Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull.

At this point we have been dealt so many comic book movies that as an audience we have come to expect a lot from them. It seems every year two or three of the films are trotted out and some are successes and others failures. Captain America would fall under the category of a success as it has every element that you would except from a good comic book movie and it handles them to perfection. From a rich back story, to interesting characters that are well developed, to a good plot that draws you in and finally plenty of action that keeps you entertained. Captain America weaves all this together like a masterpiece and is a really good film and not just a good comic book movie.

One of the big tricks and questions that had to be answered about Captain America was how do you make a character from World War II fighting Nazi’s relevant to today’s times and era. What they did was introduce the World War II Captain and bookend it with him being found and then thawed out in today’s modern times. This allowed for the film to be an origin story and take place mostly in the 1940’s but at the same time set up for the Avengers which is coming out next year. I am not sure how Steve Rogers will fare in the modern era but he is perfect for the World War II era and the story in rich and enthralling as the Captain find loves, friendship, heroism and eventually loss. There is heartbreak there for a man who suddenly finds himself displaced from his own time and now faces an unknown world. It adds just another dimension to an already rich story.

While the story is fantastic so is the action and the fight sequences. Instead of focusing on the Nazi’s instead we get the Hydra division of the Nazi regime lead by the mad scientist Red Skull. By dealing more with Hydra and less of the World War we get amazing and breathtaking action sequences with futuristic guns and nameless and faceless baddies that can be steamrolled over. Almost like Stormtroopers these soldiers are the perfect fodder for the Allies and Captain America to fight and destroy. The movie is a rich tapestry that finds the perfect balance between story and action and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Chris Evans is no stranger to the comic book genre already having starred into Fantastic Four films as the Human Torch. I am not sure if it is because he has learned so much from those films or if the role is just perfect for him but he pulls off a great Captain America. With just enough humility but at the same time plenty of arrogance to go with the character. Counterpart him with Hugo Weaving as the perfect slimy villain in Red Skull and you have a powerful 1-2 punch in your lead roles. Hugo has already perfected the slimy villain in Agent Smith from the Matrix movies and he brings it back with full force and an accent for Red Skull. The casting is just another drop in the bucket for everything the film did right and part of why it is so good.

Grade: A-