Captain America movie review

All Marvel superheroes have one thing in common: they were popular guys before becoming superheroes. Think about it. Thor, the god of thunder and lightning, was already destined for greatness when he was born; he's the son of a king. Mr. Fantastic (of the Fantastic Four) earned acclaim for his scientific efforts. Iron Man was a man of popularity, fame, and fortune. Steven Rogers, however, is a different story.

In "Captain America," Steven Rogers is a teenager living in 1942, a time when America was involved in World War II. He desperately wants to volunteer to serve in the army because, as he tells one character, he hates bullies "no matter where they're from." The problem? He's skinny, short, and he has multiple health issues. When a military scientist learns of this young man's determination, he makes arrangements for Steve to be placed in a special army division which, its colonel tells his men, "will escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell."

We live in a culture where the "heroes" are the strong, the athletic, the good looking. Nobody really thinks about the secretary who's sitting at a desk typing memos, answering phone calls, and making schedules. What we tend to think about is the boss who runs the company like a well-oiled machine. Everybody thinks about the doctor who saves patients, not about the transcriptionist who types up the doctor's dictations so the doctor can get more work done. As the military scientist says, it's time for the little guy to step up. And step up he does. Even before he's given performance enhancers (surprise, surprise), Steve shows us his mental prowess, his unrelenting determination, and his courage in the face of death.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, another performance-enhanced man is working on world domination (no surprise there). His name is Johann Shmidt, the head of the Nazi's technological division called HYDRA; however, HYDRA is preparing to break free of Hitler and conquer the world on its own. It even has its own salute.

Back in America, Steve has become famous, but not in the way we'd expect. Because of a mishap with the performance-enhancing formula, the experiment is considered a failure. A senator who witnessed the experiment, however, uses Steve as a stage actor to boost war bond sales. Steve doesn't mind, but he knows he's destined for something better.

Questions:

The military scientist tells Steve that a strong man knows the value of power and, consequently, loses respect for that power. Do you see that happening today? If so, how and were?

The military scientist and the colonel have a small argument over who should be chosen to receive the formula. The scientist insists that it be Steve. The colonel insists that it should be the strongest, fastest guy in the battalion. In the end, who is more worthy of the formula? Why?

Captain America is rated PG-13. It contains war violence, a character getting punched, and the villain executing some men. A character makes a suggestive remark to a woman ("we gonna wrestle? 'Cause I've got some moves that you'll really like"). An officer throws a grenade at his own men to test their courage. A character holds an emotional conversation with a woman while he's going down in a plane.