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Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Reviewed on 2011 July 27
I’m a sucker for heroes, for something that has some patriotism in this day and age, and watching Nazis get stomped. This movie was a hat trick.
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a scrawny kid from Brooklyn with a giant heart and a yard of guts under that little rib cage. It’s 1942, and he wants to defend his country along with his good friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Barnes is a walking recruitment poster for Uncle Sam; Rogers is stamped 4F. Undaunted, he keeps trying to enlist, capturing the eye of a doctor (Stanley Tucci) who’s impressed with his tenacity. He’s finally enlisted. At this point you almost wonder how Rogers can even hear instructions over the clanging of… well, you’ll see how brave he is.
He participates in an experiment that transforms him into a super soldier. What’s impressive about Rogers is that while he’s changed on the outside, inside he’s still the same humble kid from New York. The Allies need a guy like Rogers to take on Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), leader of the Hydra Organization, the deep science division of extra rabid Nazis.
This movie felt more comic-booky than the other Marvel movies, which isn’t a complaint at all, it just had a more cartoonish thing going on. It was still a solid story built upon a smart script, and the biggest tipoff to how good it was is the absolute silence of the audience once it started. Thor was honestly more fun, but this was a different kind of superhero movie, and wasn’t supposed to be as light. Steve Rogers is a boy scout, a likable one, and the best part of the movie. The playful insults between Steve and Bucky reminded me of my brother and I picking on each other. And Hugo Weaving portrays a great megalomaniac bad guy who, in his twisted way, is as stubborn as Captain America. I wanted to see more Tommy Lee Jones, because I always enjoy him, but that’s a slight complaint.
Three chocolate morsels and a slice of Mom’s apple pie.
— Shukti
