The Super Network

I’m here at Comic-Con this year for the first time, I figured I’d start it off with a big bang and go catch the very first public screening of “Captain America: The First Avenger” which turned out to be a riot of epic proportions. Chris Evans himself addressed the crowd and there was over 900 people in line for various screenings before the morning was over on Thursday. Needless to say everything before the movie was terrific. Now what about the movie itself you ask?

Before I start I’ll just give a generalized description of my overall thoughts for the film and it all sums up to one word…genius! That might seem like a simple word to use but it best sums up my thoughts on a film that could have so easily been as laughable and bad all of its predecessors that released over the decades past. There’s no question that a superhero with a shield and helmet wings is a difficult sell for audiences but I’m happy to say that director Joe Johnston pulled it off wonderfully.

First we must look at the man of the hour himself, Chris Evans. When it was first announced that Chris would don the famous vibranium shield, I was hugely excited knowing full well that he has incredible acting talent (see “Sunshine” if you haven’t already). He absolutely owned this role from his size, heroic presence, great line delivery and the ability to kick some serious ass. He also has a great charm to him that really helped seal him as Captain America and I’m proud that everyone so far loves him in the role. Then of course is the next most important element to any heroes story, the villain. The thought of Red Skull appearing in the movie scared the piss out of me in the beginning because he’s such a difficult character to not make “dumb”. He has a look and villainous plot that in today’s times would be considered very goofy and cliche but the design team and Johnston pulled off the perfect look to make him very diabolical. Then of course there’s the man under the red skin and that’s the legendary Hugo Weaving. Words cannot describe how good Hugo was at bringing this character to fruition between his incredible presence on-screen, his creepy German accent and just a purely sinister feel. Right from the opening scene you know that you don’t fuck with Red Skull.

Next comes the supporting cast who were also terrific starting with the heroes main squeeze which was played by the delectable Hayley Atwell. When I say this woman is stunning, that’s a complete understatement. She could easily hit A-list babe status within the next year and she gave a terrific performance in the film as well. She molded perfectly into the strong female character and her chemistry with Evans is very strong. Then there’s Tommy Lee Jones who is without question the coolest guy in the movie and steals every single frame he inhabits. He played the role perfectly and was never over the top. Tobey Jones and Dominic Cooper also gave great performances but when it comes to all the supporting cast, this film was ruled by Stanley Tucci. Tucci gave a wonderful heartfelt performance as the scientist assigned to create the perfect super-soldier. His scenes with Evans are wonderfully played out as the film plays out why he would choose Steve Rogers to become the next super-soldier. Incredible performances all around.

Next up comes the action which was phenomenal throughout with plenty of time given to his shield slicing up bad guys, bashing down doors, tanks and so much more. There was also some great fist fights that definitely a fresh surprise and there’s no shaky cam which is even better. The CGI was well done, the score by Alan Silvestri made me want to join the Army (or Canadian Armed Forces as I’m a Canuck) as it was a truly heroic piece. Even the ending tickled me huge but I won’t spoil it here not to mention the orgasm-inducing “Avengers” teaser.

Overall, I have almost nothing to complain about with the movie. I thought it was a blast and it now solidifies the union of the Avengers next year. Hope you go to see it.

Nick Bosworth