Captain America: The First Avenger

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Last year, I reviewed most of the Marvel movies I had missed leading up to Avengers: Infinity War. Now that Avengers: Endgame has passed, I am going to go back to review the last couple films I have left in the franchise. Captain America: The First Avenger follows the origin of Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) as he is chosen for the super soldier project that ultimately turns him into the superhero known as Captain America. He is set on a path that puts him at odds with the villainous Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving). One of this movie's strongest elements is the tone it takes. The movie has something of an old school 1940s pulp adventure serial. The closest comparison I could possibly make is that of the Indiana Jones films. At the same time, this almost feels like it's one of the weaker Marvel movies. That doesn't make this film bad. Part of the reason could easily be knowing some of the Marvel movies that come later. More than anything, I can see this as a stepping stone in the larger Marvel Universe. Red Skull is a solid enough villain. Hugo Weaving does everything he can with what he is given. However, I also don't mind that Red Skull isn't one of the stronger villains. For a movie like this, it makes sense that he's a bit more one-dimensional than some of the other Marvel villains. Chris Evans as Captain America really is the element that makes this movie. He is just so good at playing the wholesome patriot who would do anything to fight his country. There is a lot about The First Avenger that works exceptionally well. I've discussed the film's acting and tone. I think it should also be noted that the film has pretty solid visual effects that mostly hold up. But, the film kind of suffers from being one of the films that is just kind of lost in the shuffle. Part of the issue could be director Joe Johnston. He doesn't do a terrible job by any means, but this is one of those films that easily could have been directed by anyone. It feels like he's almost trying to capture something of a Spielberg tone. Part of the issue is, he doesn't come off as a director with a style of his own. I would say this is probably his best film overall. Captain America: The First Avenger is a film that I can best describe as being good. Not great, but good.

7 / 10