Captain America - Blu-Ray

Movie: After Iron Man, Hulk and Thor, Captain America, the next superhero from the Avengers team, stepped up in the summer of 2011 to enforce law and order in theaters, whetting the appetite for the potential 2012 Avengers blockbuster. However, the adventure of this very patriotic hero begins much earlier than those of his colleagues, back in 1941.

The world is in turmoil, with World War II raging. The U.S. is on the verge of joining the Allies in the fight against Hitler. And for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), there's only one goal: he wants to be on the front lines fighting. Too bad that the lanky boy is not at all suitable for military service and is always taken out of service. But Steve doesn't let that deter him from his plan to fight for peace and justice. This impresses the mysterious scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who chooses Steve as a test subject for a top-secret military experiment. The so-called Super Soldier program is designed to turn the linnet into an invincible weapon with superhuman strength.

The experiment succeeds, and the unassuming Steve becomes the heroic Captain America. For many Americans, he becomes the symbol of victory over evil. But against the ruthless Nazi agent Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and his deadly weapon, even Captain America's powers seem insufficient - unless he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

In March 1941, eight months before the U.S. entered World War II, Marvel Comics first published an adventure of Captain America, who quickly became emblematic of the patriot and arguably the most American superhero next to Superman. 70 years after his birth, the iconic comic book hero comes to our cinemas with an extremely entertaining adventure. While this is also quite patriotically colored, but as high as could be feared, the American flag is not held here. Rather, director Joe Johnston (Wolfman, Jurassic Park III) sends his hero into battle with a heavy dose of irony and satirically tinged moments.

While the entertainment value is at the forefront. The action scenes are grandiosely staged and the special effects are more than worth seeing. The fact that Johnston has learned his craft with greats like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas really pays off here. Whether it's the very coherent creation of early 1940s America, or the design of Red Skull's secret base, Johnston and his team have done a great job of keeping the viewer visually entertained. It's commendable that the actors don't get lost in the shuffle of visual gimmicks.

Chris Evans, who has had a taste of superhero air as a member of Fantastic Four, does a more than convincing job as Captain America. We can already look forward to seeing how he fares in the Avengers movie alongside Thor and Iron Man. Hugo Weaving, whether with a normal face or a Red Skull grimace, is the perfect villain. And Tommy Lee Jones is just wonderful as the perpetually grumpy Colonel Chester Phillips. Also a very positive surprise is the character of liaison officer Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. It should come as little surprise that sparks fly between Steve and Peggy. But contrary to many clichés, Peggy is a very strong woman who knows how to help herself very well and doesn't constantly look up at her hero with wide doe eyes and run around the counter screaming for help. Peggy is a very nice partner for Captain America, who one would have liked to see longer at his side.

That this will not really be possible should be clear, since the future adventures of the superhero will no longer take place in the 1940s, but in the present. How this comes about, that revealed here. And therein lies the film's only problem. It feels less like an entirely standalone adventure and more like a very elaborate prequel to next summer's Avengers movie than Thor. But even if that can be seen as a negative in some ways, the way in which Captain America is integrated into that universe is, again, very well done. For example, none other than Iron Man's father Tony Stark is responsible for the experiment that turns the lanky Steve into the muscle-bound hero. This and other partly much more hidden allusions are sure to please fans. But also those who are not (yet) familiar with the universe will be entertained by Captain America.

Good actors, a very high show value, great action, a lot of humor, suspense and a successful villain - so a good comic adaptation and a decent superhero movie must look like. If you liked Thor and are already looking forward to the Avengers coming together, you definitely shouldn't miss this adventure movie. Absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: The technical realization of the Blu-Ray is on quite a high level. The very clean picture has an extremely high level of detail sharpness, which only reveals the smallest weaknesses in a few obviously digital effects. Contrast and black levels are so well matched that even in darker sequences, there is hardly any noticeable loss of quality in the overall sharpness. The colors are rich and naturally mixed.

Also the sound leaves little to be desired. The English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is a feast of surround effects and high dynamics. The German Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, on the other hand, is a bit weaker, but can also ignite a great surround feeling. Very good!

Extras: The bonus package kicks off with an audio commentary by director Joe Johnston, cinematographer Shelly Johnson and editor Jeff Ford. The trio are in good spirits, chatting in a relaxed atmosphere mainly about the technical aspects of the shoot, the use of CGI effects or the transformation from the well-toned lead actor Chris Evans into a lanky weakling. It's not an uninteresting commentary, though it comes across as a bit dry in terms of content.

Continue with the very amusing short Something Funny Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer, which shows Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) taking a somewhat unusual rest stop at a gas station on the way to the scene of Thor. This is followed by six short documentaries with a total running time of just under 40 minutes, covering the Captain America costume, the supporting cast, the villain, the technical aspects of Chris Evans' transformation, and the origins of Captain America. The featurettes conclude with a brief look at the filming of the Avengers, though there aren't really many actual scenes from the superheroes coming together to see here. Overall, the featurettes are nice, but still quite promo-heavy. Good!

Conclusion: Captain America is certainly not the best comic book adaptation of 2011, but thanks to the good actors, a nice mix of humor and suspense and great effects, this entry from the Avengers universe is also really fun. The Blu-Ray is technically on a very high level, the bonus material is nice, but a bit promo-heavy. Overall, however, there is still a: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp