Captain America The First Avenger Review: Not a Perfect Soldier but a Good Man
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Captain America: The First Avenger
Director: Joe Johnston
9
Where to Watch Captain America: The First Avenger?
It’s funny, these days so many kids and people want to be either the villain or the anti-hero. Like when you hear people talk about what they would do with superpowers so many people these days talk about you know how they would rob a bank, get famous, hurt their enemies, control people, etc. I know with shows like The Boys and Invincible people have become accustomed to the morally grey/ bad hero who claims to be a hero but really does it for the attention, the glory, the money and when the going gets tough they bail.
Most of these “heroes” aren’t meant to be emulated they usually are corrupt and meant to be stopped. So it strikes me as odd that so many people seem to want to be like that or say that’s how they would act with powers. For me, as a kid, I always wanted to be the hero. To put your life on the line in more ways than one to do what is right and protect the innocent at great risk to yourself with no expectation of reward or recognition. One of these heroes that I looked at as the prime example of a hero is Captain America.
Captain America The First Avenger shows us the story of the first chronological superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie is one of the Marvel movies I have seen the least, especially of the older ones. Don’t get me wrong I have seen it like 4 or 5 times but I have seen every MCU movie a minimum of 3 times so that’s not much compared to some of the others.
The film is one that I enjoy for many reasons and I am glad to revisit it when I do. I love history and so because of this, I enjoy period piece movies. World War 2 is a tragic and fascinating period to learn about and I love war movies for how they explore how war impacts people. So, this film already had an advantage due to starting in 1942. I personally really like the way that the MCU weaved its own history into the 1940s while making it seem very natural.
Seeing characters like Howard Stark be part of the scientific division of the army makes sense. Seeing the SSR be formed which is the prelude to S.H.I.E.L.D. just makes sense as an organisation to go up against HYDRA. So that aspect of the film was really interesting as it fleshed out the world showing that the first superhero wasn’t Iron Man.
Like I talked about with Thor, the casting in this movie is really well done. I want to give a quick shoutout to Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark because I can totally see the Playboy inventor that would become world-renowned. He is similar to Tony but still different enough to be his father and not just the same guy. Tommy Lee Jones also does a really good of Colonel Phillips who might be a no-nonsense guy but he respects results and that’s how he comes to respect Steve.
Hugo Weaving does a great job giving the Red Skull gravitas as he could easily been silly with that face but I totally buy him as threatening. Sebastian Stan does a great job as Bucky Barnes. I love his friendship with Steve before the serum and how it evolves when he is Captain America. His future appearances are great as well and I’ll talk about him more in future reviews.
Hayley Atwell was a great addition as Peggy Carter and I have enjoyed her subsequent appearances in future films. She has to prove herself as a spy in a male-dominated world so she is a fighter and fights for everything including Steve. Speaking which it’s probably time to talk about Steve Rogers.
Chris Evans once described Steve Rogers as the man that you want to be. I think that is an apt description. Steve Rogers is the most moral character in the MCU who sticks by his beliefs and ideals in any given scenario. His line about not wanting to kill anyone he just doesn’t like bullies perfectly encapsulates his character. He was willing to fight a bully as a 90-pound asthmatic let alone when he had the super soldier serum. He had the spirit of a hero long before he had the body to support it. Besides DC’s Superman, Captain America is probably one of the heroes that people think of when they hear the word hero.
It might almost be stereotypical how much Cap matches up with the hero’s ideals. The other thing is that even if you aren’t an American, which I am not, you can still respect what he represents. He may wear a flag but he represents the ideals and beliefs of humanity. He represents what people should strive to be. Other than Spider-Man I have always felt that if I were to mimic the morals of any hero Captain America would be one.
Even in this film, he disregards orders to do what he believes is right no matter the cost. Chris Evans does an excellent job in representing this and bringing to life a character that could have been hard to adapt. He could come across as a boy scout or a government stooge. One of my favourite parts of Chris Evans’ performance is his facial expressions. He does so much in the quiet moments when he isn’t talking and you can still feel his thoughts.
There are some cool fight scenes in the movie and I do think the war backdrop helps add to the impact of the battles. I think that the montages they used to progress time work really well for the film and allow us to see a short compilation of the exploits of Captain America and his Howling Commandos.
Though I will say the hand-to-hand combat improves in these films later on I do think the fight with Red Skull at the end is pretty fun. The flash forward at the end of the movie is a good way to get us ready for The Avengers so that Cap can be part of the team. The look on Steve’s face when he is in Times Square and he finds out how many years have passed is truly sad.
So all in all, I think Captain America The First Avenger was a really good debut for the leader of the Avengers. This film excels with its period setting, world-building as well as a lead that just anchors the whole story. This film will have you wanting to suit up and follow Cap into battle! Definitely check this out on your way through an MCU journey!