Review: "Captain America The First Avenger"

Happy Monday, readers!

If you guys haven't seen it, maybe this post will entice you to see it. Here is my review for Captain America: The First Avenger. The review will be published in Vertigo Magazine later this month.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” opened heroically in box offices in America and Australia becoming the number one movie on its opening weekend. To those that have seen the movie, it is no surprise that the public has lapped Cap’ up. It is a light, clever, and old-fashioned superhero period piece that, although is a popcorn movie, equals Thor and is a hundredfold better than The Hulk.  It is an innocent film that has defined clearly the bad guys from the good guys. Captain America is the patriotic saviour and The Red Skull, excellently played by Hugo Weaving, is portrayed to be even more sinister and malicious than Hitler himself.

The film’s wartime setting is the perfect backdrop in transforming the bullied-90 pound weakling Steve Rogers to the super solider, shield throwing, beefcake (with a heart) Cap’ instilling the much revived hope and patriotism to the Allies at the frontlines. 

Chris Evans plays our leading man with sincerity, physicality, and conviction. Evans shines in the film, particularly in the opening scenes, where the producers used amazing digital magic to decrease and reduce his entire frame. You can be forgiven in thinking that it is Evans head placed on a skinny actor’s body. But it is in actual fact, all Chris Evans, just 100x skinnier, smaller, and shorter. And the later scene where he emerges from Howard Stark’s cocoon pumped full of Dr. Erskine’s super soldier serum guns a-blazing and man boobs showing? Yeah, that’s all him too. Makes you want to hit the gym boys, no? 

Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Philips is also another outstanding character dishing out the patriotic and cheesy one-liners. 

Marvel has certainly succeeded in teasing audiences to the upcoming Avengers movie (slated for release on May 4 2012). As the leader of the SUPER superhero squad, it is no wonder that Marvel Studios decided to release Captain America the last out of all of its Marvel Universe characters. The final scene – without revealing too much – is a definite no brainer to fans as to how The Avengers will open. 

For fans and non-fans of the comic book icon, Captain America: The First Avenger is a solid, entertaining, cheesy, and fun film that is definitely worth seeing.