Anthony's Film Review - Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Once again, Marvel Studios introduces an exciting new superhero and unique setting...

After Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Thor, Marvel Studios has introduced a fourth superhero to the big screen: Captain America. Here is a hero who uniquely embodies the patriotism of a nation. The character was created in the 1940s, so naturally, this 2011 movie adaptation takes place in the same era, during World War II. I think this is a good approach. It's a way for audiences to experience an origin story for Captain America in the character's original time, while enjoying the style of MCU superhero action movies. It's also a neat blend of war drama and science-fiction.

Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers, an American man who wants to join the military but is denied enrollment due to his small size and health problems. He does get another chance, however, when he is presented with an opportunity: undergo boot camp training for a chance to be selected for a unique scientific experiment. Specifically, he can be the first to receive "Super-Soldier serum" to become bigger and stronger. Sure enough, he proves his worth in training, gets injected with that special serum, and emerges as a more muscular man. With a costume made just for him, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America.

Meanwhile, over in Europe, Hugo Weaving plays a Nazi officer named Johann Schmidt, who comes into possession of a glowing light-blue cube emitting powerful energy (interestingly, a connection to the previous Marvel Studios movie, Thor). This special object enables development of weapons more powerful than Germany's conventional arms. With this advancement, through a Nazi science division called HYDRA, Schmidt, who is also referred to later on as Red Skull, plots an attack that can give victory to the Nazis and bring all enemies to their knees.

I have to say that this movie has an interesting cast. Besides Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving, there's Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, who is both a reliable government agent and a love interest for Steve Rogers. There's also Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips, who is doubtful about the chances of rescuing a captured unit but is ultimately won over by Captain America's courageous actions. Other notable cast members include Stanley Tucci as the scientist who administers the Super-Soldier serum to Rogers and Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, an eccentric scientific genius and weapons developer, who is also the future father of Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.

The plot of this movie is pretty simple. Captain America leads American soldiers in their battles against the Nazis in Europe. The ultimate goal is to win the war and perhaps destroy HYDRA in the process. It is pretty cool to have this story be made unique with a superhero and a supervillain, some cool sci-fi stuff, and all the action surrounding them. Even so, the action isn't the key thing. It's the story that is the primary element. Watching Captain America: The First Avenger is really just watching a World War II movie, with the superhero tale mixed in at certain places.

Overall, this movie is pretty good. Marvel Studios continues its tradition of telling a story, presenting memorable characters, exciting superhero action, and eye-popping special effects. Speaking of traditions, there's another thing to notice: extra scenes after the end of the story to preview what is to come. Here, it is shown that Captain America will appear in the next movie from Marvel Studios: The Avengers, which unites characters from the studio's previous movies into a superhero team. That would explain "The First Avenger" subtitle of this movie. All of this shows that Marvel Studios can and will crank out one movie after another. If you enjoy its movies, like Captain America: The First Avenger, you should be in for one real treat after another.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Captain America: The First Avenger, visit the Internet Movie Database.