogs.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” runs 124 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action. It opened in the US on July 22, is now playing in Portugal, Spain and Hungary, and will end its run in Japan on October 15.
