It doesn't take a genius (or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, a cable news pundit) to see that the United States have seen better days. After all, we're currently facing a troubled economy, a possible debt default, two expensive and seemingly endless wars, and an increasingly hostile public divide between American citizens regarding cultural and philosophical matters.
Of course, every country has faced problems like these, and times are never exactly perfect. Though some would insist that back in the "good ol' days", American life was a lot simpler and a lot less cynical. The generation in question was of course the 1940's (best known as the "Greatest Generation"), where there was no doubt about who the good guys and bad guys were.
You could see this attitude reflected in the movies of yesteryear, especially war films, where square-jawed white guys would stampede towards those goosesteppin' Nazis, guns a-blazing while a Marlboro-smoking eagle made of apple pie would fly an American flag over the horizon.
Another vehicle used to push pro-American propaganda and support the war effort in those days were comic books. Made for cheap and read by wide-eyed youths everywhere, the tales of superheroes fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American way served as an effective form of both escapism and fantasy wish-fulfillment.
And one such superhero in particular who personified the nation's unity was none other than Captain America. Created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics (then known as Timely Comics), Cap served as the ultimate fantasy for young kids everywhere: a scrawny young man hoping to serve his country is transformed into a superhuman fighting machine, draped in Old Glory while punching out Nazi thugs by the dozens.
Cap ended up becoming one of the most iconic comic book heroes of all time in the intervening seven decades, and with the superhero movie craze at fever pitch, it seemed inevitable for the star-spangled super-soldier to show up on the silver screen. And under the nostalgic direction of Joe Johnston, Captain America: The First Avenger serves as a fabulously entertaining throwback to the Saturday afternoon matinees of yore.
It's 1942, and Brooklyn orphan Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to serve his country in the fight against Hitler's war machine like his best friend James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Shaw). The only problem is that Steve is sickly, frail, and definitely not fit for military service. Having applied for recruitment five times (and rejected every time), Steve is eventually approached by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist working for the American government.
It turns out that Erskine has created an experimental serum that can enhance a human's physical attributes to superhuman levels, and now the military's top-secret science division overseen by Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) is looking for the best man to test it on. Sensing decency and compassion in Steve, Erskine convinces Phillips and British military liaison Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to have Steve be the guinea pig.
The operation is a success, with Steve transformed into a taller, stronger, and faster individual. But the celebration is tragically cut short when a German saboteur (Richard Armitage) attacks the laboratory and ends up destroying all of the remaining serums and its research. This spy turns out to be a member of HYDRA, a Nazi offshoot organization headed by the fearsome Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) and his top scientist Arnim Zola (Toby Jones). Obsessed with gaining god-like power, Schmidt has gotten his hands on an artifact of indescribable power called the Tesseract, and plans on using it to lay waste to the world.
Relegated to hawking war bonds at USO shows, Steve eventually proves his worth by saving 400 captive Allied soldiers from a HYDRA base, Steve becomes "Captain America", the States' greatest weapon in the fight against HYDRA. Outfitted with red-white-and-blue armor and an indestructible shield invented by weapons specialist Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), Steve sets out to not only stop Schmidt's diabolical plans, but also become the hero he's always wanted to be.
It seemed long overdue for Captain America to hit the big screen (let's not count the atrocious 1990 direct-to-video adaptation starring J.D. Salinger's son), and unlike the current superhero flicks set in modern days, you'd need a director who could add the appropriate retro touch to a period film like this one. And Marvel sure as hell found one in Joe Johnston. A former visual effects artist and designer (he designed Boba Fett, yo!), Johnston has had a respectable career ranging from the gentle docudrama October Sky, children's films such as Jumanji and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and the passable but not mindblowing Jurassic Park III.
But a film of Johnston's that I've cherished for years was his 1991 love-letter to Saturday afternoon serials, the superhero adaptation The Rocketeer. The film was by no means an Oscar-worthy classic, but there was just something about how innocent, wholesome, and downright fun the experience was, and how it celebrated idealism and the "gee-whiz" atmosphere of cinema's past.
And here it's no different. Johnston applies to Captain America the swashbuckling, escapist flair of films like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark (which he coincidentally worked on) that was free of the cynicism and moral shades of grey that permeates today's action films, and it works like a charm. He also has fun gently spoofing the corny/campy sensibilities of not only that era, but the early "Captain America" comic books themselves (a second act USO musical sequence featuring Steve wearing a cheesy spandex outfit is an absolute delight to watch).
Of course, in order to make our flag-waving hero engaging to the audience, we'd need an actor who could give Steve Rogers not only a commanding physical presence but a heart to go along with it. And we found it in the somewhat surprising casting choice of Chris Evans. Not a stranger to comic book movies (his Human Torch was the only bright spot in the otherwise horrendous Fantastic Four pictures), Evans has usually been known for playing snarky wiseasses, so to cast him against type as a musclebound Boy Scout was a risky gamble.
But alas, Evans pleasantly surprises us by delivering an earnest, sincere, and three-dimensional performance that essentially celebrates rooting for the little guy. His Steve doesn't have the snarky wit of Tony Stark, the pompous arrogance of Thor, or the rage-fueled angst of Bruce Banner. Instead, he just possesses a sense of altruism and a simple desire to fight for the greater good, and the film's attempt to wear its idealism on its sleeve never gets bland, cheesy, or pretentious.
Supporting Evans are a scene-stealing (as always) Tommy Lee Jones as the requisite crusty commanding officer, a terrific Stanley Tucci as the kind-hearted doctor who gives Steve a chance to serve his country, and Hayley Atwell as a tough-as-nails British agent who never falls into the usual "damsel in distress" love interest trap that plagues movies like this. Her Peggy Carter is basically Marion Ravenwood to Cap's Indiana Jones, and their chemistry/sexual tension is surprisingly convincing and even heartfelt.
However, if there was one major weakness for Captain America, it lies with the big baddie of the film, the Red Skull. Hugo Weaving (a fabulous actor and the go-to guy for menacing villains) is appropriately sinister in his crimson make-up, and he gets to do some great scenery chewing, but the character ultimately isn't fleshed out enough to truly frighten us like, say, Heath Ledger did as The Joker. The filmmakers are obviously trying to parallel how Cap and the Red Skull are similar in being godlike in comparison to ordinary humans, but there was so much more potential for thematic intensity that ended up being wasted.
However, Johnston and his crew do a great job replicating 1940's-era New York, adding a shiny, glowing veneer to the imagery with a slight hint of sepia. The production design is gorgeous, as are the period costume designs (especially Atwell's va-va-voom moment in a stunning red dress). The Benjamin Button-style special effects used to transplant Evans' head onto a skinny Steve's body are seamless, and the action sequences are absolutely superb, especially during a montage of Cap's adventures dismantling HYDRA bases. Even Alan Silvestri's brass-heavy score has fun with the proceedings, as if it were tailor-made for a classic WW2 action picture.
But most of all, Captain America is just plain fun. It's a refreshing return to movies that are meant to be summer popcorn escapism, yet still having a heart and even a brain to keep us from forgetting it after leaving the theater. Of course, the film is the final piece of 2012's all-star Avengers puzzle (it's not hard to find several Marvel easter eggs planted throughout this feature), so that and further adventures of Steve Rogers will be warmly welcomed. Exciting, funny, engaging, and a blast to watch, Captain America: The First Avenger is one blockbuster worthy to salute.
Letter Grade: "A-"
