(Gotta love men in spandex - especially if they have nice pecs and ‘ceps…)
CAST: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci.
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one patriotic superhero - straight ahead…
Growing up I was somewhat of a Superhero Comics Fan. My faves were the following three: (1) Aqua man - because I love the sea; (2) Superman - because he can leap tall buildings with a single bound; and (3) Captain America - because, well, that costume is fucking awesome. I remember creating a Captain America costume as a kid and owning Halloween night with it. Try dressing up like that in Southeast Asian country that has a serious love/hate relationship with Americans. Let’s just say it was an interesting Halloween…
To my knowledge, Aquaman hasn’t been turned into a live action film yet. Superman has had many cinematic iterations, from the great (SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN 2), the good (SUPERMAN RETURNS), to the WTF? (SUPERMAN 3 and 4). Captain America straddles the divide between the never-filmed Aquaman and the oft-filmed Superman: prior to this year’s big-budget cinematic adaptation which is our next review, the Cap had only seen the silver screen once before in 1990. It was a forgettable (which is putting it mildly) flick starring Reb Brown as Captain America. While Brown was certainly fine physically, acting-wise he’s no Chris Evans.
Which brings us to this year’s long-awaited, much-anticipated adaptation of everyone’s favorite patriotic superhero. But before Captain America became Captain America, he was runty Steve Rogers from Brooklyn. Basically Steve has Chris Evans’ perfect head and face - on a body that looks like the live action version of Alfalfa’s from that cartoon THE RUGRATS. I wasn’t fucking around when I said this guy is a runt. If it weren’t for the fact that he has the face of a Roman God, they probably would’ve sent him back to Lilliput or the Shire or some shit.
You got to give credit to ol’ Stevo, though. He doesn’t let the fact that he weighs about a buck-and-a-quarter keep him from trying to enlist in the army during America’s time of need in 1942. With that bastard Hitler fucking shit up in Europe, the US of A is in dire need to young men to fight the good fight. In fact, Steve’s best friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) has already been recruited and is prepping to ship out to England. Let’s just say that Steve would sell his left nut for the same opportunity.
Problem is, being a 90-pound runt with a Roman God’s head, Steve gets more rejection slips than a screenplay for SHOWGIRLS 2. To his credit, Steve keeps plugging away with good ol’ American can-do spirit. Sure enough, his luck changes when army scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) overhears Steve giving a passionate speech to Bucky about how he has the right to fight for his country just like anyone else twice his size.
Moved by this, Dr. Erskine pulls some strings and gets Steve into the army. Much to the chagrin of Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), who can’t understand why someone who weighs less than his own forearm is in his platoon. Neither can Special Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who has legs longer than Steve’s height. Soon, it becomes clear why Dr. Erskine extended the special treatment to Steve: he needs an under-sized but good-hearted young man to be the subject of an experiment.
That experiment involves the following: (1) strapping Steve into some sort of metallic coffin; and then (2) zapping the fucker with a bazillion bolts of electricity. This results in the following: (1) a much taller Steve stepping out of the metallic coffin with some (2) pretty fucking awesome pecs and (3) stupendous biceps and (4) killer abs, which leads to (4) the women (and some men, ahem) in the theatre audience having spontaneous orgasms right in their seats.
Anyhow, Dr. Erskine is pretty ecstatic that his experiment worked. He cautions Steve, though, to remain the good man that he is, and not let the fact that he now looks completely like Chris Evans change him into a marauding poon-hound. Thanks for being a spoilsport, doc. What good is it looking like that if you have to be a saint? Geeez… Oh, and I should mention that Peggy pretty much eye-fucks Steve and his new bod every chance she gets. Can’t say I blame her.
So… not long after Steve’s transformation from runt-with-a-gorgeous face to big stud-with-a-gorgeous-face, the U.S. Army gets wind of the dastardly shenanigans of one Johann Schmidt, a Nazi fucker who has a reeeaaaaally bad sunburn (you’ll see) and is understandably pissed-off about that. So pissed he decides to destroy the whole world with some sort of ancient power source called the Tesseract. Look I didn’t write the script okay? If I did, we’d have nothing but Chris Evans working out in his sports briefs for two hours.
At any rate, the important questions: will Steve/Captain America put a stop to Schmidt’s dastardly plans? Will Peggy lend a hand? What about Colonel Phillips? Will he finally respect Steve now that his pecs are bigger than the Cascades? What about Bucky? Will he get pulled into the fray somehow? Will Steve be able to protect his friend? Will the US of A prevail? Will America win?
What the hell do you think? Go, CAPTAIN AMERICA!
BUT, SERIOUSLY: This summer has seen two Avengers superhero flicks so far: THOR and now CAPTAIN AMERICA. While THOR was quirky, sassy, and breezy, CAPTAIN AMERICA goes for a more sincere, earnest, almost nostalgic approach. This is completely appropriate because the movie is set in 1942, when World War II was heating up - a time in our history when we were still relatively innocent. A smart-alecky attitude such as the one exhibited in THOR would have been incongruous and anachronistic.
