Not great

Rating: 6/10 (6 December 2012)

After a brief opening sequence revealing a startling find in the Arctic, we find ourselves taken back to the height of World War II. A Nazi officer (Hugo Weaving) and his men lead a raid in order to steal an object of great power and mystery. Simultaneously, in NYC, we see Steve Rogers (played in 98-pound-weakling form a la Benjamin Button by Chris Pine). Rogers (Pine) is being denied the opportunity to serve his country in the military due to various physical issues. Not long after this, however, a mysterious man (Stanley Tucci) offers him the opportunity to be a part of the Army's new super soldier program. And, with a little delay, Captain America is born.
Having never read the original comic books, I can't speak to their endearing qualities. And their timely inception no doubt did a great deal to inspire its readers, but the tone of the film is campy, and I don't believe it was meant to be. In addition, Pine (Captain America) doesn't really have the gravitas to pull of the role. I liked him and his co-stars in The Losers, and he was near brilliant in the irreverent, tragically-underrated masterpiece Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but both those films had there roots planted in comedy. The First Avenger does not.