Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• John M

  
  Excellent film! Marvel continues to roll in the big money with successful super hero movies. Captain America easily captured the taste and flavor of WW2 and the origin of the First Avenger.

• Candy R

  
  Steve is small in stature but wants to enlist in the army. He volunteers to go on an experimental programme to make super soldiers. He goes by the name of Captain America and goes on tour to enlist and encourage the troops. Good action movie.

• Martin S

  
  A decent story and a decent overall movie. But it's not a funny character. And I'm not gonna promote the movie to anyone

• Cynthia S

  
  I liked it, and I didn't. This movie had all the standard elements of the Marvel comic adaptations that have come out over the last few years; the script was OK, and the acting was decent, and, as is usual these days, the CGI effects were pretty darn good. Yes, it was somewhat… More
  I liked it, and I didn't. This movie had all the standard elements of the Marvel comic adaptations that have come out over the last few years; the script was OK, and the acting was decent, and, as is usual these days, the CGI effects were pretty darn good. Yes, it was somewhat "exciting " but, I've got to say, it was all pretty formulaic, and these adaptations are starting to get a little repetitive-same old, same old---and are becoming less and less interesting. I think that I keep comparing them all to Ironman, which both movies excelled in my book. However, they all need to be that good, in my opinion...

• Emily A

  
  I didn't have very high hopes for this film, but I found it very enjoyable. There is nothing, specifically wrong with it. I can't say that I was a big fan of Red Skull as the villain, but Hugo Weaving did a pretty good job with what he had. I probably wouldn't have… More
  I didn't have very high hopes for this film, but I found it very enjoyable. There is nothing, specifically wrong with it. I can't say that I was a big fan of Red Skull as the villain, but Hugo Weaving did a pretty good job with what he had. I probably wouldn't have liked this as much if anyone other than Chris Evans had been cast as the hero; he crafts a sincere and wide-eyed, almost naive Captain America that I'm now quite looking forward to seeing play off the other, more cynical and hardened Marvel heroes in the upcoming Avengers film. It's quite novel to see a modern superhero movie, complete with contemporary film and editing techniques and slick digital animation, be set in the forties. As for the story, it was fine, I guess. It hit all the narrative points and as an action movie, it was as good as any other. Not my favorite Marvel movie, but again, there's nothing wrong with it. It's funny and action-packed and has a hero you can root for. Could you ask anything more from a popcorn blockbuster?

• Drake T

  
  Good, but not great. There were a LOT of things I disagreed with about this movie. Most notably, stylistic choice, tone, and just an overall lack of sophistication. It also felt like an overwhelming excuse to perpetuate the hype towards the upcoming 2012 Avengers movie, seemed like… More
  Good, but not great. There were a LOT of things I disagreed with about this movie. Most notably, stylistic choice, tone, and just an overall lack of sophistication. It also felt like an overwhelming excuse to perpetuate the hype towards the upcoming 2012 Avengers movie, seemed like little heart and detail was put into this production. For one, it's set in WWII yet makes no attempt to use many iconic scenes and events to solidify itself. Nor does it approach obvious themes of freedom and liberation, nor does it really engage the relationship between CA and RS, both super soldiers spawned as weapons of war, and nor does it even attempt to embody the serious, dark undertones of the time. Producers said no, instead we're given a tacky and even generic superhero story with a two dimensional villain that commands a cheesy blue-ray-gun wielding army bent on taking over the world. Or destroying it? Why? Who knows. For a simple minded demographic I suppose. Also, I doubt Hitler put THAT much funding into a project without being really close to RS, what with him running out of resources with the "real"? war. Oh plotholes, I won't start. Also, I'm not sure if it was poor acting on Evan's part or the script but his growth from "zero-to-hero"? came all too quickly, there could have been significant scenes where he doubted his leadership and his worth after the transformation; especially since Bucky's death. (He didn't have ONE dramatic emotional outburst in the entire movie) Also, how the hell did he become such a good combatant? Did I miss a scene where he received martial arts training? Just not a very compelling ride that misses a lot of mature possibilities with its setting. I mean, the best part was CA's little ride into mainstream propaganda and back. An amusing and insightful display into the importance of media at the time, it needed more of that, more stuff like that. The movie barely tickled the "entertainment" center of my brain, with many underwhelming action sequences that are very standard for our time. What's the point of this if it can't even really serve as an outstanding humorous action-flick? Oh right, a segue for the 2012 Avengers movie. Duh.

