The Movie
Unlike Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four or any member of The Avengers who has found his way to the big screen so far, Captain America: The First Avenger has his roots not in the revolutionary 1960s but in the era of World War II. American courage and the shadow of Adolf Hitler are essential to the character, and perhaps that's why Joe Johnston's feature film is just so darned big.
Beneath the mask, Cap is Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), your classic 98-pound, 4F weakling, except that he possesses bravery, tenacity and values that take everyone by surprise. He is the ideal candidate for the Super Soldier program, pumped full of top-secret chemicals and supercharged to become our ultimate champion.
But just as America has her high-tech covert operations, so too does The Third Reich, and their deep science division, Hydra, has recently harnessed the power of a mysterious artifact that allegedly belonged to Norse god-of-gods Odin himself. The maniacal Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), leader of Hydra, plans not merely to defeat his enemies but utterly destroy them, wiping out both sides with weapons like the world has never seen.
The movie strikes the perfect balance of wit, spectacle and patriotism, thoroughly enjoyable like Iron Man and Thor before it in a way that rewards longtime fans and welcomes the uninitiated. If the movie does have a shortcoming, and I know this is nitpicking, it is the "secret scene" at the very end of the credits. In Marvel movies past, these have given us a real, substantive moment that titillated geeks like me, but here there's a quick bit of nothing followed by a lame-ass sort-of-trailer for The Avengers.
Uncle Chris wants you to read Joe Lozito's theatrical review of Captain America: The First Avenger, too.
The Picture
Shot on a combination of HD video and 35mm film, the 2.4:1 Captain America is not immune to grain or noise or a bit of streaking in fast motion, although none of these is especially problematic. Clarity and depth of focus can be outstanding in certain wide shots, although elsewhere backgrounds can be soft. I noted some edge enhancement, but this may be a consequence of the 2D-to-3D conversion in post-production (Captain America was not shot natively in 3D.) A great many of the shots are quite dynamically composed and quite compelling with the stereoscopic effect, although plenty of stretches leave me wondering if I'm really watching 3D.
The Sound
The bigness I mentioned is plainly evident in the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1-channel soundtrack, as the big, exaggerated Hydra machines roll across Europe finding big action backed by big bass. We can also feel the awesome surge of the mighty Cosmic Cube (more on this in The Avengers), along with so many explosions and impacts. A multitude of noises and ample resonance fill the 360-degree operating theater where Cap is "born," and we can appreciate the bustle and expansiveness of the World's Fair. Guns and more fantastical weapons display a sharp directionality, while magical energy and the clanging of Cap's Vibranium shield show off the trebles.
The Extras
This three-disc set contains what I could call "the usual" bonuses, and none on the Blu-ray 3D disc. On the 2D Blu-ray is an audio commentary from director Joe Johnston, director of photography Shelly Johnson and editor Jeffrey Ford. They can also chime in on three of the four deleted scenes (five-and-a-half minutes total) if we so desire. All of the video extras here are in HD.
The latest "Marvel One-Shot" short film (four minutes) set in this new universe doesn't involve any superheroes this time around, even peripherally, so be warned. There are seven featurettes ranging from about two minutes to as long as eleven. Most are quite informative, addressing obvious "making of" questions we might have and introducing us to surviving co-creator Joe Simon, but the last one is nothing more than a big tease for the upcoming team film. 'Nuff said.
Disc Three is a hybrid DVD containing the movie in standard definition plus a Digital Copy for iTunes or Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
Captain America: The First Avenger reminds us what a wonderful character he can be, and in a culture increasingly crowded with big-budget comic book movies, Cap takes his place among the very best. Visually this disc is no weakling certainly, but it's the audio that makes me stand up and salute.
Product Details
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