Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

“I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.”  27 March 2021

Instead of the normal plot summary I try to include, I’ll just say that this film begins with the Captain America origin story and ends with his battle against legions of Hydra soldiers, including Red Skull.  Along the way, we are also introduced to Peggy Carter and Bucky Barnes - characters that would go on to have significant roles in the MCU.  

Also, instead of the normal thing I do when writing about a film (you can read all about Captain America all over the internet), I’ll limit this to some random thoughts I had while re-watching the movie last night.

1. I especially enjoy the first half of the movie.  I would have been perfectly happy had the film ended after Cap saves Bucky and the others from Hydra.  Cap’s triumphant march into camp would have been a fitting end to the Captain America origin story.  

2. The cast is perfect.  Chris Evans (I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job of bringing Captain America to life), Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough (needed more screen time), Sebastian Stan, and Stanley Tucci are all amazing.  

3. I continue to be underwhelmed by Red Skull.  Other than making threats and looking menacing, he doesn’t do much.  And the final fight scene does nothing for me.

4. I never cared much for Captain America when I was reading comics while growing up.  HIs goody-goody persona didn’t do much for me.  I think this may help explain why I really didn’t enjoy this movie very much the first time through.  In fact, I found it boring.  After living with the MCU for the past several years, learning more about Bucky and Agent Carter, getting some insight on the Tesseract (which this movie does a poor job of explaining), and changing my preconceived ideas about Captain America, this movie has grown on me.  

5. Other than Vision and Wanda, I can’t think of a relationship in the MCU that works as well as Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter.  It doesn’t feel forced.  And I appreciate the way it’s left at the end.  Ridiculous pronouncements of love would have ruined it.  Re-watching their growing romance makes the end of Endgame even more special.

6. Finally, for the most part, I think the people responsible for the movie did a fantastic job with the period details.  The cars, the costuming, the lighting, the dialogue, and the sets all feel like a film much older than 2011 - and I mean that as a complement.  There are times when you really feel as if you’re watching a movie from the 40s..  

A few years ago, I would have probably rated Captain America: The First Avenger a 5/10.  After this re-watch, I appreciate the film so much more.  I still have some complaints, but a 7/10 feels about right.

7/10