Move over Major League Baseball—steroid self-empowerment is hitting the big screen. Introducing: Captain America.

The comic book superhero film genre has exploded in recent years, and with this revival comes a plethora of adaptations that leave most purists shaking there heads (and fists). Transplanting what are often fifty- to sixty-year-old stories to the modern day has also raised questions of plausibility. There’s a reason that Superman was spurned in favor of Batman. After all, Gotham’s dark knight is much more believable than the almighty demigod from Krypton.

But Captain America toes the line between resonance and farce.

In 1942, Steve Rogers attempts to enlist in the U.S. Army and is turned away because of his frail physical stature. But Rogers is thoroughly determined to serve his country, and he instead volunteers for Operation: Rebirth, a secret military venture that transforms him into a “super-soldier.” The newly christened Captain America joins the fight, battling against Hitler’s right-hand man the Red Skull, who has his own designs for world domination.

This film will probably be a hit summer blockbuster. That being said, the trailer doesn’t convince me that it’ll receive much critical or international love. The new black ops armor is a start, but there’s still a stigma in contemporary culture against flashy superheroes who so readily espouse the colors red, white and blue. It will be interesting to see what foreign audiences think of the (apparently) jingoistic icon. And don’t even get me started about North Korea or Iran.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” opens July 22nd.