“Captain America” is directed by Joe Johnston, the man who previously gave us the somewhat similar “The Rocketeer” in 1991. It is of course based on the notably patriotic Marvel Comics superhero who first appeared in 1941 in his very own comic book worth 10 cents, the cover of which depicted him swinging his knuckles into the face of Adolf Hitler; go America, I guess.
In case you don’t know, the true identity of Cap USA is Steve Rogers, and the character is here played charmingly by befittingly American actor Chris Evans (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”). For the first 40-or-so minutes of the film, when Steve is still to be turned all superhuman, Evans’ markedly beefy body is altered through special effects to appear small and scrawny, an effect which is rather seamless.
We are introduced to Steve in 1942 when his application for military service and to fight the Nazis is rejected due to his unsatisfactory health. Not one to back down from a fight, Steve does not let this rejection phase him and continues to try and earn the right to serve his country in the war. While conversing about his determination with his soldier buddy Bucky (Sebastian Stan, “Hot Tub Time Machine”), scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci, “Easy A”) overhears, and accepts him for a specific army project.
Soon enough, Steve is training along with much fitter, much more physically capable men, though this does nothing to discourage his ambitions. Recognising Steve’s unflinching bravery and earnest integrity, Erskine chooses him to go first for the top-secret Super Soldier program, in which Steve shall be placed inside a coffin-like machine and transformed into a superhuman superhero if all goes according to plan; I don’t think this was standard procedure.
And before you can say, “America, fuck yeah,” Steve’s skinny body is stripped of its frail scrawniness and replaced with muscular buffness and Herculean strength. And thus we get Captain America, the wartime symbol of the USA’s power and vigor, with Steve fitted inside a star-spangled outfit and wielding a metallic shield to fight some non-American scoundrels (fret not, non-Americans; the film isn’t as flag-waving as you may presume).
Steve Rogers is pretty much the perfect superhero protagonist. Within our first few glimpses of the man, we get the sense that he is the kind of human being we all should be looking up to. He is shown to be heroic, noble, determined and moral, fitted with willpower, decency and personal strength, absolutely set on courageously serving the country he loves. He doesn’t want to kill anyone, but he doesn’t like bullies such as the evil Nazis. He’s capable of self-sacrifice and will never run away from a fight. It’s not necessarily the power-granting serum that makes him a hero; he already is one.
And then there’s Johann Schmidt, the film’s main antagonist, played outstandingly by go-to badguy Hugo Weaving (“V for Vendetta”). Schmidt is the leader of HYDRA, the Nazis’ research and technology organisation, and he is infatuated with finding magical artefacts, much to the disapproval of his superiors. In the opening scene, we witness him stealing a glowing, cube-shaped energy source, which he plans to use in his scheme to take over the world. Also aiding him is his previous injection with an early version of the super-soldier serum Cap has been given, which has unfortunately had some physical side-effects on Schmidt (under his skin-mask is the face of someone who forgot to put on some suntan lotion when visiting the sun).
Captain America and Schmidt are very much arch-nemeses; their powers come from the same source, yet they are of entirely opposite mindsets. Steve claims to be “just a kid from Brooklyn,” while Schmidt believes himself to be a supreme being. Steve stands for all the values and ideals that are right and ethical in this world, while Schmidt wants to have the world all to himself, regardless of how many of those on his side and the other side die for it. Steve is the perfect man; Schmidt is a horrific monster.
In the vein of Johnston’s very own aforementioned “The Rocketeer,” the film is a stylised period piece, fitted with all the early ‘40s details mixed in with technology that’s advanced even for our time. There are ray guns that zap grown men into nothing but thin air in a fraction of a second, serums that grant superpowers, a flying car, and an indestructible, impenetrable shield made from an incredibly rare metal. Even the HYDRA drones remind one of the Stormtroopers from “Star Wars.”
The action scenes are also stylised, someone on the production team evidently having taken some tips from Zack Snyder’s “300,” with the action slowed down and sped back up to normal speed in single takes. Captain America hurls his shield in the air, knocks HYDRA soldiers off their feet and leaps from the roofs of moving cars onto the roofs of other moving cars. It’s all very nifty, very cool and a little bit thrilling. I’d also like to add that I saw the film in 2-D and thus cannot comment on the 3-D, though I’ve heard from many others that it’s a lousy post-conversion (the film looks lovely in plain 2-D anyway).
Is the premise of “Captain America” preposterous? Yes, of course it is, even more so with the World War II setting (70 years later, we‘ve still to make our first Superman). But we must remember it’s a superhero movie, and preposterousness is to be expected, our belief to be suspended for a couple of hours as we watch the virtuous powers of good fight the abominable powers of evil. Do this, and you’re sure to have fun with this charming, perfectly enjoyable superhero flick.
8/10
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