I have to admit that I have never read a Captain America comic book or have for that matter seen anything about Captain America until recently when I watched Joe Johnston’s new movie “Captain America: The First Avenger.

For those who don’t know the reason this film is called Captain America with the subtitle The First Avenger is because in the past three years Marvel has been coming out with different superhero films that all connect in some way to one another starting with “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” that both came out in 2008.  Then “Iron Man 2” in 2010 and finally this year they released “Thor” and now “Captain America: The First Avenger.”  So if you have been confused and have wondered why Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in almost all of these films in the last three years, it will all make sense next year when Marvel comes out with the actual “Avengers” movie.

I missed seeing the movie “Thor” earlier this year, so I can’t compare this film to that one but I can say that I enjoyed this film as much as I did both Iron Man films.  Chris Evans does a superb job playing the character of Steve Rogers who later becomes Captain America.  I have to admit I was very skeptic when I first heard that he would be playing in this film because he has already played another main Marvel character in both “Fantastic Four” movies as the Human Torch and those movies were just ok to me.  Evans really comes around though in this film and does a great job portraying “just a kid from Brooklyn” who wants to serve his country.

Hugo Weaving plays Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull and if you have seen “The Matrix” movies then you know how well of a job Weaving does with playing a villain and he does not disappoint in this film.  Schmidt is a Nazi but has other plans then supporting Hitler and creates his own group of followers.  He has a passion for these occult things and what he finds in this film, well we never actually learn the true significance of it but all we need to know is that he wants power.

Hayley Atwell plays Peggy Carter, who is the romantic interest of Steve Rogers and,

The film is well put together, especially with it being during the time of World War II and with any other superhero movie, there is going to be a lot of action and special effects but if it is done right and it is in this film then it only makes the story grow.  Making Evans look like a small weak kid in the beginning and then into this tall and very strong man could have gone all wrong but the effects in this movie were done right and it looked great.

I certainly recommend this movie for others to see and if you are still confused about the whole “Avengers” thing, well stay after the credits and you will see.

I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 Top Hats.