• Roy G

  
  The Captain isn't perfect, but he's the equal of Thor and loads better than the Green Lantern: he's the summer's pre-eminent superhero.

• Chris W

  
  This is the final film in the lead up to The Avengers, and I must say, I'm very happy to report that this one really delivers, and is possibly my favorite in the Marvel film canon so far. It's kinda funny too, considering how as a kid I was never blown away by Captain… More
  This is the final film in the lead up to The Avengers, and I must say, I'm very happy to report that this one really delivers, and is possibly my favorite in the Marvel film canon so far. It's kinda funny too, considering how as a kid I was never blown away by Captain America, and how during my cynical phase of my teenage years I rolled my eyes at the overload of patriotism and propaganda the character represented. I've matured though, and have learned to put thigns in their proper context. Yes, Captain America was definitely a product of the times during WWII, and yes, he was undeniably used as a tool (He punches Hitler on the cover of his very first issue, so yeah.) However, sicne then, the writer's seem to have done a good job of updating the character to fit the times, and have tweaked the patriotism and propaganda aspects accordingly. Thankfully, Joe Johnston was able to surprise me with his directorial skills (the man has a very up and down track record), and he does an excellent job of handling the variosu facets of the character. It's all about context and tone, two very important things, and not just for filmmaking. Steve Rogers starts out as a scrawny 90 pound asthmatic weakling, but, thanks to a special experimental government program, he's injected with a serum that turns him into an all American badass ready to do the bidding of the government, which, in the film, primarily concerns dealing with HYDRA, a radical, science based offshoot of the Nazis, and their leader Johann Schmidt, AKA the Red Skull, a twisted psycho hell bent on global domination. The first half of this film is just top notch near brilliance. It handles all the backstory and "origin" elements with the perfect touch on all fronts. The montages where Captain America is used as a promotional propaganda tool/USO type of figure are just wonderful, and an absolute joy to watch, When the typical comic book type plot kicks in during the second half the film loses some steam, and isn't quite as fun, but it doesn't quite stumble enough to knock the film down totally. Teh actions scenes are good, and they are fun to watch, but the film feels more on auto pilot. That, and they way they handle the ending, particularly the last line, really sticks out to me, and not in a good way. But, the post credits teaser is good, so that makes up for it a bit. As far as the production values go, this film is great. The period stuff looks really good, and blends with the futuristic, sci-fi comic elements better than I expected (again, Johnston has a mixed body of work). In a lot of ways, this felt like a slicker, stronger, and less hokey version of Johhnston's earlier film The Rocketeer, but still in the same ball park. The cinematography is quite good, the score (especially the musical numbers) is terrific, and the special effects, namely how they made Evans look like a weakiling is unbelievably amazing. How they handled the look of the Red Skull is okay, but somewhat silly looking. Now onto the casting and performances: I dug 'em. Chris Evans makes for a wonderful Steve Rogers, and his work here makes up for Fantastic Four. I used ot not give him much credit as a perofrmaer, but somewhere along the line, something happened, and he managed to prove himself as someone with capability and talent. Hugo Weaving is okay, though tunsurprising as the Red Skull. Tommy Lee Jones is in full Tommy Lee Jones mode, but he's still entertaining and has some of the more entertaining lines. Hayley Atwell manages to make something more out of what is usually an underused type of role, and that makes me happy. The film manages to make a genuine emotional connection work towards the end, and you actually care about her since they show her as mroe than eye candy. Stanley Tucci is great in his supporting role as the man who makes it all happen for Steve. Toby Jones is also nice as Schmidt's nerdy science lackey. The only part of the casting that bugs me is how they handled the Howling Commandos- Cap's squad of soldiers. The casting is good, especially Neal McDonough as 'Dum Dum' Dugan (compelte with trademark stache and bowler), but they could have used more scenes and development, espeically given the diversity of the group (including a token African American and a Japanese American). Yeah it's fun to see them kick ass, but in this day and age, it's harder to get by this sort of thing without an explanation. That's mostly just the intellectual in me complaining, but seriously, there's some great stuff there they could have addressed while still keeping the film a fun comic book movie. All in all, this is a rip roaring, exciting, and super fun film filled with a good story, a great mix of humor, pathos, and action, and even a tad bit of substance. The film does start to lose some of its magic in the second half, but as someone who is a little leery when he's sees Johnston's name on a film, I was exceedingly happy and quite surprised with how well this turned out. There just may be hope for him as a director, yet.

