In the latest superhero launch from Marvel, Chris Evans plays the noble Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. Set during World War II, Steve is a smaller-than-average guy who wants nothing more than to become a soldier and fight the good fight overseas. But with his scrawny build and long list of health problems, Steve is not an ideal Army candidate and finds himself rejected from military service time and time again. Until one day, a strange German scientist named Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) selects Steve for a dangerous experiment to create the ultimate soldier - and he is transformed from weakling to warrior with a perfect physique and superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. Now, it's up to Steve to bring down the Nazis and the evil Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) - another genetically altered man who went mad in the process. But will Captain America succeed without having to sacrifice himself to save his country? Following last spring's "Thor", this movie is another superhero origin story leading up to the big "Avengers" release next summer. While the production of this film was very impressive, it didn't quite measure up to "Thor" or the "Iron Man" series, and I attribute much of that to the character of Steve Rogers himself. Where Thor and Tony Stark are both incredibly charismatic and powerful men - Thor, charmingly arrogant with his brawn and similarly Stark, with his brains - Steve Rogers is a bit of a bore. He's lionhearted, sure, and extremely appealing due to his selflessness and steadfastness, but neither of these traits make for a very exciting person. It's also surprising given that Evans is known for playing cocky and self-assured guys (see his previous superhero stint in "The Fantastic Four" films), and I kept wishing the writers could've given some of that attitude to Steve and taken the whole thing a little less seriously. But fighting Nazis is serious business, and there was definitely no shortage of thrilling action sequences (one scene on a moving train was especially captivating and emotionally-stirring). Steve's love interest, Peggy (played by fetching Brit, Hayley Atwell) is a fiery commanding officer who slowly falls for Steve's kind and humble heart, and their romance serves the story well in showing off the superhero's softer, more vulnerable side. In the end, Steve wears you down into falling for him, too, because it's really hard not to like someone who's just so sincere and gosh-darn nice. Sure, he may not be the funnest guy around, but you know that Captain America always has your back and won't rest until good triumphs over evil... and isn't that all we could ever hope for from our superheroes?
3 out of 5 stars
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