Captain America: The First Avenger

citizen |

The last Marvel Comics setup for next summer's all-star blockbuster The Avengers finds Chris Evans starring as the World War II fighting hero. Evans brings an earnest dignity and intelligence to the role of Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid from Brooklyn with dreams of military glory. But scientist Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) sees something special in him and enlists him for a daring experiment. Through some high-tech injections, Steve is transformed into a supersoldier known as Captain America. But he isn't the only one who's juicing: Hugo Weaving plays the former Nazi leader Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, who's formed his own splinter group and built some intimidating weapons. Director Joe Johnston's film feels weighty and substantial, even in 3-D, and it has a beautiful, sepia-toned, art-deco look about it. The abundant supporting cast includes Tommy Lee Jones and Dominic Cooper. But Captain America is far more engaging when it's about a scrappy underdog overcoming the odds than it is about generic shootouts and exploding tanks. And it only scratches the surface in trying to examine the perils of premature fame. PG-13 for intense sequence of sci-fi violence and action. 126 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

Christy Lemire, AP Movie CriticAssociated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.