MovieRob Milestone Marathon – Countdown to 6K (#5 of 23) – Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – Encore Review 3

“You could have the power of the gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future, Captain! There are no flags!” – Red Skull

Number of Times Seen – 5 (4 Sep 2011, 7 Jan 2014, 3 Aug 2014, 16 Aug 2017 and 7 Dec 2019)

Link to original review – Here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – An energetic young man who can’t enlist to fight in World War II is recruited by the government to take a drug that will make him a super soldier.

My Take on it – They decided to leave the very best origin story for the final one of the original quad of superheroes that made up the Avengers.

The way that this story is presented is done exceptionally well and they allow us to see all of the very appealing aspects of this kind of story especially since it mostly takes place in the distant past instead of the present like the rest of the origin stories.

This enhances the story and helps make things so much more enjoyable to watch.

Chris Evans is superbly chosen to represent the “boy scout” attitude of Steve Rogers and this feeling resonates throughout all of the stories in the MCU that he appears in.

The film does a splendid job of presenting a story that take place during World War II, yet despite almost entirely being in the past, the story is able to create such a unique personality for this character as he always manages to show his patriotic spirit in all that he does.

This character is heroic, fearless and above all else totally committed to freedom and justice in every situation he finds himself in.

Hugo Weaving is also great as the main villain in this film even though he isn’t given an even more prominent place in the story and feels a bit underused.

This is a film that is able to give us a comprehensive look at what makes up the character of Captain America as we get to watch how his personality and character evolves over the course of this origin story movie up until it reaches a point where we can unquestionably see what he represents and why it is quite integral for The Avengers to have a superhero like him among their ranks.

Bottom Line – Probably the best origin story of the original 4 Avenger characters. The story is filled with so many appealing aspects which helps make it so enjoyable to watch. Evans is superbly cast in the lead role and epitomizes the “boy scout” attitude of this character. Love how this film takes place almost entirely during World War II yet through that part of the story they are able to create such a unique personality for the character which shines throughout the entire franchise. He is heroic, fearless and above all, very patriotic. Weaving does a nice job as the main antagonist, even though he is completely underused. The story gives us a very comprehensive look at this character and we get to see him evolve over the course of the film to a point where it is completely understandable as to what he represents and why he is so integral to being a part of the Avengers. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Chris Evans declined the role three times before accepting the part. Not out of dislike for the role, but because he feared what the effects of the sudden increase of fame would be on his private life. Then Robert Downey, Jr. convinced him to take the part, and thus gain the freedom to sign on any other role he’d want afterwards. After that, he had a meeting with director Joe Johnston and the producers, who convinced him to take the role. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)