Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

2011 PG-13 124 Minutes

Action | Adventure | Science Fiction

Predominantly set during World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – A...

Overall Rating

7 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • WHAT I LIKED: There's no getting away from the fact that 'Captain America: The First Avenger' is a pretty goofy superhero film with its stretched origin story about a little everyman becoming the muscly American Nazi-fighter in tight blue spandex, but what makes it work so well is that it's entirely unapologetic about all of that stuff so you can't help but take it for what it is and enjoy it. Indeed much like with the subsequent Avengers film, no attempt is made to ground things here, so you're left with something that is sightly silly for sure, but something which also crucially revels in that comic-book joy with an almost tongue-in-cheek attitude to devote all of its serious energy to the characterisation instead.
    And its there that the film not only becomes immensely enjoyable, but also emotionally-engaging, as Chris Evans builds a captivating hero that you can genuinely root for, and the supporting characters who either support or doubt his unflinching do-good spirit also do a great job of spurring his journey along. All of this amounts to a fairly upsetting finale, and in the end this film is probably one of the most underappreciated in its franchise.
    WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There's no getting away from the fact that it is a pretty goofy superhero film...
    VERDICT: A comic-book movie which finds its grounding not in reality but in its character humanity, 'Captain America: The First Avenger,' is unashamedly goofy and properly engaging throughout. Like Thor just before it, it's one of the MCU's best this, and it's sadly overlooked in my eyes.