Captain America: The First Avenger movie review

Chris Evans stars as Steve Rogers, a skinny 4F reject during World War II who becomes the star-spangled superhero Captain America.

He’s transformed from a scrawny Brooklyn scrapper to a chiseled, enhanced Adonis through the power of Dr. Abraham Erskine’s super soldier serum.

While the movie’s better-living-through-chemistry origin might inspire snickers in this day of steroids and HGH, the movie plays its superhero origin perfectly straight.  The serum that gives Steve Rogers his powers isn’t as important as the man Steve Rogers is — a true-blue American that wants to aid his country.

Erskine (Stanley Tucci) picks the earnest, determined Rogers as a candidate for his super soldier serum — but he still has to convince the proper, yet steely Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and the gritty, grumpy Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones).

But even once Erskine’s formula works its magic on Steve, he’s still kept from the front — he’s signed up as a war bonds pitchman for the USO.

While he’s a hit on the homefront, the soldiers in the field aren’t as thrilled with his prefab success — until a situation arises in which he proves he’s the genuine article.

Captain America is eventually set loose on his opposite number — the similarly enhanced Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), who’s the head of the Nazi’s deep science division, HYDRA.   Taking his good friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and the rest of his Howling Commandos with him across enemy lines, Captain America strikes at the heart of HYDRA.