Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Director:

Joe Johnston

Starring:

Chris Evans

Hugo Weaving

Hayley Atwell

Tommy Lee Jones

Sebastian Stan

Plot:

Steve Rogers, a rejected military soldier transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a “Super-Soldier serum”. But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a war monger and a terrorist organization.

Review:

It’s WWII and Steve Rogers, Chris Evans, wants nothing more than to fight for his country. He knows that if just given a chance he could, despite the fact that he’s seriously underweight and has serious health issues, help the brave men fighting the war. While on a double date with his best friend Bucky, Sebastian Stan, he tries one more time to enlist, and he finally gets his wish.

Time and time again Steve proves that he may have been physically less than the average person, morally he was worlds above. He is a good, pure person. Even when he talks about no women wanting to date him he does not once lash out at them, he accepts his own faults and never places the blame on others doors. It’s yet another way in which he is perfect.

Captain America is a lawful good character, my favorite kind, and I feel like the story did a good job showing the difficulties faced by those characters. He knew the right thing to do and even when it put his life in danger he didn’t hesitate. Even when it meant that he was going to miss out on being with the woman he loves, he didn’t whine or complain or think poor me, he accepted the responsibility and went down with the ship. They weren’t easy decisions, but it was clear what the right one was, and he did them.

I love Captain America. He has a strong moral compass and doesn’t let anyone compromise it. There is not much growth with the character, but then there doesn’t need to be. He is himself in a dark world and he tries to make it better.

Captain America: The First Avenger is one of my favorite Marvel movies for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones is the introduction of the character Peggy Carter, Hayley Atwell. She is a strong female character in a time when that was incredibly difficult. She is smart and capable and helps Steve while still doing her own thing. She is one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. though it doesn’t go into that here, and that is probably my only complaint. There was a fair amount of S.H.I.E.L.D. involvement in Thor and allusions to what was to come, but apart from the end credits scene there is no mention. The work that was done here plays more into what comes in phase 2 and while I can appreciate the long game, I wish they’d alluded to what Peggy ends up doing and becoming.

4.5/5