Review: 'Captain America' is swinging prequel to Avengers

Captain America: The First Avenger   PG 13          

            Joe Johnston directs the final movie before the Avengers, (not to be confused with the revisionist and terrible Avengers from the 90s), and with the buildup that has lasted 6 years, the next better be awesome. This is Captain America as it should have been, (not like back in 1990),. Set mainly in 1943, the movie follows the digitally made scrawny Steve Rogers in his attempt to join the army. Rogers is eventually picked up by a Polish scientist and his friend, Howard Stark (Tony's Dad from Iron Man), and the odd miscasting of Tommy Lee Jones as a drill instructor or something, (he is too old), who are trying to make a super soldier that doesn't melt someone's face off. Turns out the last time the Nazi's tried it, they created the Red Skull, and his Hydra goons are trying to wipe freedom off the world map,. Now it's up to Rogers, who is zapped by 'vita rads' and blinding light (and can still see fine), and becomes hunky all of a sudden. Immediately he goes after a goon who blows up the lab, and the adventure begins. It's a fine comic book adaptation and a super hero movie, even though it drags when they get to the corny wink to the literal invention of the comic books and serials, in the movie, and later see him fighting real Hydra bad guys in montages. The real story is interaction from Rogers and his costars, from his partner, Bucky, to his female friend, to rescuing heroes from prison camps and flying strange aircraft that actually look like something from today. (This is okay because the stealth bomber was based on the 40's era concept featured here). The characters clearly didn't take it too seriously and didn't make it too campy either. Doesn't matter if technically you chuck a shield in one direction it's not going to bounce right back to you, reversing spin entirely, but go off in another direction. His super steroid powers make it possible to put back spin on anything. The only other nit is that all of the references to Starlk and the others will completely baffle anyone who hasn't seen the other movies. 
Review by Adam Browne