He is one of Marvel Comics' longest running characters, a contemporary, if you will, of DC's "Trinity" of Batman, Superman, & Wonder Woman. For the first time since the Golden Age, "Captain America" makes it to the silver screen in the last prelude to Marvel's magnum opus, "The Avengers", due next May.
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, "Fantastic Four") wants to enlist in the Army like so many others during the early days of World War 2, despite the fact that he's asthmatic and skinny as a rail. However, he's tried to enlist in four different places, but getting the same result. His desperation leads him to a chance meeting with Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a defector from Germany, who decides that Rogers will be in the Army after all.
Rogers is assigned to a unit under the command of a Col. Collins (Tommy Lee Jones, "The Fugitive"), who has his own personal choice for Erskine's top secret project. Said project is funded in part by businessman Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), who has designed various weapons for the US, but also is a bit of a showman, a trait that, as we already know, was passed down to his son, Tony, as seen in the "Iron Man" movies. Whereas in the comics, a simple needle injection was enough to give Rogers the super soldier formula, here, he is put in a machine that seems ahead of its time.
At first, Rogers, as Captain America, is sent on a USO tour to sell war bonds. But, when his best friend, James "Bucky" Barnes, disappears while on a mission, Rogers decides the time for theatrics is over, and it's time for action. Cap's squad, it happens, is a version of the popular Howling Commandos from the comics, most notably Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan and Gabriel Jones. Comics fans know that the Howlers were actually under the command of Sgt. Nick Fury, but not here. I don't think they wanted to borrow too much from the books, particularly the idea that Fury is seemingly immortal, similar to Wolverine. Instead, it's Cap who leads the Howlers into action.
The villain of the piece is Col. Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving, "V For Vendetta"), aka The Red Skull, who has possession of the mystic Cosmic Cube. Schmidt is also the leader of HYDRA, which in this continuity is a branch of the Nazis, but as comics fans know, became much more than that, such that Schmidt already has designs on overthrowing the Nazis as part of his plan to take over the world.
Aiding the Skull is Dr. Arnim Zola. Comics fans might be a little stunned to see him in full human form, considering that he's anything but in the books in recent years. However, Zola is captured by Cap and the Howlers, and the last we saw, Zola was being offered a deal that would allow him to escape the wrath of the Skull. To make a long story short, Cap & the Skull engage in one climatic battle that seemingly ends with the Cube being the agent of Schmidt's apparent demise. As for Cap, well...........
He awakens in New York in 2011. How he got there, one presumes, will be explained in "The Avengers".
One interesting irony. Long-time Cap fans know that he had a lengthy relationship in the comics with SHIELD agent Sharon Carter. Here, he falls for agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). One wonders if we'll see the conclusion of that particular subplot in 10 months time. Since Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appears at the end of the film, the post-credits tease is the first trailer for "Avengers".
Speaking of trailers, here's one for Cap:
And as for coming attractions:
"Final Destination 5": Like, give me a freakin' break! Don't they know when to say when with films like this?
"The Adventures of Tintin": This is on my holiday to-do list.
"Conan the Barbarian": Yes, the remake is here, opening next month.
"The Amazing Spider-Man": Earmarked for July 2012, where it'll compete with "The Dark Knight Rises". I'd rather this was a continuation of the series rather than a reboot, which is what this film is, since Spidey's origin is retold, 10 years after the first film.
"Captain America" gets an A-.
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