Captain America: The First Avenger

PLOT Steve Rogers, a scrawny young man, wants to enlist in the US Army and go overseas to fight in WWII. But his size and health means his attempts at enlistment always end the same way -- a 4F rating. Until a scientist sees him and recruits him to try out for a special training program to create a super soldier. WHAT I LIKED The Marvel universe sticks pretty close to classic script with him being given a serum that jacks his body into super muscle mode. He's already brave and smart, so it would seem like a no-brainer to send him overseas? But the guy in charge of his training doesn't want him, he's just one man, so Rogers ends up doing public relations back home. And he is quite shocked that the men overseas don't react as positively when they see him as the crowds back home. I really enjoyed the way they handle the first battle scene for him, basically him figuring things out as he goes, a far cry from his battle-hardened approaches later. I even liked his interactions with Agent Carter. I had thought it would be more subtle than it was, and I hoped we'd see a bit more of her operating on her own (after all, they gave her character a whole series on TV!), but she was second fiddle to the hero. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE The challenge with a lot of American movies of the war is that it is as if they are the only actors in the war, no allies, just them, and that level of nationalistic narrowmindedness is a bit grating. That may be a small gripe when the show is called CAPTAIN AMERICA, not CAPTAIN OF WORKING WITH ALLIES, but still, it's annoying. I also was disappointed there wasn't a lot more on Red Skull. His history, his abilities, other pursuits, all of it was left basically unreferenced. Sure, some of it shows up elsewhere in the Marvel universe, but a bit more crosswalk would have been nice. I felt he really wasn't that well-fleshed out as the uber villain he could have been. THE BOTTOM LINE / TWEET As an origin story, it lacks pizazz

Definitely the most underrated of all the MCU films, Captain America: The First Avenger is a great war film done comic book style about a little guy making a big difference. Red Skull is one of the better villains simply because of how fantastic Hugo Weaving is. Peggy Carter is a great heroine and Hayley Atwell's performance is an absolute joy. Also, Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci light up the screen whenever they're on. With strong action scenes, nicely developed characters, and seamless CGI, Captain America: The First Avenger is perfectly fine as a stand alone film. Shameful that so many audiences were just going out of obligation for The Avengers, because this movie has a lot to offer.

Probably only my third time viewing and first in at least 8 years and while it's not great, I did find it to be pretty entertaining and Chris Evans embodies the role so well. Red Skull and the heavy prosthetic they placed on Hugo Weaving still was pretty silly looking, however, making him one of many weak villains in the MCU. **3.25/5**