Review - Captain America: The First Avenger

The serum has been injected and Captain America is here to stay. Fans who thought this would just be a glorified war movie can rest easy. The many easter eggs and tie ins to the Marvel universe that this movie has makes it feel like a true super hero movie while delivering a great period piece. Possible spoilers ahead.

There is pretty good pacing throughout the entire film and I was pleasantly surprised at the great acting. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America does an amazing job at capturing the 'goodness' of the character and delivering the fact that that is what drives him. If I could add just one thing it would be the hardcore side of the character from the comics. At no point in the movie does Cap put his troops in line or raise his voice at all which was weird but maybe that is because Steve Rogers was still new to leading troops. Moving on you have Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter. Although the character is not that deep and love story between herself and Steve Rogers is just as shallow you really get attached to this rough and tough agent. Hayley Atwell does a great job and makes you curious to find out more about her character. Hugo Weaving does a fair job as Johann Schmidt / Red Skull. His accent was shakey at times and you don't all together get a true feeling of fear from this villian but Weaving always does a great job as the movie's bad guy. The supporting cast (Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper) all did a good job. Stan as Bucky was fantastic but there should have been more to his character. Jones as Colonel Phillips nailed the role but at times he is forgettable. Cooper on the other hand was a surprise hit as the young Howard Stark. His character was brilliant and superbly delivered the Stark charm and wit throughout the film.

The movie does a good job at delivering the Captain America story while still keeping it fresh by changing  things here or there but nothing that fans should be mad over. The backstory is rich and makes you feel for Steve Rogers and the action sequences are a lot of fun. It should be pointed out though that the action sequences are more fun than they are thrilling which really gave the movie and comic-y feel. Though there are one or two spots with great action, overall the movie could have stepped it up just a little more, especially in the final fight sequence between Captain  America and Red Skull. This slight negative does not take away from the fun action we do see however. It was fun to definitely see the evolution of Cap's suit throughout the movie from a literal costume to a army hybrid to the full military uniform. I really liked the transition. Captain America with the Howling Commandos as his backup team were a lot of fun to watch and it was great to see Cap's shield flying around the battleground. By the end of the movie you will have gotten into Steve Roger's fight for good and will be rooting for him. Nick Fury's appearance at the end of the film was a truly great scene. Going from the main war movie to seeing Steve Rogers rush into a modern Times Square was a great moment and hearing Fury call Rogers "Cap" was great. 

Overall, this is a great summer movie that I would recommend to friends. You get both the super hero vibe as well as a war movie period piece. The easter eggs will excite Marvel fans and the story will keep you occupied. Though this is a lighter comic movie, they have done a wonderful job with it and it's a definite success.

Rating: 8/10

Comments