Movie Review- Captain America:The First Avenger

Anyone who knows me or has had a conversation with me for over thirty-five minutes knows I’m something of a fan of the Superhero genre. That being said, this has been a great summer for me. Thor, Green Lantern and most recently Captain America: The First Avenger. I’m a longtime fan of both Marvel and DC and I always love seeing the classics brought to life, particularly those who haven’t had the cinematic success they deserved. That’s why I so appreciated Captain America. The movie brought to life a hero who has stood the tests of time and proven himself over and over again. It was a pleasure to see him in one of the awesome new Marvel Films.

So far I’ve heard several complaints about the movie: the character is too traditional, unlike Robert Downey Jr.’s Ironman, the character interaction is poor (not like Ironman) and the dialogue lacks wit (unlike Ironman). So basically the vast number of complaints is this: Captain America isn’t Ironman.  All I can say is good. I like Ironman, I’m a big fan of the comics and when I was little I used to get up hours before the rest of my family to watch the old cartoon show. As for Robert Downey Jr. his interpretation of the character has been nothing short of brilliant, but I hardly want to watch the same hero with a different face every time I go to the theater. No, one of the best things about Chris Evans’ interpretation is that he didn’t try to copy Robert Downey Jr. Instead of trying to make a sort of flawed quasi-Byronic superhero, Evans portrayed Cap as exactly what he is: a big super-powered boy scout. This is the way you play Captain America or Superman, they deal with the same problems as Ironman or Batman but instead of getting snarky or brooding these heroes power through with an overall sense of duty fueled with hope.

Captain America is not likely to be as popular as Ironman. It’s strange, Ironman is someone whose natural talents greatly outshine the abilities of most people, yet the vast majority feel they can relate to him because of his sarcastic witticism. It’s familiar, relatable, and the fact that he does it so well makes him all the more admirable. Strange, when so many of us are naturally more like Steve Rogers, weak, small, surrounded by bullies and obstacles which just keep coming. While it is admirable the way Tony Stark is able to deal with the obstacles, both those he helped create and those thrown in his path, Stark’s bouts of narcissism are hardly healthy and tend to undercut his heroic tendencies. While his flaws make for a character which has people saying, “he has all these problems but still does good stuff” it becomes far too easy for us all to confuse the good with the bad and to begin treating those character flaws, which can be so great for certain types of storytelling, as if they were actual virtues. While not without his own issues, Steve Rogers’ hopeful devotion to duty, ability to see beyond himself, and his attempt to do what is right even when he is out matched make him a more effective heroic figure. I love both heroes greatly, that being said, I believe that there is something modern America can learn from the down to earth, blue collar patriot; something which is more readily available in him than in any other movie hero at the moment. Duty. Compassion. Hope. Humility.