Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger was released on July 22, 2011, and is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Joe Johnston, and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci.



So, here we are. The fifth, and second-last entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (so far). We've seen the rise of Iron Man, the return of the Hulk, and the beginning of Thor. Now, we are introduced to Captain America, the Star-Spangled Man. Now let me say, while I know the basic story of Captain America, I don't really know anything else about him. I know he was puny Steve Rogers, they give him a super soldier serum, and now he's super human. I know he gets frozen, and wakes up in present day and starts dating his former girlfriend's niece, and joins the Avengers. I know that Red Skull is his nemesis, and he's a Nazi. I know about Bucky, and what he becomes. But that's pretty much it. So going into this film, I knew the basics, and that's it.

Something I was very worried about going into this film was, "how are they going to make a superhero film in World War II?" These are two things that don't look like they mix very well. And normally, they wouldn't. However, it worked here, and here's why it did. The original Captain America comics, before the Avengers, were created as propaganda. They were created for children, to entertain, and educate about the war, to an extent. The famous comic book cover with Captain America punching Hitler, is propaganda.

During the war, Captain America was the most popular comic book out there, because he was entirely propaganda, and a representation of America itself. He never gave up, and he always won the battle. And in this film, that's how Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, in his second superhero role, and definitely better one) starts out, once he gets his powers. He tours America, selling war bonds, doing shows, in which he states that he fights for America, and in his shows, he punches an actor playing Hitler. The kids love it, the adults love it, it's all good stuff. Once he goes to entertain the troops, however, they can't stand him, because what he represents is not what war is. It's not what they've seen. This had to be my favourite aspect of the film, because here, they successfully combined a superhero film with a World War II film. The soldiers, annoyed with his performance, boo him off stage. When he learns that his friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), is trapped behind enemy lines, with roughly 350 other men, he goes in, and frees them, winning the respect of the troops. From here, he assembles a team of men, who fight the Nazis, namely HYDRA, the occult division led by Johann Schimdt, commonly known as Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

I really enjoy World War II films, and because of how this film was able to connect a superhero story with a World War II film, I found myself really enjoying it. There were some other aspects of it I liked, and here they are:
1. Tommy Lee Jones.
This film has Tommy Lee Jones playing Tommy Lee Jones. That's as good as Nic Cage doing whatever the hell he wants to. It's extremely entertaining, and absolutely hilarious. It really helped the film.
2. Hayley Atwell.
Most people don't know her, and I think that helped this film, having a female lead that most people don't know. You can't judge her on who she is, or what she's done, because you don't know who she is or what she's done. I had seen her two years ago in the Prisoner remake, and I thought she was one of the best parts of that horrible, horrible miniseries. She's a very good actress, and I hope to see her do more productions.
3. Stanley Tucci.
While his role was small, his impact was powerful. I'd argue, he was the best actor in the whole film. Mind you, this is a film filled to the brim with good actors, but I think he had the best performance of them all. He was funny and heartfelt all at the same time.
4. The CGI.
In the first third of the film, Chris Evans' entire body was done with CGI, to make him look short, and thin. It was some of the best CGI I'd ever seen. It looked completely realistic. Better than Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy.
5. Howard Stark.
The addition of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) in the film was a nice little treat for us, that actually turned out to be something great. Not only does he look like Tony Stark (I honestly thought Robert Downey Jr. was in this film the first time I saw Howard Stark), but he acts just like him. It was a very pleasant addition.

There are a few small problems with this film, but they're just that: small. This film was very good, and I'd say the best superhero film of this year. In comparison to Thor, the film is much better, because we now have an identifiable character. Speaking of Thor, there's a scene near the end in which something shoots up into the sky, and it results in an effect that looks similar to the transportation between worlds effect in Thor. What could it mean?

Overall, this was a very good superhero film, and I'd say second-best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I give it an 8.5/10. It leaves me extremely excited for The Avengers, next year's (possible) conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By the way, the post-credits scene is a short trailer for the Avengers. Enjoy. :)



P.S. For all readers of the list, don't worry, I'm still doing it. I'm having some trouble finding the next few films on the list though. The list will return.