Captain America: The First Avenger (Review)

((((Please be advised there are spoilers))))

Movie Summary:

Steve Rogers; a weak, sickly young man eager to enlist is repeatedly rejected from the war until a scientist recruits him and transforms him into Captain America. However, it comes at a price when he has to take down a war monger and a terrorist organization.   

Opening Scene: 

Agents of some kind from Washington are brought in and are inspecting what looks to be an aircraft that was trapped in ice and within it they find Captain America's shield. I had goosebumps watching that scene. 

Only with a short few scenes into the movie we can clearly identify all the important qualities that makes up Steve Rogers; respect, honour, humility and has the determination to help out his country as much as he can even if he has to lie to get in the army. 

I'm usually not enamored by characters but Steve Rogers is something else altogether. He is smart, selfless and has such a kind heart. Not many soldiers would throw themselves on a grenade for their comrades. Just those qualities alone any woman could fall in love with him. 

It was insightful when Dr. Erskine explained that the serum amplifies the person not just physically but mentally as well. Not only will the supersoldier have accelerated speed, healing and strength but also their unique qualities amplified.

Ironically, Hydra named themselves after a mythical creature that if one head is cut off, two more grow in it's place. Yet that creature is from Greek mythology. Their weapons are powered by the tesseract; a object left on Earth by the gods which is based off Norse mythology. I understand that Hydra is a cool name for a villain group but you'd think they would stick to just one mythology. 

It is humbling to see that Steve had to prove himself by entering an enemy base and single-handedly rescuing the prisoners and his best friend Bucky. After that he was able to lead his own team to defeat as many Hydra bases they could find. Seeing him in action is exhilarating to watch instead of seeing him as a show-pony. 

I've read some of the Marvel comics over the years so I'm well aware of just how close Steve and Bucky are but as a movie goer with no knowledge on Marvel their relationship was not given much screen time before Bucky's death/ fall from the train. We only got some very short scenes and it jumped into Steve becoming Captain America. Even after Bucky is saved there is not much time spent demonstrating just how important they are to one another. Bucky's death seemed quite short and did not demand the emotional response needed for this kind of loss. Which reinforces what I am saying when we were not given enough scenes with Steve and Bucky! The ball was dropped when it came to their relationship and Buck'y death. As a fan, I was truly disappointed. 

Of course Captain America saved the day and defeated the Red Skull. Or actually it was the tesseract that absorbed/ killed him? Either way, that mad man is gone. I do have to give major props to their special fx team in making Red Skull's face look very natural and well put together instead of looking fake. However! What I don't understand is if Schmidt was able to control his aircraft; the Valkyrie, how come Steve couldn't safely land it instead of nose-diving in the ocean? I understand why he has to nose dive because in the comics it brought him to the present day Marvel. But the Valkyrie had both autopilot and manual, plus the weapons could have been stabilized. When he crashed into the ice there was no big explosion so he technically didn't have to have such a dramatic ending. 

Which leads to the ending of the movie. The opening scene was actually agents who found the long lost Valkyrie (another norse mythology reference) and in it Captain America. Almost 70 years on ice who is brought to modern times. But did anyone else notice that throughout the entire movie it never was mentioned that Steve's teammates were named the howling commandos? It would have been great if they added in a few more scenes of the team interacting with one another. The howling commandos were a big part of Steve's life (being part of this team had a huge impact on Steve's life) in the comics. A lot of Steve's personal life was over shadowed with him being Captain America. I feel that this movie could have been greatly improved if they added more personal scenes instead of him being this amazing superhero. Yes Captain America is amazing and can do amazing things. But what makes him amazing is the man behind the mask. 

Rating:

I am going to give Captain America: The First Avenger 3.5 stars on 5. Steve Rogers as a character is incredible and the epitome of a hero. Such a character unraveling and watching on screen is amazing to witness. But man this movie could have been so much better! Bucky is THE MOST IMPORTANT person in Steve's life and we only get a couple of scenes of them together? They could have done a few flashbacks to show how they became friends and their life together growing up. And by God! If they could have focused more on his personal relationships that defined him as a person this movie would have been phenomenal.