AVENGE.

In 1942, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a skinny kid who keeps getting rejected for military service, is finally recruited for a special project that will turn him into a supersoldier.

A superhero intentionally created to bolster patriotism during WWII, Captain America has always been one of Marvel’s corniest inventions, which is acknowledged in humorous ways in this handsome but somewhat meandering production.

It has the same kind of old-fashioned feel as the director’s Rocketeer (1991) and boasts a few clever 3D effects… as well as a performance by Hugo Weaving that accent-wise echoes Arnold Schwarzenegger!

2011-U.S. 124 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Joe Johnston. Screenplay: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely. Comic Book: Jack Kirby, Joe Simon. Cast: Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Sebastian Stan (James Buchanan Barnes), Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones… Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Dormer. Cameo: Stan Lee. 

Trivia: Ryan Philippe and John Krasinski were considered for the lead; Jeff Goldblum for another part. Jon Favreau was considered for directing duties. For his skinny scenes, Evans’s body was “shrunk” in the computer.  Captain America joined forces with Thor, the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man for The Avengers (2012). Followed by three sequels, starting with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and a TV series, Agent Carter (2015-2016).