Childhood fantasy on big screen

Captain America is my favorite superhero.

My dad would often read the comics to me growing up. His stories about how he imagined his own father, who served in World War II, to be his own sort of Captain America inspired a love for the character in me.

This is a character I’ve wanted to see on the big screen for years, and it was great to see this film living up to all my hopes.

Set in the early 1940s during World War II, Captain America tells the story of how a skinny little kid from Brooklyn became the titular superhero. 

It is very much an extended origin story for the Avengers next year, but the tone of the story is so fun and pulpy.

Like Indiana Jones, it stands on its own as a great piece of superhero cinema.
The film manages to fit a great deal of events into its two hour running time. We see everything from Cap’s beginnings to him frozen in Antarctica.

Nearly a quarter of the film is spent on thin little pre-Captain America, Steve Rogers. Chris Evans’ face is superimposed on a skinny actors face, much like Benjamin Button, and the result is uncanny.

Chris Evans initially seemed like a strange choice of Cap, given his tendency to play the comic relief role in other films, but he works wonderfully here.

Evans captures Steve Roger’s awkwardness, and he keeps an earnestness even after his super-soldier transformation. 

When asked later in the film why he of all people was chosen to be a super soldier, he responds, “I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”

The best part about the film is that every actor seems to be having a blast and they are all given a chance at some small development. Hugo Weaving is always a great villain, and the rest of the cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell and Dominic Cooper, all give standout performances.

The comedic elements in the film, especially some hilarious lines from Cooper, balance well with the pulpy action.

Cap is best known for throwing his shield around like a massive boomerang, and it is definitely the coolest effect in the film. The way Evans launches the shield seems effortless with his immense strength.

There are a few things that bothered me, though. First of all, the actors portraying German characters don’t even try with their accents. It just sounds like they are spitting more when they talk. Secondly, the ending of the film feels completely out of place.

I know it has to tie into the Avengers film next year, but it cheapens the integrity of this movie, making it feel less like a standalone