not quite as compelling or awe-inspiring as it could be

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2011)

It's the early 1940s and the United States military has employed all of its resources to try and bring about the downfall of the Nazi regime. Steve Rogers is a feeble but courageous young man from Brooklyn who's only goal in life is to join the military. Having been continually passed up for enlistment, he volunteers to become the first test subject of a "super soldier" program that grants him enhanced strength and ability. Not only does this boost the morale of his country, it also makes him the only suitable candidate to combat the Hydra--a scientific Nazi faction led by the maniacal and astonishingly powerful Red Skull. The latest comic book adaptation to be set in the Marvel universe has special effects to please the eye, a vivid sense of time and place, and the expected action scenes, but without a compelling story, a sense of wonder or excitement, or an effective climactic showdown, it feels like just another run-of-the-mill origin tale. Evans acquits himself well as the hero, and Jones provides some fun as his ornery commanding officer, but both Weaving and Atwell are underused as the villain and love interest. As a whole, film just serves as a prelude to the much anticipated Avengers film. **½