Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger

The first Captain America was actually the 5th movie released in the Marvel-verse. However, the majority of the action takes place long before any other action in the universe. As I am watching the movies again in the order that they would have happened in the Universe, it is the first one I will review.

Plot:

Captain starts out as Steve Rogers, a skinny guy from Brooklyn who wants to join the army but has a bunch of medical conditions that limit him from joining. His buddy, Bucky Barnes is able to join the Army, which chaps Cap's ass. Cap gets selected to get injected with a super soldier serum and turns into (not surprisingly) a super soldier. He is relegated to media obligations aimed at recruiting troops until he saves his friend Bucky (and the Howling Commandos) from a prison camp. They start taking Nazi basis down one by one (with Cap leading the way) and eventual run into Red Skull, who has the tesseract and is creating a weapon out it. Captain stops Red Skull by crashing his plane (which seems like a rip off of the Spruce Moose) into the ocean. Eventually the plane is found and Cap is resurrected/thawed. Tony Stark's father finds the tesseract in the plane, which sets the whole Marvel universe in motion. Here is the link to the Wiki plot if you want to know more.

My assessment?

The first time I watched CA-I, I was not really impressed. I thought the story was laden and Cap was one dimensional as a character.  Actually, that is one of my biggest issues with DC comics. Their characters have no qualms about being heroes. They always do the right thing with no angsts. DC's best stories are told when their protagonists have internal struggles. Marvel's characters are rife with conflicts about their role as heroes. Captain (in this original iteration) has no qualms. Also, the first time I watched CA-I, I had no clue how it would fit into the overall story of the Avengers. 

Upon watching CA-I the second time, it was a lot more enjoyable for 2 reasons. First, it really sets-up Cap's development in the 2nd and 3rd installments of his franchise (and in the other Marvel movies). Second, there are a ton of little things that follow the continuity of the Marvel-verse that I didn't see on first watching it (hindsight really helps out that way). You can also tell how much Chris Evans has improved as an actor from his first foray as Cap to most recent performance in CA-III (Civil War). 

Should you watch it again?

I would really suggest a second watch. I am amazed at how well it sets-up all of the events in the Marvel-verse. I don't think it was well received by critics, but in the grand scheme of the Marvel-verse, it is pretty important. Plus, Tommy Lee Jones plays a great Chester Phillips and Hugo Weaving is always an excellent Red Skull. 

Favorite Quote or Quotes from the movie?

"I can do this all day!"

Favorite Scene?

Releasing the Howling Commandos from the prison camp has all the elements you want from that type of scene -fast paced, humor, tension.