MOVIE: Captain America: The First Avenger
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2011
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
SCREENPLAY: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely based on characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
CAST: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Stanley Tucci
Captain America is the 5th film in Marvel’s Avengers Phase One series of comic book adaptations, a never-before-attempted crossover of movie characters culminating in a big screen climax known as the record-breaking THE AVENGERS. While it’s the 5th film in the series, it serves almost as a prequel. Not only because it is set in the 1940s during World War II, but without this film, none of the events in the other films are possible. The film blends superhero action with a little fantasy and some out there sci-fi goofiness that actually creates a solid superhero film. It tells the story of Steve Rogers, a frail weakling that wants with all his heart to join the military, not because he wants to kill Nazis, but because he “doesn’t like bullies, he doesn’t care where they’re from.” This is the very essence of the Marvel Comics character, Captain America, and the filmmakers did right by him. It’s this quality that makes Rogers the perfect candidate for the secret Super Soldier experiment that turns him into a perfect human physical specimen. Soon after, Captain America joins the frontlines, leading special ops teams to take down the operations of the villainous Red Skull. What makes this film memorable is the style. The cinematography of the film by Shelly Johnson really captures a nostalgic quality that only helps bring the visual design of the film to life. The production design and costuming add to this element as well, and the film looks and feels like an old 1940s comic book come to life. An underrated comic book film with phenomenal performances by Evans, Tommy Lee Jones and Hayley Atwell.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download. It is currently available for streaming via Netflix and Amazon Prime.
MORE CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
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