A Surprisingly Smart Movie

 

Captain America: The First Avenger  

Directed by Joe Johnston
 
For the “GeekOnerds” (who know each panel of the Captain America Comic #1 March 1941) and the “GeekOnerd” in all of us. All will be satiated a good story that is entertaining and engaging, with enough action to be a summer blockbuster. 

“Every army begins with one man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldier. We are going to win this war

because we have the best men. And they, personally, will escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell” so states Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) informing us where we are headed as only Tommy Lee Jones can.

The idea of how Steve Rogers (Chris Evens) becomes Captain America  physically is straight out of the 1940’s movies. Remember when the murder happen in a shadow cast against a wall. Imagination is better than any CGI, yet combined with CGI’s imagination we are carried to another time with sepia tone imagery, unforgettable realism and real places from the thought up past. Perfect art direction and dead on cinematography fill this story out. As does Mr Evens Captain America point on in every respect.

How does Steve Rogers become Captain America, in the retro high tech super secret lab of Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper)  Yes that is Iron Man’s dad. We see a dial that is labeled “Vita-rays” that is all the explanation, no tech-no babble. Philosophy instead. 

"Why someone weak? Because a weak man knows the value of strenght, the value of power" Dr Erskine says.

Then lights and sounds and my imagination Bingo.....

Super solider! Mr.Tucci and Mr Cooper both deliver the goods with accented aplomb.

Yes, afterward the new soldier gets to save the day. I loved the action collage of our man becoming a hero and collecting “his” team.  Not forgetting the dame, the doll, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) who Captain America is falling for misstatements and misunderstanding included. Their interplay works she loves him you can see it, career scientist thou she is, even with a few bullets at one point.

Oh zounds, could not forget the bad guys, perfectly praiseworthy. Hay you can’t get better than Nazi for bad guys. Then on top of that, a special super select Nazi who, out Nazi, the Nazi, yes it can be done. RED SKULL! (Hugo Weaving) who is seeping world domination with every engagement we have with him. Mr Weaving's Red Skull is just creepy and frighting enough to want more. When with his evil side kick Dr. Zola (Toby Jones) who is smarmy and ingratiating, the pair is easy to hiss at, I wanted to throw my popcorn at them. I kept thinking “where does he get those toys".

Sidebar for the ungeekable Red Skull is known for causing the death of the parents of Peter Parker, making an orphan of the boy who became Spider-Man. The Marvel comic world intertwines like the head of the Hydra emblem on Red skulls car.    

The minion Nazi of Red Skull, the Hydra Soldiers were reminiscent of the Nazi from “IronSky”. Yes, I could see them building a base on the moon.

In stopping Red Skull’s Hydra Organization bit by bit Captain America inescapably comes face to face with Red Skull in the show down.

The teaser from the opening is concluded bringing Captain America into the hands of Nick Fury (Samuel L.Jackson) And into next summer’s The Avenger.  

This movie delivers the whole nine yards. 

Go enjoy, be proud, to be an American!