Review of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) by Kevin P — 21 Apr 2018

Strengths: I never would've expected it looking back at Not Another Teen Movie and the Fantastic Four films, but Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America) is made for this role. He plays every version of Rogers to perfection. His chemistry with cast mates Sebastian Stan (Bucky) and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) is great and all their scenes together work very well. The origin story of Rogers is one of the stronger ones in the entire MCU. You can totally relate to his tale, his friendship with Bucky, and his reasoning for taking the plunge into becoming Cap. It's also cool to see a Marvel film set in such a different time period. It gives the film a kind of appeal that the other ones lack. Hugo Weaving (Johann Schmidt/Red Skull) does a very good job as the villain. MCU films tend to lack in that department, but Red Skull was easily the best of the first phase not named Loki. He's portrayed well and is among the more well-rounded MCU antagonists.

Weaknesses: It's kind of jarring to see Chris Evans' head on the CGI skinny body. However they did it, it was a commendable effort, but one that didn't come off too well. It kind of takes you out of the movie. The same goes for Bucky's "death" scene. It's supposed to be a poignant moment, but looks so bad you can't help but laugh. While the first two-thirds or so tell a compelling story, it does move kind of slowly. Then, once the action starts, as good as it is, it doesn't quite live up to the high level of some other Marvel movies.

Overall: Iron Man was great, while Hulk and Thor were good, and Iron Man 2 underwhelmed. It was here that the MCU felt like it really got its footing. Other than a solid at best second Thor entry, this set off a string of good to great films for the franchise. It's one of the best origin stories in the MCU, featuring solid acting across the board and a well told story. It's slow at points and has some terrible CGI, but it's a great entry and introduction for Cap.