Captain America: The First Avengers (2011)

Directed by: Joe Johnston | 117 minutes | action, thriller, adventure, science fiction | Actors: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Natalie Dormer, Sebastian Stan, Richard Armitage, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Toby Jones, JJ Feild, Anatole Taubman, Kenneth Choi, Sarah Linda, Christian Black , Martin Sherman

An exciting spectacle film that offers wonderful entertainment and can compete with the best cartoon adaptations. ‘Captain America’ brims with action from start to finish, with well-developed characters and top-notch acting from the entire cast, with title hero Chris Evans leading the way.

‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is in many ways an old-fashioned movie, but in the right way. Not old-fashioned as in old-fashioned, but old-fashioned as in: old-fashioned entertainment, old-fashioned as pure Hollywood entertainment, old-fashioned in: why are such films no longer made? The film is reminiscent of classics from the same period in which the film is set: the 1940s. The atmosphere that the film strongly evokes is the battle between good and evil, when good and evil were still clearly defined. The Allies are the “good guys” and the Nazis are the bad guys. Where the struggle is between freedom on the one hand and dictatorship and oppression on the other. In view of the most recent cartoon adaptations, which have a more realistic and dark tone, appropriate to the current era, it is a daring move by the makers, director Johnston at the forefront, to present the film with those clear moral dividing lines and a clever move that the she succeeded.

Most cinematic superheroes today inhabit a universe in which the heroes are full of shortcomings, in which a large dose of cynicism is present and the moral frameworks are not always clearly delineated. Interestingly, such flaws and character weaknesses also appear in the original colorful pages from the “Golden Age” and “Silver Age” of the comics. Think of the demons Bruce Wayne wrestles with in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, Magneto’s sympathetic approach and Charles Xavier’s stupidity in ‘X-Men: First Class’, or even Tony Stark’s complex personality throughout the whole world. some light-hearted Iron Man movies. If there’s one cartoon character that Marvel’s Captain America can be compared to, it might be DC Comics’ Superman. All two men who have innate goodness, who would do anything to save humanity. But where Clark Kent/Superman is actually an alien, the name Captain America hides the person Steve Rogers, who had a very different start in life.

At the beginning of the film, Rogers is still a short, thin young man (stunning digital effects also give Evans the corresponding appearance) with numerous physical ailments, who is eager to contribute after the outbreak of World War II. Unfortunately for him, he is rejected time and again due to his failing health. His best friend James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who is on duty, sees it all with sorrow. Then scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (a delightful Stanley Tucci) happens to have their conversation about Steve’s desire to join the military – and he literally offers Rogers the chance of a lifetime. By means of a serum that Erskine has developed in Germany and the radiation of so-called – and wonderful-sounding – “Vita-Rays” Rogers becomes bigger, stronger and stronger in one fell swoop. After that impressively visualized transformation, Captain America can perform his first act of heroism when a Nazi spy and saboteur attacks the laboratory. With the help of British agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and the flamboyant Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), he goes after the Nazis responsible. The saboteur turned out to belong to Hydra, the occult science organization of Nazi Germany, led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving). Schmidt has found a blue glowing cube in Norway, which turns out to be a particularly powerful weapon. He thinks it originated from the Norse gods, but those who have seen ‘Thor’ will surely recognize it. Of course it is of the utmost importance that the Nazis do not use it, but it soon seems that Schmidt’s plans do not stop with Hitler’s Third Reich.

What the film is most reminiscent of in terms of atmosphere is ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (it is not for nothing that this film makes subtle references to Spielberg’s and Lucas’ classic). A pure adventure film as they are no longer made today, but not with the cheeky scoundrel Indiana Jones in the lead role, but with the naive and slightly unworldly Steve Rogers.

The film has three fantastic montages, first telling the story of Johann Schmidt – who tried out a prototype of Erskine’s serum on himself, with unexpected side effects – then a brilliantly executed musical interlude in which Captain America goes on tour to bond bonds. sales in support of the war effort and finally a series of battles by Captain America and his team (the “Howling Commandos” of the comic, though they were never labeled as such) against Hydra. True film buffs will love this, especially the middle section with Oscar winner Alan Menken’s catchy “Star-Spangled Man” tune. Not everyone will appreciate the genuinely patriotic flag display, but director Johnston and his team capture the tone of the time so aptly that any contemporary wink would detract from the sincerity of the characters. The open-mindedness and optimism, that America can handle anything, that there is a fight for a good cause and that the “good guys” will of course win, gives the film more meaning and nostalgia. Evans also does a great job of keeping his character from becoming boring as he’s such a good guy and brings so much nuance to his portrayal of Steve Rogers that it’s certainly no exaggeration to say he’s cut out for the part. The casting is perfect across the board. Evans has some very amusing scenes and a lot of chemistry with Atwell, whose tough Peggy Carter also definitely holds her own in a male-dominated world. Weaving took the accent of Werner Herzog and Klaus Maria Brandauer for his Johann Schmidt, who is a formidable opponent to Captain America. Strong supporting casts feature Tucci as the film’s moral anchor, Tommy Lee Jones gets the most laughs as the no-nonsense Colonel Philips, and Toby Jones, in turn, is on a roll as Schmidt’s sidekick, Armin Zola.

Does the film have no weak moments? Well, for starters, the movie is way too short. The pace is fast, there’s no superfluous scene to point out and the makers don’t even drop a single dead moment, but one or two extra breaks to get to know the characters even better would have been welcome. The story is interesting enough to dwell longer on crucial moments. The combat editing, which is also well executed, gives too little sense of what exactly the use of all that war violence is – and the Howling Commandos are too little in the picture. These minor flaws, however, are dwarfed by the unadulterated fun that the film radiates and which takes it to great heights within the genre.

As mentioned above, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is part of the so-called “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, a series of films starring several of the superheroes from Marvel comics. After ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘Iron Man 2’ and ‘Thor’, this is the fifth film in the series – although strictly speaking they can also be seen separately – and forms ‘Captain America’ the last prelude to ‘The Avengers’ (2012), in which the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America all make an appearance. And the “Cap”, as Steve Rogers’ alter ego is affectionately known, is a welcome addition to the already existing line of films and ranks – with ‘Iron Man’ – among the best of Marvel Studios films to date. In any case, it will provide an interesting dynamic when Captain America’s righteous mentality comes into contact with the whistling and narcissistic Tony Stark, the arrogant Thor and the green monster hidden in Bruce Banner. After all, Captain America was the captain of ‘The Avengers’ in the comics…