A good old fashioned superhero film

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2016)

Set in 1942 at the height of World War 2, Chris Evans () stars as the puny yet courageous American Gi wannabe, Steve Rogers. But fortune shines on him as Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci -The Hunger Games) who is recruiting for a special top secret experiment, Project Rebirth, see's beyond Rogers physical failings to give him a shot as a candidate, much to the dismay of Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones -) who doesn't see the same as the good Doctor does. Eventually being the chosen candidate, Rogers undergoes an experiment to change him from a puny regular Joe into a super human solider....Captain America is born.
Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger is a watchable bit of entertainment first & foremost, but does have it's failings. The Story starts out very well & introduces us into how this physically under sized man with a big heart becomes Captain America, in the opening 30 minutes. But it then drops from 5th gear into 1st gear, as Captain America is used as a propaganda tool for the war. Which is kinda the calm before the storm i guess. As the film then tries to get back into 5th gear with its action sequences, but doesn't fascinate as much as it did at the beginning imo, as it gradually pushes into 3rd & 4th gears.
Although we have to respect that the hero will ultimately win out, we could had been respected a bit more with the action sequences. The enemy "storm troopers" who look like something out of toting big futuristic weapons, yet have the armour of a gnat, as they fall over like rolling pins doesn't elude too much in the believability stakes. But i guess this is what we have to swallow with it being an action hero flick.
I was impressed with the way they CGI'd Chris Evans as a puny looking weakling, then un-CGI'd him, i've not seen much of the guy, but initially i thought the actor was a stand in & then Evans would appear later, colour me impressed. The rest of the CGI was well done too. The 1940's setting also looked good & a nice change from modern based adventures. Now, not being a comic book reader myself, but having enjoyed the recent Marvel film offerings, i did appreciate the subtle introductions/hints of the other Marvel comic characters, like Iron Man's father & Samuel L. Jacksons, Nick Fury(more astute fans may have noticed more than i). Which all lead into the latest Marvel comic blockbuster, Avengers Assemble, which the film made very enticing by it's ending.
The acting was pretty good on the whole, Evans was solid but lacks the screen presence of true Hollywood stars imo, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Haley Atwell, Sebastian Stan & Dominic Cooper all added gravitas to the movie. Hugo Weaving was impressive, or over hammy depending on how you see it, as the villain Johann Schmidt aka The Red Skull.
In conclusion, Captain America is an enjoyable watch despite it's few failings, it's not the very best Marvel comic movie i've seen, but it certainly isn't the worst.