It has not been a great couple of weeks for films apart from seeing Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at Wandsworth while away in London. I surprised my self by enjoying Captain America- The First Avenger in 3D as the best of the bunch experienced. Captain America is a Marvel Comic superhero and was probably conceived out of the Charles Atlas phenomenon of a male weakling in terms of physical size, weight and strength into a power body building, selling his techniques and aids world wide.
Captain was also a weakling to with the outbreak of the Second World War attempted to enlist several times under different names always in failure until his latest attempt is witnessed by an experimental scientist Dr Eskine who is on the look out for suitable candidates for his project which is to subject an individual to a combination of drugs and electrical forces which turns him into a super soldier. The trainees are out through their military physical paces by Tommy Lee Jones (Colonel Phillips) who is preparing a support team and British Liaison officer secret agent Peggy Carter.
Previously in an earlier version of the project Eskine had used a German Nazi fanatic called Schmidt who was left with a disfigured Red Face. In Germany with the help of another experimental scientist Dr Zola (Toby Jones) they have captured pre nuclear era type of device from which obliteration weapons can be constructed from individual being atomizers to whole cities. While he is working for the Third Reich he has a plan to use the new power to take over the world.
Unfortunately while the American young man is being changed into the superhero an agent of Schmidt has infiltrated into the project and kills Eskine just as the Steve Rogers is created a super soldier. He goes after the assassin in a dramatic chase only for the killer com commit suicide with Cyanide.
The government and the army decide to use their creation for a highly successful national buy war bonds campaign turning him into Captain America which he enjoys. However he remains upset because of what happened to the man who had given him chance and changed him and this comes to a head when while in Europe, in Italy he learns that Phillips forces have suffered major casualties in an effort to take on Schmidt. On impulse he singled handed goes to investigate and manages to release a substantial number of those who have been captured. He returns in triumph.
He also has found out the master plan of Schmidt who has a number of satellite stations around the world and he leads the team on successful missions to destroy or disable as well as capturing or killing those involved. Building on his image as recruiting captain America with a shield bearing the stars and the stripes. Now he is supplied with a similar looking shield except made of a special metal which makes it indestructible and which Captain America also uses as a weapon with boomerang capabilities.
They discover that the core weapon device is being transferred to the remaining control centre of Schmidt who is now acting on his behalf and Captain America and two close friends board the moving train in a spectacular move. One of the trio is Buck Barnes a lifelong friend of Rogers who looked after him when he was weakling including taking him on blind double dates. He is one of the special team captured by Schmidt at one point and rescued by Captain America. Now he is unable to save his friend who perishes falling off a carriage which hangs in a perilous position. Captain America then leads a frontal assault on the remaining stronghold of the enemy. Participating in the assault is Peggy the special British Agent, who believed in him from the outset and who help him lave the camp on the first mission against Schmidt. While the two have become close they have not become lovers and there is a moment during the finale, akin to most James Bond films in which the two disclose their love and agree to have a date, although knowing it is unlikely to take place as Captain America makes a desperate attempt to stop Schmidt taking off in a single swing wing aircraft which contains the last remaining nuclear type device heading for New York.
He manages to send Schmidt to his death and take control of the plane but only to bring it down into the artic ice. He is presumed dead.
The film commences with the discovery of a strange aircraft trapped within the ice of the artic in the present day. A discovery is made which gets everyone excited. Captain America wakes in a room with a television showing a sport’s games from the 1940’s. He suddenly realises that something is wrong about the situation, breaks out of the room to find himself in the present day America. Staff explain to him that he has been in a state of frozen stasis for 70 years. He reflects that he late for the date.
Written like this the film appears similar to all the others of the same ilk. Perhaps it is the war time Nazi science fiction element which engaged, perhaps the weakling transformed, but I found the film more engaging than others of the kind.
According to Wikipedia over 200 million copies of the comic book have been sold in 75 countries. Sequel to thee film is scheduled for July of this year. This was also a production where the 3D enhanced without overwhelming
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