Review of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) by Lockdown G — 24 Aug 2014

Captain America is a Marvel super hero, beyond comparison to us everyday humans. But behind that red, white and blue shield, there is something very relatable.

As the movie starts Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), played by Chris Evans, Rogers finds himself on the short side (pun intended) of many fights. He is always being bullied by bigger and stronger men. I have been bullied my whole life, and I'm sure all of you reading this has been bullied in some fashion or another.

Chris Evans, an up and coming actor, is a good choice for Captain America. Any notable star would already give the character credibility. Like if Mark Whalberg, for instance, played the role. You would know in his past movies he is all about kicking ass and taking names. This would give the character a head start on his upcoming stardom. But Evans plays it perfectly.

We want to feel his pain. We want him to go to war. We want him to find a beautiful woman. It is his human side that shines in this movie, not his special powers. Well, ok, throwing a shield like a boomerang is pretty bad ass, so his special powers are pretty cool too. But you can tell the character has heart, which is something the movie establishes early very effectively.

I think that may be the problem with some superhero movies, like Superman. Everyone already knows who he is, a mild mannered reporter, so not much time is spent getting to know him. I feel that the only Superman movie that would work would have to start from the very beginning, like in the Smallville TV series.

The movie does have some confusing scenes, especially in the opening. I don't know much backstory on Captain America, so maybe the hardcore fans get it, but I certainly didn't. But this is just a minor flaw. The plot is your basic get the bad guy before he destroys the world, but it never really seems like it. Instead of retreads in your basic Bond villains, you get original never before seen ideas. And a truly badass villain Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving from powerful movies like "V for Vendetta", so you know he is going to play it well, which he does.

Captain America: The First Avenger is your perfect summer movie. Not like that's a bad thing. A great relatable super hero vs. an evildoer with immense powers that can destroy just about anything, except for Captain America's shield.

The shield represents Captain America's personality. Unbendable motivation. Always defending himself or others against bullies and baddies. A heart that shines brightly with American colors. And a dash of awesomeness.