Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

“Captain America: The First Avenger” is the final pre-Avengers MCU film and is yet another Phase 1 movie that isn’t given the credit that it deserves. It introduces one of the best on-screen comic book characters of all time in a rip-roaring adventure and the beginning of a fantastic trilogy!

Chris Evans is incredible as Captain America, he’s earnest, endearing and extremely likeable; Evans’ Cap is essentially the Christopher Reeve Superman of the 21st century! As much as I like superheroes who are conflicted and are driven by emotions (such as Iron Man, Wolverine or Spider-Man), I also like those who do what they do because it’s morally right. Captain America isn’t fuelled by guilt and anger, he just wants to stand up for the “little guys” and fight back against bullies, which is very inspiring! This film sets up the compelling journey that Steve goes on throughout the MCU; in “The First Avenger” Cap loves his country and wants to fight for freedom, but by the end of “Captain America: Civil War” he has become disillusioned by his experiences and is more wary of those in power. Although I prefer Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man just a tiny bit more, Chris Evans as Cap is definitely my second favourite hero in the MCU!

The rest of the cast are also great. Hayley Atwell’s Agent Carter is amazing, she has excellent chemistry with Chris Evans, she’s funny and is absolutely the best MCU love-interest. It’s criminal that the “Agent Carter” TV show was cancelled after only two seasons!

Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan, is superb, laying the groundwork for the epic arc that his character goes on in later films. Tommy Lee Jones basically plays himself as Colonel Phillips, but that’s not really a bad thing as Jones is always very entertaining.

Hugo Weaving’s portrayal of Cap’s arch nemesis, Red Skull, elevates the character above being a sub-par antagonist. Whilst Red Skull isn’t particularly well written, Weaving brings such a magnetic presence to the screen that makes this character far more memorable than, say, Abomination.

Fun fact, when Red Skull is flying towards New York City, the word "Ziel" appears on a display. Ziel is the German word for "target" but it is also the Dutch word for "soul." How clever are Marvel?!

The action set-pieces in “Captain America: The First Avenger” are quite good, though none of them are particularly mind blowing or note-worthy. I remember really enjoying the various punch-ups at the time, but compared to the outstanding lift fight in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, the sequences in this film feel very quaint. It doesn’t help that Hydra never feels like a threat in this film like they do in “The Winter Soldier”, Hydra goons here act more like bumbling Stormtroopers from “Star Wars” than terrifying Nazi-like oppressors. Director Joe Johnston did a good job presenting Captain America’s abilities on screen, but the Russo brothers are definitely better at shooting Cap fight scenes.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” is basically a Marvel version of “Indiana Jones”, which absolutely fits in with the over-the-top effects and adventurous tone (as a die-hard “Indiana Jones” fan, this old-timey story is much appreciated.)

The CGI and special effects in this film are a bit hit-and-miss. On the one hand, the shrinking-down of Chris Evans to look like a skinny weakling is unbelievable and still looks near flawless today. On the other hand, some of the green screens (especially in the third-act) aren’t that convincing. I’m not sure whether this was an intentional decision to make this film feel more old-school or not, but it does add to the fun vibe. On a quick side note, I love the fact that certain explosions in the film look like exploding models, it heightens the sense that this movie is a spiritual successor to various old-fashioned adventure movies.

One aspect of “Captain America: The First Avenger” that isn’t popular is its third act finale. I agree that some of the explosive light-show shoot outs do cause the movie to lose its way slightly, but the moments that are grounded in human emotions are able to pull the narrative back from being too over-blown. I don’t love the way that the film rushes through most of the Howling Commando’s WW2 exploits, I know that they had to get Steve Rogers to the modern day at the end of the movie but it did seem as though you could have set an entire trilogy in that window of time. However, this movie does have a gut-wrenching conclusion that is still upsetting all these years later, even if it only exists so that Cap can be in “Avengers Assemble.”

In summary, “Captain America: The First Avenger” is a thrilling and highly enjoyable romp that brought one of the best MCU heroes to the screen. The origin story section is far and away the best part of the movie but it’s still a really good time overall. It’s not one of Marvel’s best outings, but I highly recommend it, even though you’ve probably already seen it!