In fact, watching CAPTAIN AMERICA, you can’t help but feel the same old-fashioned magic of movies like RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. Director Joe Johnston manages to make the milieu of WWII New York and Europe both realistic and surrealistic at the same time. The result in a hypnotic atmosphere that seems to take you back in time.
The cast, led by the smashing Chris Evans, is terrific. I remember all the press that surrounded the race to find the perfect actor to play Steve Rogers/Captain America. I have to say that I was completely surprised when his name came up amidst the men being considered to take the lead. Not because he wasn’t right - he’s very right - but because he’d already found success playing another Avengers superhero with Johnny Storm/Human Torch in FANTASTIC FOUR and its sequel. To my knowledge, there has never been a case of a studio double-dipping and using the same actor to play two different superheroes, because audiences often associate the actor with the role he plays and may have trouble accepting him in another such role. Unless there’s something special about that actor.
And Chris Evans is one such actor. He’s like a prism, revealing many sides and colors depending on the figurative light that hits him. He can be serious, playful, heavy, light, goofy, earnest, vibrant, dangerous, mellow - all in equal measure. The guy has range, in addition to being handsome, and it doesn’t really surprise me that Marvel Studios chose him out of the extensive list of names they considered. They clearly have faith in him if they’re having him play this completely different character from the one he memorably essayed in the FANTASTIC FOUR movies… And his classic Italian-Irish good looks are perfect for the role.
In the role of Steve Rogers, Evans tamps down his natural ebullience and vivacity and channels earnest seriousness. This is a character who, despite being physically-limited, is not afraid to stand up to someone three times his size. He is truly David vs. Goliath - which is the whole World around him. One of the most attractive traits in someone is courage, which takes many forms, and Steve Rogers has it in abundance. Evans also effectively shows us Steve’s good heart - before and after his transformation - and his drive to do the right thing without making it seem trite or boring. That’s harder than you think.
Matching Evans scene for scene is a stellar supporting cast comprised of Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, and Sebastian Stan. Jones is hilarious and does his best crusty-yet-caring bit as Colonel Phillips. The scene where Phillips first sees Steve (in his smaller form) at basic training is priceless. The best comedy is done without words, and Jones proves that adage with this scene. Meanwhile, Tucci makes the most of his brief time as Steve’s mentor, who urges him to never lose his decency: “whatever you do, stay what you are - a good man”. Sage words that form the emotional center of the movie.
Weaving is a very solid as Johann Schmidt, the ruthless Nazi who will stop at nothing to fulfill his agenda. He makes for a formidable villain - and makes a good nemesis for Steve Rogers/Captain America. Evans and Weaving also have a nice combative chemistry you find in the best action thrillers (think Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in DIE HARD). Meanwhile, chemistry of a more brotherly sort is present with Sebastian Stan as Steve’s best friend Bucky. Evans and Stan make the duo into a believable pair of pals. They even look alike, which helps the fraternal vibe they exude everytime they are onscreen.
Finally, Hayley Atwell is great as Peggy Carter, the British agent who falls for Steve while he’s still in smaller form, and goes on to risk her career later to help him fulfill his potential as Captain America. The scenes between Steve and Peggy before he transforms are marked by a growing mutual respect. So much so that by the time Steve becomes Captain America, he and Peggy have already “crossed that line” emotionally. It doesn’t matter that he now has a much larger body. Their attraction is based on mental and emotional matters, not just the physical.
Indeed, the chaste romance between Steve and Peggy feels a lot more natural to the story than, say, the one between Thor and Jane in THOR, and many other superhero flicks that seem to include a romantic subplot between the hero and the female lead only because it is required. Neither does CAPTAIN AMERICA beat the Steve/Peggy angle to death the way the SPIDERMAN films did with Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s relationship. The writers of CAPTAIN AMERICA wisely realize that the best romances are the ones that are conveyed through subtlety, understatement, and melancholy. There’s actually an element of suspense to how Steve and Peggy’s attraction will turn out, and I haven’t felt that way about a superhero romance in a long time. It helps that Evans shares real electricity with Atwell that just emanates from the screen.
The action scenes are all dynamically-handled by director Johnston. The highlights are: (1) a POW rescue scene where Steve Rogers first spreads his wings as Captain America, (2) a moving train interception in the Alps that marks an emotional turning point for Steve, and the best one: (3) the climatic battle between Captain America and Schmidt. There’s also a touching scene between Steve and Peggy where they have to communicate only by radio and… well, I won’t spoil it - except to say that Evans and Atwell know how to convey a lot with their eyes and facial expressions. Great, great scene…
So, in the end, CAPTAIN AMERICA is the best superhero film this year. As far as the Marvel adaptations, it’s also the best one in my book. Even better than IRON MAN. Yeah, I said it…
Marvel Studios, you guys picked the right guy. Now let’s see that sequel….
