Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

 

Genre: Action/Adventure        Time: 2hrs 4mins        Director: Joe Johnston

Quick Summary: During World War II, Steve Rogers decides to volunteer in an experiment that transforms his weak body. He must now battle a secret Nazi organisation headed by Johann Schmidt to defend his nation.

There isn't really much to fault with this film, as it's full of funny one-liners, exciting characters and lots of action-packed scenes. The villain is a bit simple, but there is only so much you can do with a "Nazi who has Nazi ideals."

Captain America himself is actually very cheesy all whilst still being able to be serious, he really puts on a good performance. His character is a very good portrayal of routing for the underdog gone good.  He wasn’t chosen because he was the biggest or the strongest or the most handsome. He was chosen because of what was in his heart. Honestly, I think that is such a good message for anyone.

There’s some good cinematography used in this, I really liked a lot of the blue tones used in the action scenes to switch to a warm brown in the more dialogue-driven scenes. It was a nice shift to differentiate the two. The period feel is perfectly recreated through the sepia tones of this cinematography, and the muted colours of the costumes add to this. This is why I thought it was super clever with how bright and garish Captain America's suit is.

The CG effects on Steve Rogers as a scrawny short man are still impressive over ten years later and you do find yourself really rooting for him as he tries his best to be a soldier despite all the setbacks.

One of the Film's weakest links is its villain, as Red Skull is truly underdeveloped. He spends more time building his death plane and reminding us how evil he is than he does emerging as a true threat for Cap to conquer. He felt kinda one note to me. The other was the Romance plot. It was nice don't get me wrong, and I absolutely adore Peggy Carter as a character, but it's bittersweet. Steve and Peggy both feel something for each other, but they are also involved in a war. This, of course, means that the romance takes a bit of a back-burner, which I really appreciated because of the context but I wish there was a bit more just to make the ending even sadder.

While it may not be the best Marvel film in the franchise, Captain America: The First Avenger does a pretty good job showcasing the iconic hero, with enough charisma and courage to make for a believable Steve Rodgers along the way. Armed with a nicely worked emotional segment in the third act, and a suitably explosive finale, I definitely think a lot of people overlook this one. 

8/10

"I Thought You Were Dead.

I Thought You Were Smaller."

"That You Will Stay Who You Are, Not A Perfect Soldier, But A Good Man."

"I Can Do This All Day!"