Today, we are celebrating the 31st birthday of actor Chris Evans. A native of Boston, Evans' acting career began at a young age as he performed in school productions and plays. After teachers noticed and commended him on his talent, he began to look upwards towards bigger and bigger roles. He interned at a casting agency and created relationships with a number of agents, one of whom would eventually sign him as a client. Evans was drawn to the screen rather than the stage, and he began to audition for television shows and feature films. Based on his talent and his good looks, it wasn't long until he managed to nab a role here and there. Despite working consistently through the early 2000s, it wasn't until the mid-2000s that Evans erupted into stardom, and it has only been recently that he has become a Hollywood superstar. Here's a look at some of the fun facts regarding Evans' acting career:
Over the years, I have seen ten of Evans' films, and on average, they have received a 'C+' grade. From those ten, I have created the following list of my five favorite of Chris Evans' performances:
The Avengers is a 2012 superhero action film directed by Joss Whedon that brings together the Marvel super-team for which the film is named. It serves as a type of sequel to a number of Marvel-centric films that have been released in the past four years. This film centers around an object known as the Tesseract, an energy source with an unknown amount of potential, which is stolen in the opening scenes by the banished Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Because he perceives this as a threat and an act of war, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) chooses to assemble the Avengers in the hopes of bringing them together to stop Loki's nefarious plot. After pulling some strings, he manages to bring together Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), but they initially have a bit of trouble getting along. Loki, with the help of Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), makes a successful attack against S.H.I.E.L.D., and the ensuing battle helps pull the Avengers into a more cohesive unit. Armed and ready, they prepare to square off against Loki and his army of Chitauri who aim to conquer the Earth.
I would like to start this review by saying that I am by no means a die-hard Marvel comics fan. In fact, I'm not quite sure whether I've actually read an Marvel superhero comic, let alone one that's Avengers-centric. Anything I know about the Avengers Initiative stems from the films that have been released over the past few years. Still, I found myself becoming increasingly excited about the potential for The Avengers despite my relatively positive review of Captain America: The First Avenger and my so-so review of Thor. However, when the film started to garner extremely positive reviews, I definitely started to pay a little more attention. At the writing of this review, The Avengers currently holds a ninety-two percent approval rating on Rottentomatoes.com, and it holds the following critical consensus:
With a script that never forgets its heroes' humanity and no shortage of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype - and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies.
I'd have to say that I agree wholeheartedly.
Part of the reason the film works so well is the creative genius that is Joss Whedon. Those of you who read my review for The Cabin in the Woods will know that I think very highly of Whedon's talents as a screenwriter, and I personally think he's rather deft behind the camera as well. While this film doesn't necessarily feel like your typical Joss Whedon fare, it certainly has the pitch-perfect dialogue that fills his work. And what's truly great about the screenplay is that Whedon was able to flesh out the characters incredibly well despite the fact that there's so many different personalities dominating the screen. One of my biggest fears entering this film was whether the high number of A-list actors might overcrowd the film as they all jockey for position. With Whedon at the helm, however, each character is given exactly the right amount of screen-time, and just the right amount of touch is given to each of their personalities. While we may have been introduced to the characters in their own respective films, their relationships with one another in The Avengers are the facets that truly start to humanize each individual, making them more likable both individually and as a whole. This is where I thought the film succeeded most, by establishing each member of the Avengers as an individual with a specific set of emotions that ultimately makes them more easily relatable.
I also think that the dialogue and screenplay allowed for each of the actors to step up their game. Now, it was going to be tough for Downey Jr. to top his performances as Tony Stark/Iron Man from his two films, but I thought he did a fantastic job at least staying on par. I thought both Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth stepped it up a notch and brought more thoughtful and emotional characters to the screen this time around. It was also nice to get a little more of a back-story on Johansson and Renner's characters. The real surprise, however, was Tom Hiddleston as the devious Loki. As I previously mentioned, I was not a huge fan of the film Thor, and part of the reason it was so off-putting was that I didn't feel the need to root against Loki, who was also the villain in that film. This time around, there's something much more sinister about him, and I honestly thought Hiddleston brought his A-game. It's a truly fantastic performance, and I have to say that he should be applauded. Also be on the watch for some great smaller performances from the likes of Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders, as well as vocal performances from Paul Bettany and Lou Ferrigno.
Oh, and some of the film's intangible qualities are top-notch as well. The special effects are utterly fantastic, and I was continually wowed by just how great the visual aspect of the film continued to be. On a personal note, I think they finally found a way to convey the Hulk properly, but that's just my own opinion. Some of the special effects are so beautifully intricate that you'll have a hard time believing that it's actually computer-generated. It's just that good. I'd also like to applaud Alan Silvestri for the score he composed for the film. It fit perfectly, and it might be one of the more memorable scores I've heard of late. Here's a snippet for your listening pleasure:
(Oh, and as with any Marvel film, make sure you stay all the way through the credits. There's a scene - or two - left there for your viewing pleasure.)