• Sergio G

  
  What a terrible disappoitment. Even when the Christopher Markus get into the very begginings of Steve Rogers, the plot is so "hasty"? I don't know even how to describe it. We became Captain America, he fought, he won several fights, he defeated his nemesis and he get… More
  What a terrible disappoitment. Even when the Christopher Markus get into the very begginings of Steve Rogers, the plot is so "hasty"? I don't know even how to describe it. We became Captain America, he fought, he won several fights, he defeated his nemesis and he get frozen. ???? All that in 120 min. I was expecting a better plot, the rising of a true leader and why not? The introduction to a sequel?. To me, Captain America was just a lame excuse to introduce him into The Avengers.

• Letitia L

  
  So much heart. So little personality. The acceptably-witty one-liners and cresting (patriotic?) music made it entertaining enough for me though.

• Anthony L

  
  I'm more of a DC nerd to be honest but I'm really enjoying the build up to the Avengers film (although I bet the individual films turn out to be better). The Hulk was good, Iron Man was very good, Thor was good and now Captain America is good. Not great, but still pretty… More
  I'm more of a DC nerd to be honest but I'm really enjoying the build up to the Avengers film (although I bet the individual films turn out to be better). The Hulk was good, Iron Man was very good, Thor was good and now Captain America is good. Not great, but still pretty good. They have kept pretty faithful to the origins too, something film makers often get wrong. The cast were good too - although I guess the Fantastic 4/Avengers cross-over film has been ruled out due to the casting of Chris Evens?. It's an all round does-exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin action adventure superhero film - innocent fun, entertaining enough - will never match the new Batman films or the old Superman films but then nothing ever will in my mind. As long as they keep on trying I'll be happy.

• Albert K

  
  Captain Cheeseball. If you dig the retro-esque stuff, you'll love Captain America. I just couldn't help but predict the ending to many of the scenes in this movie. There have been talks about the great relationship Captain America has with Agent Carter but I felt it… More
  Captain Cheeseball. If you dig the retro-esque stuff, you'll love Captain America. I just couldn't help but predict the ending to many of the scenes in this movie. There have been talks about the great relationship Captain America has with Agent Carter but I felt it wasn't fleshed out correctly and uninteresting. And the villain? Horribly weak and uninspired. Most of the dialogue was, "20%, 30%... the vita-rays will blah blah blah..." I found this movie boring.

• Coxxie M

  
  its kinda funny, though its only funny to me, and fuck you, that i don't remember a single word of dialogue spoken in this movie. other than i guess "skinny" and "army". and "america". and this is mostly because my ex-girlfriend didn't tell me… More
  its kinda funny, though its only funny to me, and fuck you, that i don't remember a single word of dialogue spoken in this movie. other than i guess "skinny" and "army". and "america". and this is mostly because my ex-girlfriend didn't tell me when she hated a movie. she just blabs about the characters' fucking costumes and asks if a guy is captain america every time a new character walks onscreen and its like "is HE Captain America?" and im like "no, hes obviously a nazi" and whatta you know, two hours later that guy pulled his face off like all Mission Impossibly and reveals his jello red skull head and so shut the hell up because i was totally right about the skinny guy being Captain America because that obviously was Mr. Flame On and i could tell his head was digitally grafted onto this body thats a little bit bigger than my puny body because i so saw how buff he was in those hot Men's Health magazines with the greased up abs and he didn't just get rid of those overnight... um no, fuck that, i mean that guy probably gets that general chick's uniform off by the end but who knows cause like, my ex-girl just wanted to talk until i said "you wanna go?" and shes like "ffffinally.. fuck." and i just walk out pretending to be a man holding my bucket full of kernels feeling like Steve Rogers before he was Captain America.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast:Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Richard Armitage, Sebastian Stan Director:Joe Johnston Summary: Marvel launches another super franchise with this action-packed origin story, which follows Steve… More
  Cast:Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Richard Armitage, Sebastian Stan Director:Joe Johnston Summary: Marvel launches another super franchise with this action-packed origin story, which follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he volunteers for a secret experiment during World War II. Transformed into a superhero named Captain America, Steve goes after the Axis. With his perfect physique and heightened reflexes -- and his sidekick, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) -- Steve battles the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), a super soldier created by Italian fascists. My Thoughts: "I really enjoyed the story that this super hero flick brought with it. I liked Steve and thought Chris Evans looked and did amazing in his role. There was lots of action making it very hard to be bored with this movie. The movie had some great character's which always makes the film that much more enjoyable. All the acting was superb. Probably one of the better made super hero films made this year."

