Captain America

Captain America (12A)

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Stanly Tucci, Hugo Weaving

So here it is, the final chapter in the prologue to the Marvel masterplan of the Avengers superhero mash-up! And they didn’t save the easiest till last. The very name, Captain America, is a hard sell, with multiple hyper-patriotic pictures dampening worldwide zeal for all things Uncle Sam. Certainly, contemporary perception of the star-spangled superhero would stamp his character as irrelevant and outdated, ironically a theme of the comic book series. Despite that, with Thor, Kevin Feige (Marvel Producer) and company have already done the seemingly impossible – making a Norse God relevant and relatable. Hopes are high that they can perform the same magic again.

However, until we see Cap (aka Steve Rogers – played with surprising dignity and stature by Chris Evans) in all his Nazi-kicking glory, we must endure the obligatory origin story. Currently Cap, a digitally downgraded Evans, is a weedy asthmatic whose only desire is to fight for his country despite his physical inability. Enter Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci in one of a number of scene-stealing supporting roles), and his super-soldier serum, turning Rogers from a wimp with heart into the ultimate fighting machine. Early scenes do border on the melodramatic, reminiscent of the far-too-silly scenes in Spiderman 3, turning what should be light and fun to borderline pantomime.

However, this frustration pales once Captain America gets his muscles and launches into full-throttle, evil-whooping top gear. With his small company of soldiers, Cap goes about wreaking havoc on the Nazi independent group, HYDRA, headed up by the mysterious Johann Schmidt, aka the Red Skull, (played with typical slimy superiority by Hugo Weaving), a man intent on harnessing the power of a mysterious artefact.

More so than any previous Marvel film – with perhaps the exception of Iron Man 2 - this does feel like an extended set-up for The Avengers. Clear themes run through, from the use of Tony Stark’s, aka Iron Man, father Howard (Dominic Cooper), through the serum which will eventually turn Bruce Banner into the Hulk, to the power cube which will no doubt play a role in the upcoming film. Above all, the film must attempt to introduce Evans as the man of stature who will ultimately lead the assembly of superheroes. However, none of this ever feels forced and strands thread together quite naturally, only raising anticipation for the upcoming feature.

The main reason Cap’s extended origins succeed lies in the aforementioned supporting cast, of which there are many stand out performances. Hayley Atwell is a strong counter to Evan’s Rogers, while Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips comes perilously close to stealing the film. There are some tantalising nudges towards future possible Captain America adventures – Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Red Skull are key characters left suitably open-ended – and a real sense that, in the right directorial hands, this world and characters that Marvel are creating will have plenty of mileage beyond next year’s tentpole event.

Rating: 4/5