At the end of the day, The Avengers is one of the most honestly entertaining films I've seen in quite a while. I laughed and cheered along with the rest of the midnight audience, and it's easily one of the better movie-going experiences I've had in recent memory. I heard a few people already calling it the "best superhero movie" they'd ever seen, and although I can't quite place it on that high a pedestal just yet - The Dark Knight still holds that spot, and The Dark Knight Rises looms on the horizon - I'd say The Avengers definitely has to be in the conversation. It's just a fantastically-made film that's sure to keep a smile on your face.
"A weak man knows the value of strength, the value of power." -- Dr. Abraham Erskine
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 superhero action film directed by Joe Johnston that serves as the final singular film leading to the mega-Marvel mash-up, The Avengers, due out next summer. We open on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a scrawny young man with a series of medical defects, as he tries to enlist in the Army to fight in World War II. Because of his size and stature, however, he is constantly denied by the military. One evening, however, a German scientist named Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who's working for the U.S. government, meets Rogers and finds him to be ideal for a special project on which he's working. He convinces Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) to try a procedure that will make Rogers into the first of a series of super-soldiers. The procedure succeeds flawlessly, but a Nazi agent deliberately destroys the lab, leaving Rogers as the only super-soldier to be created. Rather than being sent to the front lines, he's left in the States to help sell war bonds, but on a morale tour through Italy, he learns just how much of a joke he has become with the men in the ranks. While there, Rogers learns of the disappearance of a friend's battalion and elects to rescue them. With the help of Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a young Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), Rogers is able to do just that, but he finds himself wrapped in an even deeper conspiracy involving one of the Nazi's leading men, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), who presents much more than meets the eye.
Now, I'd have to say that of the two Marvel films to be released this summer, Captain America was the one I was more excited to see (as evidenced by its inclusion on my 2011 Summer Movie Preview). While I correctly predicted that Thor would be a tad so-so, I had high hopes for this one after seeing Chris Evans steal the show in 2010's The Losers, a movie only watchable because of his presence. Add the fact that it seemed like most of the rest of the film community was also expecting Captain America to be the superhero film to beat this summer, and I felt justified in my expectations. After seeing it at midnight last night, can I say that it delivered on those expectations? Well, sorta.
The problems with the film don't necessarily start with the acting, which is solidly good throughout the entire film. I did expect a little bit more out of Evans, but he's definitely a legitimate presence on-screen, both physically and comically when the time calls for it. I can't think of any other actor today who could've done a much better job than he with the role, so I suppose he should be applauded for that. We get some good performances from the likes of Atwell and Cooper as well. Tucci is drastically under-used, but his moments on-screen are some of the funniest and, at times, the most heartfelt. Jones brings a level of comedy to the screen that I haven't seen him bring in quite some time, so it's a breath of fresh air to see him journeying down that path again. And I found Weaving to be a very convincing villain this time around, although I've never truly had any issue with Weaving's level of acting. He brings such a force to each of his characters that it's hard not to like him.
No, the real issue I had with the film involved the screenplay itself. Now, there's nothing wrong with the story. I found it to be engaging and inviting, and it kept me hooked and wondering until the very end. My problem was that it all seemed a little too fast-paced. Now, hear me out for a moment. I realize that it's a big-budget action film, and it needs to move quickly in order for it to remain exciting, and I'm probably criticizing the screenplay a tad too much, but there's only so much I can take with one particular film. My problem was that they tried to insert a bit of character development, but the filmmakers tried to rush it, so it all felt a little bit forced, almost as though they were trying to squeeze it in to distract from the constant acting scenes. I got the emotion they were trying to convey with certain characters, but I think the film would have benefited from slowing down for a few scenes here and there to emphasize that emotion. I'm not sure if that even begins to make sense, but I just wanted the film to slow a few times to expand on the character development. I guess we can't all have it our way, though.
Still, there's a lot to be admired about this particular comic book adaptation. Because we're getting a superhero from back in the 1940s, one of the challenges the filmmakers had to face was making it true to that particular era while still bringing a 21st-century liveliness to it all. In that regard, I think Captain America can be considered a smashing success. As Rottentomatoes.com, the online critical review aggregate, has surmised, Captain America presents a "pleasantly retro vibe" that conveys wonderfully across the screen. At the same time, we get a very good musical score from Alan Silvestri, although I thought I heard some moments that sounded eerily similar to a track from Star Wars, but I won't hold it against him.
All that being said, Captain America: The First Avenger is a solid superhero film that's definitely worth seeing as a popcorn-munching romp of fun. The performances are strong enough to keep you engaged with the characters, and the action sequences are spectacular enough to keep you sitting in awe. Is it changing the game? Of course not, but that doesn't mean it doesn't serve as wonderful summertime entertainment. Isn't that what seeing movies is all about?
Oh, and please don't forget to stay past the credits. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed!
