Captain America: The First Avenger :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: July 29th, 2011



SPOILERS throughout review.

Plot (4/5):

The writing is extremely intelligent. The writers have turned the cliches around into wit. I walked into the theaters thinking Captain America being the silliest superhero of all time. I'm pretty sure it's a common thought. He doesn't have any "super' powers, he wears silly colors and has a shield for a weapon. Okay the silly costume stays but they gave him a sillier suit in the beginning just to make it relatively cool. And the whole 'Captain America' concept is very creatively done; the real life comic books, TV shows are shown as fiction within a fiction. Great, great work! I thought this movie was very short despite the average running time but unlike Thor which I thought was lacking, Captain America felt short because it was entertaining.

Characters (3/5):

Captain America is the most likable superhero. Maybe he's too perfect personality wise. We don't like Iron Man in a way because he's a playboy. We don't like the Hulk because he can lose it sometimes. We don't like Thor because he is arrogant. Captain America is...a great force of resilience. You cannot unlike that guy. This movie made him out to be a great leader, someone we can finally appreciate for being in the Avengers. The primary concern here is the Red Skull. He is extremely underdeveloped, his origins remain slightly touched and he proposes almost no threat.

Performances (5/5):

Hugo Weaving is a great actor. His German accent is 100% believable and I laud him for it. I loved Hayley Atwell.

Specifics (4/5):

I am so glad that I did not watch this movie in 3-D. There was only one scene where I thought was legit but it made me laugh. I knew it was coming, I joked about it before coming in and I joked about it when it came out. A shield comes flying right at us and I screamed "oohhh nooo I should have watched this in 3-D!" Great fun.

Theme (4/5):
Resilience, patriotism (minimal; thank God and the writers), leadership etc;

Overall (4/5):

Compared to the other Marvel Studios films, I'd say this one takes 2nd place right under 'Iron Man' (2008). 'The First Avenger' is smartly written, dramatic, heroic and entertaining.

Marvel Studios Film Ranking (so far):

1. Iron Man (5/5)

2. The First Avenger (4/5)

3. The Incredible Hulk (3.5/5)

4. Thor (3/5)

5. Iron Man 2 (3/5)

* Note: all these films were liked if not loved. These ranks are simply relative positions I would place them in if I had to.