Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is determined to enlist as a soldier for the impending second World War. But his weak and sickly appearance hinders his goal. His friend Bucky, passes the screening. Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) enlists Steve to join a top secret army project, but he must first complete field training. Despite Steve's weakness during drills, Dr. Erskine and Col. Philips (Tommy Lee Jones) pick up on Steve's bravery and honorable qualities. He is then selected for the project, where he meets a smart and pretty British officer Peggy. In a secret lab, Steve is injected with a serum that gives him incredible strength and agility. He is now a super soldier. When Erskine is killed by a German soldier, Steve pursues him, and discovers he works for HYDRA, a Nazi group dabbling in scientific experimentation. Instead of going to war, Steve becomes Captain America, the poster boy for American military, a sort of mascot who rakes in war sponsorships and appears at USO events. At a show in Europe, he learns that Bucky and some soldiers are held captive at a HYDRA site. He comes face to face with the HYDRA leader The Red Skull who escapes the site as it burns. Steve succeeds in saving Bucky and the rest of the soldiers and soon they go on a fighting spree around Europe, beating the Germans. In a mission to capture Red Skull's scientist Zola, Bucky plummets down a mountainside to his seeming death. Steve is devastated, but with Zola revealing Red Skull's location, Steve, Peggy, and Col. Philips plan the next mission. Red Skull and Captain America have a monumental battle in a mountain lair, culminating on a huge aircraft filled with bombs aimed for major American cities. Captain America commandeers the plane, says goodbye to Peggy over the radio, and crashes into an icy expanse. Steve wakes up in a 1940s hospital room, but it is a decoy. He is really in present day New York. Confused, a man named Nick Fury comes in and tells him that he was "out" for decades. Nick goes on to talk about the Avengers initiative, and the next adventure begins.
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Best part of story, including ending:
The 40s setting adds to the depth of the storytelling.
Best scene in story:
When Steve emerges from the lab as a ripped, perfect, human specimen.
Opinion about the main character:
Steve's brand of heroism is what's lacking in superheroes today. He's gracious, honorable, a gentleman from the past.
