Uplifting, Moving, Entertaining

Rating: Null/10 (23 July 2011)

Hard to believe that just three years ago (2008), Marvel made the bold decision to create a single movie universe out of their second-tier heroes (though some may argue that Iron Man is first-tier; IMO, that honor really belongs to Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four...but that's an argument for another time) that would allow them to finally bring The Avengers to the big screen. This plan got off to a hugely successful start with 2008's IRON MAN (9/10) and a decent reboot of THE INCREDIBLE HULK (7/10) later that same year, and started picking up steam when 2010's IRON MAN 2 (8/10) brought War Machine and Black Widow into the picture. This year, THOR (7/10) ushered in a good start to the summer movie season and introduced the malevolently mischievous Loki to the mix while giving us a sneak peek at Hawkeye. Now, Captain America finally gets his chance to shine. How does he do?
Rejoice, Marvelites, for Marvel Studios has done it again...taken a hero whose origins would be difficult to get right on film and managed to make it look easy. Chris Evans, whose first foray into Marvel movies was playing Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) in the merely O.K. FANTASTIC FOUR, is amazing as Steve Rogers, the 90-lb. weakling who gets transformed into a Super Soldier and becomes the much-beloved Captain America. Evans never lets us forget that Cap's real strength has always been his good heart and his love for his country, and that overarching goodness and patriotism are perfectly blended together in this pastiche of 40's nostalgia mixed with WWII heroism and just a touch of steampunk (relax, it works here).
The plot, if you've read any reviews, you already know, so I won't rehash it here. Instead, I'll touch on how much I really enjoyed every moment in this movie; the scenes are perfectly put together, all the set pieces move the action forward (even the cheesy USO show montage), and the pace never drags, even in the slower, more personal sections. I do wish a little more work had gone into making the villainous Red Skull (the always-great Hugo Weaving, who could make reading a phonebook interesting) a more compelling villain to watch; yes, Weaving does great work with what he's been given, but he could have been so much better. HYDRA never really feels like a true threat because of the way Cap and his men handle them so easily, and that's too bad, because a real menacing presence is the one thing this movie really needed to go beyond "Entertaining".
The supporting players, though, all do great work in making this universe feel real and alive. Hayley Atwell as British Intelligence Agent Peggy Carter, Cap's budding love interest, is great, and their interactions are surprisingly touching. Dominic Cooper plays millionaire inventor Howard Stark with a mixture of charm and intensity (and more than a little touch of Robert Downey Jr.'s mannerisms--watch for the moment when Stark peers over the top of his glasses in a very Downey-esque manner) that provides a nice foreshadowing of his importance in later Marvel lore (as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the father of Iron Man Tony Stark)--plus seeing an early version of Stark Industries' logo on every piece of tech is too cool for words. Tommy Lee Jones was born to play an Army hard-nose, and he doesn't disappoint as Rogers' commanding officer Colonel Chester Phillips.
The movie, though, ultimately hinges on Evans' ability to pull off the earnestly intense Captain America, and he does it brilliantly. Even the moment where Cap makes what he believes will be the Ultimate Sacrifice (and if you know your Captain America lore, you know EXACTLY what that sacrifice is and how he's going to do it) never becomes cheesy or overdone; when Cap's voice vanishes from the radio, I cried. Stick around for the post-credits tease, where we FINALLY get our first look at THE AVENGERS (due in 2012); it's well worth it.,