• Dead A

  
  Although the story didn't attracted me that much but I liked this movie. Tommy Lee was hilarious in it.

• Nick D

  
  An amazing tongue in cheek action movie good for comic book nerds and people alike. With great performances by Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving this film keeps the retro feel of the 1940's and adds its own Indiana Jones-like feel to make it the best film of the Summer block buster… More
  An amazing tongue in cheek action movie good for comic book nerds and people alike. With great performances by Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving this film keeps the retro feel of the 1940's and adds its own Indiana Jones-like feel to make it the best film of the Summer block buster season.

• Tom M

  
  THIS MOVIE WAS AWESOME. It took one of (what i thought to be) the lamest, most unimpressive, and strangely costumed superheroes i had ever heard of and made it into a movie that, honestly, might have just topped Iron Man for me, keeping with the Avengers films. The action was awesome,… More
  THIS MOVIE WAS AWESOME. It took one of (what i thought to be) the lamest, most unimpressive, and strangely costumed superheroes i had ever heard of and made it into a movie that, honestly, might have just topped Iron Man for me, keeping with the Avengers films. The action was awesome, I love how the costume was explained and none of it felt random (unlike the previous Captain America film where everything was so out of place, especially the costume). Rotten Tomatoes says "a handful of fine performances", but I don't think anyone did a bad job in this film at all! AND REDSKULL LOOKED FRICKIN AWESOME. I loved this movie, it's definitely a favorite for the summer, and I can't wait for The Avengers next summer!

• Paulo G

  
  Beautifully directed, but despite it going against the odds in terms of story development and structure, it still becomes all too expected and cliched. But still, there's plenty of witty moments, action packed fight scenes and vintage ambiance to leave you hanging for more.

• Nikhil N

  
  Amazing and better than Thor. This movie was everything I expected and more. It offers an action packed story, great character, and it also captures the historic aspects of the time period from the fears and worries of world war II to the American use of propaganda. This movie… More
  Amazing and better than Thor. This movie was everything I expected and more. It offers an action packed story, great character, and it also captures the historic aspects of the time period from the fears and worries of world war II to the American use of propaganda. This movie successfully entertains and takes a fun twist on World History.

• Dan S

  
  A satisfying if disposable summer-feeling action-hero origin story chronicling the rise of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), during the days of World War II and his transformation from puny underdog to super-charged war hero. While director Joe Johnston definitely… More
  A satisfying if disposable summer-feeling action-hero origin story chronicling the rise of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), during the days of World War II and his transformation from puny underdog to super-charged war hero. While director Joe Johnston definitely brings some punch and professionalism to his extraordinary set-pieces, too often his film is hampered by obvious crowd-pleasing one-liners and questionable plotting (Rogers forsaking his morals as soon as he morphs into CA rings very false). With that said, the action pieces are very impressive, and the particularly outstanding casting (Evans is perfect for the role, Hugo Weaving brings an appropriate snarling look to 'Red Skull', and Tommy Lee Jones is just awesome as a colonel), which almost saves the movie from predictable-ending land, before the final frame gives up an obvious teaser for a sequel, which, while obligatory, feels like a cheap move to cash-in just a little bit more. Still largely entertaining, it has a nice look to it, I just wish it could have been a little less obvious that it was interested in telling an origin story, and not just seeking a big payday first.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings