Captain America: My First Avenger

As regular followers of this blog already know, my first ever comic book featured Captain America. As such, we can draw a straight line from that moment in 1970 right through to me sitting in a theatre in Hamilton yesterday afternoon. I was watching so many scenes from that 40-year-old comic that it was absolutely eerie to think about: my first comic, my first Avenger, my first hobby, all symbolized by Chris Evans on the gigantic screen in front of us.

I'm sure most people won't have quite the visceral reaction to Captain America: The First Avenger that I did, but I imagine most will still enjoy it. This is a solid, satisfying silver screen introduction of yet another Marvel/Disney Comics character. Not only do you get Cap's origin, but significantly you get considerable time with the pre-Cap Steve Rogers. This is important because you get to see just what kind of man he is, despite standing about 5-foot-2 and weighing maybe 90 pounds (done with great effects, I must say!). They captured the essence of Rogers perfectly, and perhaps summed it up best with his one statement: "I hate bullies."

Most of the film takes place during World War II, which of course is where the character originated. Anyone bothered by the anachronistic technology on display during those scenes should remember that this is the Marvel Universe, not the real world. The Fantastic Four, after all, got to the moon in 1961! So it's not surprising that their Second World War featured weaponry somewhat more advanced than what actually existed in our version. I loved the war plotline, and was really glad to see that they dedicated almost the entire movie to it. Steve Rogers was the classic fish out of water when he was brought back in the 60s, and the ending of this movie strongly hinted that we'll see more of that in both The Avengers (next summer) and the inevitable Cap sequel.

I have to admit I loved this movie, perhaps more than I should have. But since Vicki said she thoroughly enjoyed it as well, maybe it's simply a good film, period. I know I'll be picking it up on DVD as soon as it comes out, because I'm already eager to watch it a second time!