Captain America: The First Avenger review from The Devil’s Advocates Movie Reviews.

Marvel Comics has been on quite a roll with their movies this year (Thor, X-Men: First Class) and Captain America: The First Avenger keeps that streak going. Directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji) and starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America and the great Hugo Weaving as his arch-villain the Red Skull, Captain America is a great thrill ride of a movie. It’s a comic book movie with the patented silliness that comes with the genre, but the movie is done with such style that you just go along for the ride regardless of how silly everything is.

Set during the days after the United States entered World War II, the movie follows Steve Rogers, a kid from Brooklyn, who’s a scrawny weakling with a lot of heart. More heart than actual physical prowess. Rogers looks like he’s either starving or has rickets during the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Rogers is an orphan and is trying to enlist to fight overseas. But, he’s too weak, frail and sickly to join the Army. Once he meets Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci in a great small role) at an Army recruiting station things change. Rogers is chosen for an experiment to enhance a normal man’s physique and intelligence and if he survives the experiment he can join the Army and fight for his country. Rogers accepts and survives the experiment to become Captain America. A super soldier who is still very human.

Captain America is one of the best movies this year and a lot of fun. It’s definitely one of the better comic book movies to be released in recent memory and it’s quite a surprise. I am not a fan of Chris Evans by any means and he pulls the role of Steve Rogers off perfectly. He captures the innocence and sense of right and wrong that have made the character a favorite for generations. Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull is excellent. Hugo Weaving is, in my opinion, one of the best actors of this generation. He is mesmerizing as the Red Skull. His Red Skull seems to have walked off of the comic book page. I’m not sure how much of the Red Skull’s look is CGI or make-up. Regardless, it looks amazing on-screen. The rest of the cast is great. Tommy Lee Jones and Hayley Atwell (Where is this woman from?!) shine in their roles as Rogers’ Army handlers. Toby Jones and Neal McDonough play two beloved Marvel Comics characters and are a hidden Easter egg once you catch who they are.

Captain America is what Summer movies are all about. It’s a fun and exciting movie that brings a smile to the face. This was the most fun I had with a movie all year. The movie does get extremely silly at points but that comes with the territory. Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 Pitchforks.

This review was originally posted at The Devil’s Advocates Movie Reviews. www.damrb.wordpress.com

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