Staying true to the source material wherever possible, the story takes place in the 1940s and we see Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) trying to enlist for the army for the 5th time. You see, Steve is quite a scrawny little chap, with a list of medical problems to boot, hence why he never gets the approval. But his genuine will to do good catches the attention of Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who gets him recruited for a secret American 'Super Soldier' experiment under the watch of himself, Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).
The Colonel disapproves at first but slowly gives in, especially after seeing Steve perform an act of self-sacrificing bravery. So after an injection of special serum formula and a dose of 'vita-rays', Steve becomes the Captain America we know - a perfect example of the human form. But things aren't all rosy as they all have to worry about the growing threat of the Nazi Hydra division under the megalomaniac Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).
The first thing you would notice upon watching this flick is how refreshing it is, especially with the sea of current lookalike sci-fi flicks. Every attention is paid to detail and you really feel like you've been transported to the forties.
The 3D is also worth a mention. Despite being post-converted, the effects blend well and enhance the experience rather than being distracting. The pacing throughout the film is rather good, and you'll get good doses of action yet storytelling never takes a back seat. There is an air of good old-fashioned superhero fun and also plenty of laughs. They even managed to fit in the Captain's classic costume and armor from the comics into the movie as a way of making the final suit look less ridiculous in live action.
And instead of toning down the patriotism aspect of the story, the producers went berserk and many scenes even feel like propaganda ads of that era. I believe this was a daring but good move, as it adds to the movie's unique feel. Believe me you'll be humming along to the Star-Spangled Man jingle, which was surprisingly composed by Alan Menken, who did quite a number of classic Disney songs. It was pretty neat how they presented Hydra's technology with a cool mix of modern and retro.
Overall they did a good job adapting the source material, as despite the sci-fi elements of it, it is still very grounded in reality and somehow you could just believe it could happen in real life.
I was sceptical at first when Evans was chosen for the lead role. I mean sure he was a cool punk playing the Human Torch, but Captain America was something different altogether. I'm glad he proved me wrong. Not only does he ooze a certain innocent charm, he was also likable and has wonderful chemistry with leading lady Atwell. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't use a human double for his 'skinny' role earlier in the film.
Special effects were used to 'shrink' his body, making him look frail and weak as his character should be. I must say it was done rather well. Atwell did well playing a tough no-nonsense girl, which made her relationship with the Captain perfect. And oh, it helped too that she was so friggin' gorgeous!
Fresh after his villainious role as Megatron, Weaving plays Red Skull with such ease (and funnily playing with a cube again).
From the accent to the facial expressions, he nailed the 'supervillain' role perfectly. If only they gave him more room to flex his muscles. Too bad they didn't fully utilize Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) either (he is the Cap's sidekick in the comics).
Tucci was great as well, showing a different side of his acting abilities. After seeing this and his previous stint in The Lovely Bones, I believe he is quite a versatile actor.
But it was Tommy Lee Jones who stole the show. Wisecracking at every opportunity and filling up the screen with charisma, he certainly made good use of every minute of his screen-time.
The storyline was pretty decent as well. Sure it might have plenty of cliches, but hey, you're looking at a source material that's more than six decades old.
Marvel did a good job with what they had, and if I had a complaint it'd be that it doesn't feel much like a complete tale. This is also partially due to the fact that (as most of you know, unless you've been living under a rock) this is the final movie that will link to the highly anticipated The Avengers movie. But hey, it's still a great watch, almost up there with Thor.
Fans will love spotting the neat nods to the comics (and the Marvel world as a whole) while casual moviegoers will simply enjoy how fun the movie is. Heck, even Tony Stark's dad Howard (Dominic Cooper) gets quite a big role here.
And yeah, like I say a million times, do stay behind after the credits. And I mean to the absolute end. It'll be worth it.
4 1/2 Stars
