Something Deeper?

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2011)

It is obvious that Captain America is an enormously popular flick, and although there will always be people who find some fault in one aspect or another, just looking at the numbers makes it clear that this movie strikes a chord in the hearts of a good majority of Americans. Many people have already given their opinions on the movie itself – whether or not it follows the original storyline well enough, or whether or not the characters were believable enough – and I have nothing novel to say on that point. However, I do want to point out some of the themes that struck me within the movie because I firmly believe that Captain America's popularity springs from something deeper within it. We've seen Hollywood spit out one action flick after another, but not all of them have the same appreciation, so what's the deal with this one? Captain America's action scenes are cool but they're really not any more stunning than the next movie, it has comedic elements without being overly funny, and there is very little in the way of sexual material to grab the audience's attention. No, I think the reason for Captain America's popularity lies in its themes of character and sacrifice.
In Steve Rogers we find a scrawny little guy with one goal in life: to serve his country with honor. We see in the opening scenes how Rogers possesses an irrepressible inner drive to be a part of the war, but it is not for himself, his desire is completely selfless. "Men are laying down their lives," he tells his friend, Buckey, "how can I do any less?" The plot makes it crystal clear that Rogers is chosen for the super- soldier program for what is inside him – his character – and the success he experiences throughout the movie are accomplished because of his selfless determination to do the right thing no matter what. Could it be that audiences find it so easy to root for this guy because they recognize the value of character, or the value of doing the right thing? Although many people want to assert that nobody can tell you what is right or wrong, the response from audiences to a guy who selflessly and consistently does the right thing tells us otherwise.
Similarly, the theme of sacrifice seems to connect quite a bit with us as an audience. All throughout the movie, Rogers is sacrificing himself for others. When the only opportunity open to him is to be a performer in a ridiculous suit, he swallows his pride and takes it, sacrificing his dream to be a part of the army so that he can support the troops in any way possible. Of course the biggest example of Rogers' sacrifice is the ultimate one he makes at the very end, by laying down his life to save the city. Could it be that people love Captain America so much because they recognize the beauty of the sacrifices, especially the ultimate sacrifice he made? Could it be true that, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13)?
I know some people may not want to believe in "antiquated" or "overly religious" ideas such as selflessness, moral character, and sacrificing ones self for others, but when we watch movies like Captain America, I think we start to understand that these things really are imprinted in our hearts. Captain America gets high marks from me; it is first-rate in its quality and quite deep in its themes.