Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger is one of the finest movies yet from Marvel Studios, and a big departure in tone and storytelling from most of the films they've made so far. It is a strong indicator that the more willing the studio is to experiment, the more exciting the payoffs can be.

Joe Johnston - returning to the vibe of his first directorial effort, "The Rocketeer" (1991) - creates a fun retro-futurist environment with a World War II setting, and he has the discernment not to let the effects overwhelm the story.

For the most part, it manages to balance laughs, genuinely rousing moments, and a fully packed agenda into something fleet enough to keep running under the weight of its rich ambitions.

On its own, Captain America is a modestly engaging little-big movie in the median range: well below the first "Iron Man," somewhat above "X-Men: First Class."

Here's the funny thing: Despite all the Captain America rah-rah in costume and indestructible shield, the movie is at its best when the story sticks with skinny Steve.

In the end, the action sequences are just overblown and dollar-squandering, with no particular payoff in the entertainment department. The supporting actors - particularly Jones, Tucci and Luke - are the thing to watch here; they do all they can to keep the movie's gears running smoothly.

Captain America is simply awful. It is another hour and a half of prologue to the film people are apparently waiting for - The Avengers.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

It’s the most "polite" film in the Marvel pantheon. It works well—it’s clean, smells like apple pie and vintage patriotism—but it falters with its villain. Red Skull devolves from a global threat into a caricature who scurries away every time he spots a colorful shield. The narrative suffers from that typical rush of someone forced to "explain the origins" just to sprint toward next year’s crossover. Watching it is like drinking a glass of warm milk: reassuring and sweet, but an hour later, you’re already craving something with more kick (like a Winter Soldier). Still, it remains an indispensable pillar, if only for proving that you can be a superhero without being an arrogant billionaire in a suit.

A flag-waving spectacle of forced pride: A 3.0-star shield that couldn't block the cringe.110728 (3.0)I watched this in the theater in 2011. Back then, I used to run to the cinema for any Marvel release with pure excitement, but this one was a massive mismatch for my taste. The very reason it became such a huge hit in the US was exactly why I hated it: that blatant, unapologetic American exceptionalism. It felt too "shameless" and predictable, lacking the "chewy," complex tension I usually look for. While the production value was there, the "Captain America" bravado felt a bit too forced for me to fully embrace. A skeptical 3.0 for a hero who was a bit too "Star-Spangled" for my liking.

How anyone can call this movie good is beyond me. It would be similar to calling Mc'donalds good food. You can do it but you know you're just lying to yourself.

There has been few good superhero movies over the last decade (excluding the first Iron Man and Christopher's Batman franchise) and Captain America is no exception. While the movie had some originality at the beginning, with the movie staying true to the WWII setting, the movie quickly veered away from that. It quickly became another bland modern action thriller. Terrible dialogue, extremely predictable (though some decent character development), this is no exception to a failing superhero genre.