I kinda sorta already wrote a review of this movie, but that was actually more of a review of the character of Steve Rogers, and also I don't much like the way it was written anymore, so I'm'a write a different, more review-y review of Captain America: The First Avenger!
Right now! You're uh... that's what you're reading. In case that wasn't already abundantly clear. Look, a poster!
Okay, first I want to talk about what this movie does particularly well. The one factor that sets it so far above the two Captain America movies that came after it; Tiny Steve.
That's right, I am of course referring to the special effects wizardry and forced perspective set design that allowed them to make Chris Evans...
...look like he was about 5-foot-2 next to Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter. This feat deserves some recognition, dang it, and I'm going to give it the credit it's due.
I'm also never going to forgive Marvel for not renewing Agent Carter for a third season.
Of course, there were a few other things that went well in The First Avenger. The period aspects of the movie, from costumes and set design to the music, were on point. They did a good job of also making it feel a bit like a period movie, while still making it actually enjoyable to, you know... look at. There were a lot of period-specific details that went into the whole thing, and generally speaking I appreciated all of them. The possible exception to that is the period-specific sexism you see displayed by a few characters at various points, but the movie knew what it was doing with those moments, and it also gave us Peggy Carter, who is straight up my favorite bad-a in the MCU.
If only her solo show would have gotten the third season it deserved.
I'm also a big fan of the character trajectory they give to Cap. And I mean Cap. Steve Rogers is basically the same person from start to end, and that's fine. This movie isn't about Steve's character progression, it's about the evolution and creation of Captain America as a hero and an icon. It was a conscious choice to focus on that progression and leave Steve as, basically, just a good-hearted guy from Brooklyn. He got a nice character arc in the sequel, but in this movie we were supposed to just really understand who and what Cap was to Steve, to his friends and subordinates, and to the nation. For my money it was smart to focus on just that one progression instead of trying to tackle a whole character change, and cutting Steve out of the matrix left us with a little more room for Peggy's characterization and development, which was a fantastic call.
Shame we didn't get more of that character development with a third season of her solo show.
The First Avenger also hits that tonal balance I really like in my action movies, managing to stay lighthearted and optimistic if possible while still managing to have a serious conflict that I cared about. It probably helped that we knew going in that there was basically no way any of the characters besides Cap were going to make it to The Avengers, meaning that main characters (particularly Peggy) kicking the bucket was a real possibility. They only sorta kinda followed through on that (Bucky came back, because of course he did), but the possibility still made the conflict feel more serious than a lot of these superhero movies, which was something I appreciated.
Even if Agent Carter got killed off in a different way by not getting a deserved third season for her solo show.
There's a lot to like about The First Avenger. It had a lot of heart and told a simple story very well. The characters were interesting and likable if not remarkably deep, and the action and script were entertaining. Could we talk about how Red Skull's plan was patently ridiculous and his motivations not particularly clear? Sure. Could we talk about Cap's sudden transformation from stage actor to elite warrior the exact moment the script needed it to happen without any prior evidence of associated combat training? Yep. Could we talk about how the Howling Commandos are basically just a squad of randomly selected character traits with no development pulled from the "diversity stereotypes" cookie jar? Of course.
And look, we just did! But for all its flaws, Captain America: The First Avenger is a pile of quality optimistic fun, and that makes it worth watching over and over again. Particularly because Hayley Atwell is just always a joy, and the world didn't get nearly as much of her as Peggy Carter as it really needed.
Though if they'd renewed her solo show for that third season...
Right now! You're uh... that's what you're reading. In case that wasn't already abundantly clear. Look, a poster!
Okay, first I want to talk about what this movie does particularly well. The one factor that sets it so far above the two Captain America movies that came after it; Tiny Steve.
That's right, I am of course referring to the special effects wizardry and forced perspective set design that allowed them to make Chris Evans...
...look like he was about 5-foot-2 next to Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter. This feat deserves some recognition, dang it, and I'm going to give it the credit it's due.
I'm also never going to forgive Marvel for not renewing Agent Carter for a third season.
Of course, there were a few other things that went well in The First Avenger. The period aspects of the movie, from costumes and set design to the music, were on point. They did a good job of also making it feel a bit like a period movie, while still making it actually enjoyable to, you know... look at. There were a lot of period-specific details that went into the whole thing, and generally speaking I appreciated all of them. The possible exception to that is the period-specific sexism you see displayed by a few characters at various points, but the movie knew what it was doing with those moments, and it also gave us Peggy Carter, who is straight up my favorite bad-a in the MCU.
If only her solo show would have gotten the third season it deserved.
I'm also a big fan of the character trajectory they give to Cap. And I mean Cap. Steve Rogers is basically the same person from start to end, and that's fine. This movie isn't about Steve's character progression, it's about the evolution and creation of Captain America as a hero and an icon. It was a conscious choice to focus on that progression and leave Steve as, basically, just a good-hearted guy from Brooklyn. He got a nice character arc in the sequel, but in this movie we were supposed to just really understand who and what Cap was to Steve, to his friends and subordinates, and to the nation. For my money it was smart to focus on just that one progression instead of trying to tackle a whole character change, and cutting Steve out of the matrix left us with a little more room for Peggy's characterization and development, which was a fantastic call.
Shame we didn't get more of that character development with a third season of her solo show.
The First Avenger also hits that tonal balance I really like in my action movies, managing to stay lighthearted and optimistic if possible while still managing to have a serious conflict that I cared about. It probably helped that we knew going in that there was basically no way any of the characters besides Cap were going to make it to The Avengers, meaning that main characters (particularly Peggy) kicking the bucket was a real possibility. They only sorta kinda followed through on that (Bucky came back, because of course he did), but the possibility still made the conflict feel more serious than a lot of these superhero movies, which was something I appreciated.
Even if Agent Carter got killed off in a different way by not getting a deserved third season for her solo show.
There's a lot to like about The First Avenger. It had a lot of heart and told a simple story very well. The characters were interesting and likable if not remarkably deep, and the action and script were entertaining. Could we talk about how Red Skull's plan was patently ridiculous and his motivations not particularly clear? Sure. Could we talk about Cap's sudden transformation from stage actor to elite warrior the exact moment the script needed it to happen without any prior evidence of associated combat training? Yep. Could we talk about how the Howling Commandos are basically just a squad of randomly selected character traits with no development pulled from the "diversity stereotypes" cookie jar? Of course.
And look, we just did! But for all its flaws, Captain America: The First Avenger is a pile of quality optimistic fun, and that makes it worth watching over and over again. Particularly because Hayley Atwell is just always a joy, and the world didn't get nearly as much of her as Peggy Carter as it really needed.
Though if they'd renewed her solo show for that third season...
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