by Jesus Ibarra
Special coupon for Dinuba Platinum Theatre at the end of this review.
After the success of Thor many became extra excited to see what Marvel would do with one of its most classics characters, Captain America. And believe me they did not disappoint.
As a rabid Marvel comic fan and film nerd I had high expectations for this movie. Especially since Thor, Iron Man 1 & 2, and The Incredible Hulk set such high standards. Considering this character is going to become the leader of one of the most powerful groups in comics, Captain America had to sell that, and it did. And like all of the Marvel films which I still say to me they are better than The Dark Knight, it takes the spirit of each character and brings it to the screen spectacularly, while acknowledging that these are films about heroes. 
The origin story is probably the first half of the film detailing how Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid from Brooklyn with immense spirit, innocence, and bravery gets chosen to become the first super soldier in the war against the Nazi’s and their science division which is becoming increasingly more powerful. Again, Marvel has hit it out of the park with its casting. Chris Evans does a tremendous job of portraying a character who just wants to do the right thing not just for his country, but also for everyone. This comes across brilliantly when Captain America becomes propaganda for the U.S., and you see Steve Rogers discontent with just sitting by with all these gifts unable to do more. Parallel to Rogers’ story in the first half we also see that of Red Skull, the films primary antagonist who Hugo Weaving again plays fantastically, albeit he is a little underdeveloped villain.
In the second hour, we finally get to see Cap kick ass and throw his famous shield around. As a fanboy, every time I saw Cap throw that shield a smile came on my face from ear to ear. The plot of the movie is incredibly self contained and well paced, so that it focuses more on Steve Rogers’s evolution and less on the oncoming conflict. The way this film is made, it just makes you feel that Captain America does this as second nature.
There are also great comedic and dramatic moments that seem to define every Marvel film, and there are incredible poignant moments like the end of film which is probably the biggest payoff to a character’s story I have seen. As a comic fan you will also spot a bunch of Easter eggs like in Thor, and get a glimpse of Cap in the present day.
The supporting cast is also great: Tommy Lee Jones as the wise cracking colonel who comes to believe in Cap, Sebastian Stan as Cap’s best friend Buck Barnes, and Hayley Atwell as Steve’s love interest Peggy Carter. I think Hayley Atwell delivered the best performance of the film because she had the hard task of making me believe she was an accepted kick ass female during World War 2 that was allowed to fight alongside the men, without sacrificing her femininity to appeal to Chris Evan’s character. Hayley pulled it off spectacularly, and I hope they go the way of the comics to bring her back in the Avengers film next year.
As always stay after the credits for a super awesome treat that will blow your mind and melt your face. Seriously. And watch this movie if you can in 2D not 3D as it was converted after the fact. At the end of the day this is another amazing Marvel film and the last step towards the Avengers film which is going to be a love letter to geeks, nerds, and Marvel comics fans come next May.
Captain America: The First Avenger is now playing at Dinuba Platinum Theatres 6. Showtimes can be found on their website.
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The best superhero movie of the summer – good acting, good special effects, good storyline, and a heaping dollop of patriotism. Whoever thought Evans could have made such a great Captain America too! Good Review! Check out mine when you can!
Thanks, yours was great as well. I thought the same thing about Evans, but he pulled it off.
This 1 is okay, but I’m just a little burnt out on the entire superhero thing.
I can understand where you are coming from, with all the superhero movies coming out, but as a comic nerd it is amazing to see all the great comic superheros being brought to life on the big screen.