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This is probably the best film that could have been made out of the jingoistic comics, and thankfully it doesn’t take itself seriously. The title alone, an epic clunker of Marvel Films groupthink synergy, clues you in to the vibe of the whole film. It’s a very long prequel to The Avengers, which I am both terrifically excited about and thankful that the build-up is finally over so these heroes can finally get movies that aren’t overlong commercials for that gang’s-all-here-explodathon, but it also has the balls to try and be a real movie. It puts Thor and Iron Man 2 to shame simply for that fact. It also doesn’t hurt that the film sees itself as the modern day product of a comic book-meets-1940’s serial.
Thankfully, everyone involved knew that the only way to truly make a Captain America movie work is by setting the story in WWII. And perhaps that has something to do with what makes Captain America: The First Avenger work so well: we’re used to seeing our heroes take place in a very current timeline, this offers up nostalgia, innocence, and fun, something which has slowly been sapped out of comic book-based entertainments since Christopher Nolan revolutionized the genre with his astounding Batman films. The lessons to learn? What worked for Nolan’s Batman films – grit, noir-esque visuals and dialog, a more realistic take on the material – can work for several heroes, but, much like what Nolan did with Batman, you have to approach the material on the hero’s terms and create the best world and storyline around him. Imagining a dark, broody Steve Rogers in WWII is a terrible thought. Captain America is there to show that even in the darkest of hours, goodness, strength, courage, and heart can triumph over the greatest of obstacles.
And, poor Steve Rogers, aside from Clark Kent has any other hero of Americana been subjected to more proclamations of how dull, square, and boring he is? Sure, Rogers (and Kent) lack the fallible, everyman charm of Spider-Man, and the brooding, tortured loner status of Wolverine or Batman, but underneath the giant Boy Scout exterior is an interior of sadness and isolation. Through scenes of both humor and stubbornness we come to care about Steve Rogers. He remains the good-hearted, courageous kid from Brooklyn who just wanted a chance to prove himself even after he’s been blessed with genetics that turn him into an impossibly good-looking, muscular Adonis who’s near indestructible. He wants to be all that he can be. Chris Evans’ earnest performance put any doubt (and I had a lot of them since he’s mostly made his career playing wiseasses) I had about his being cast in the role to rest. Evans is as great in the role as RDJ is as Iron Man.
The CGI used to shrink and thin out Chris Evans is a marvel (no pun intended). It reminds me of seeing Benjamin Button, and that is no small praise. And the supporting cast – particularly a droll Tommy Lee Jones, a scene-stealing Stanley Tucci, and Hugo Weaving as Red Skull – is nicely rounded out by a great group of character actors. Before we get to the final act, which has to see our hero stop the villain and the save the world, the film has a lot of fun harking back to Flash Gordon-style serial in tone, spirit and aesthetics. And, before the obligatory “Just kidding!” real ending kicks in, the bleak flirtation with an actual tragedy and emotional gravity of a situation is a welcome addition to the genre.
