Captain America: The First Avenger

This is the best comic book movie to be released this summer. That is what it is, a comic book movie. It does not surpass that level but nobody ever said it had to. While not a Spider-man 2 or Dark Knight it fits in well as a first entry in an inevitable series. Perhaps not the fun, turn the formula on its head, film that Iron Man was, it is still an excellent comic book film that manages to have developed characters and a story actually propelled by plot rather than CG sequences (I'm looking at you Transformers 2 and 3). Still, even with all its positive attributes the film might've been largely a one time viewing for me, that is, if it hadn't been for Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter.My personal, and largest, issue with comic book movies has been their seeming inability to cast memorable and talented women in the leading lady spot. While the leading lady role has frequently been nothing more than a damsel in distress (other than perhaps in team up movies such as X-men), something unfortunately true even of Nolan's gritty Dark Knight films, here we find that is not the case. Peggy Carter is a female character who stands out amongst the many comic book movie female characters. She is strong willed, independent, can handle herself, never asks for help, doesn't take any crap and does it all in a period where women were undeniably treated as less than men. She does all these things yet she can still walk into a bar in the middle of the film wearing a red dress that leaves everyone at a loss for words.Even better than Peggy Carter's character, and the reason I named the actress rather than the character in my review title, was the casting of Hayley Atwell in the role. The character could have become something much different without a capable actress to play the balance of tough yet feminine. Worse it could have been filled by some less capable big name actress for box office draw. For years in comic book movies I have either dreaded or at best barely stomached the casting of female leading roles.Kirsten Dunst had her moments in the Spidey films but then would come the time when she had to be kidnapped and scream and holler for help, she also always needed a man in her life, if not Peter then another stand in to take his place. Batman Begins casting of Katie Holmes always seemed strange to me, why in a film full of lower status but credible actors would Nolan cast a more household name with much less credibility? Whatever the reason, she played the part but it is not the role anyone remembers from that film. The same goes for the sequel, in which I had high hopes Maggie Gyllenhaal would make welcome changes to the previously pitchy character, unfortunately I dare say that Rachel Dawes only became more helpless and became the one negative to be found in The Dark Knight.More recently I was disappointed to find Gwenyth and Natalie both playing supposed strong women but one (Pepper Potts) who is subordinate to a man who treats her badly and still needs to be saved in the end and the other (Jane Foster) fairly shallow and school girlish overall.While Jane only likes Thor at first because of his muscles, Peggy meets Steve Rogers/The Cap when he is a ninety pound weakling. We see her first tinge of interest in him when he is still this small, all based on his philosophies on fighting and dating. It is this established connection before he becomes a perfect male specimen that cements the story and keeps us truly engaged. Peggy and Steve truly bring out the best in eachother and actually share a common bond of struggling to break free from their respective stereotypes that allows the audience to believe in their relationship, one that is actually formed out of friendship first. The film is great and a wonderful starting point for a series, the ending is unique if only a plot device required for the Avengers tie in and I truly can't wait to see where they take Captain America in his sequel. He has by the end of the film, especially thanks to Peggy Carter, become quite a different hero with quite a different chip on his shoulders than any we have yet to see.So I have wondered why comic book movies don't cast relatively unknown actresses to play these parts and allow them to really create a character. Finally Captain America has done just that with the lovely Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter and I hope we see much more of it in future comic book films. The saddest part of Captain America and perhaps the thing that compells me to want to see it again Repeated times is that based on the ending it is very unlikely we will see the fantastic Peggy Carter/Hayley Atwell in all her glory in any of the sequels. They have some big shoes to fill when they inevitably try to create a Sharon Carter character, let's hope they take cues from however it was that they came to choose Hayley.**By the way, I would like it if Hayley or someone like her played Wonder Woman for DC, brits are already playing supes and batman might as well fill in the big three with a third, and let's not only have a more obscure actress with talent but one who can fill out the costume properly, no stick thing actresses such as when people were rallying for Megan Fox to play WW.

This is the first movie in the MCU timeline if you want to watch the movies in chronological order and the fifth if you watch them in release order (after Iron Man, Hulk, Iron Man II, and Thor). It tells the story of Steve Rodgers, a short scrawny kid who wants nothing more than to enlist in the army and fight for the United States in World War II. The problem is that he is about 5'5", 100 pounds soaking wet, and has asthma. After getting rejected time after time trying to sign up, he meets a doctor (played by Stanley Tucci) who developed a super-soldier serum and is looking for a worthy candidate to test it on. After Steve proves himself to be heroic during basic training he is given the serum and transforms into a six-foot-tall muscle-bound super-powered hero.The film sports a great ensemble cast including Tommy Lee Jones (who brings his awesome dry humor as the unit commander Chester Phillips), Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Hugo Weaving as the main villain, Red Skull, Dominic Cooper as a young Howard Stark, Sebastian Stan as Steve's best friend Bucky Barnes, and Toby Jones as Arnim Zola. Some of those characters, as anyone who has watched the movies and/or various TV series, would go on to have roles that were expanded well beyond what they are in this movie, and for other characters, this movie was a one-off. It is mostly an action movie, as you would expect, but also blends in drama, romance, and a lot of humor. Evans does a great job playing a goody-two-shoes character but giving him depth beyond just being a do-gooder. Atwell does a great job as Agent Carter, and Hugo Weaving pretty much steals every scene he is in.For those who get the 4k UHD set, the movie looks and sounds great in the format, especially if you have a big screen to watch it on. The picture is definitely an upgrade from the regular Blu-Ray. The UHD disc just has the movie itself, and then the second disc is the same regular Blu-Ray disc that was released before, which has the movie and the extras. The extras include a commentary track on the film by the director and the editor, then it has several making-of featurettes, the most interesting of which was, in my opinion, how they used a blend of CGI and practical effects to make Chris Evans look five inches shorter than he is in real life and emaciated at the beginning of the movie. Then there are some deleted scenes and trailers. So, if you like watching the bonus content, there is a lot there for you.The movie is very good and does a great job establishing the character of Captain America who, of course, is integral to every other movie that comes after it. If you watch this movie first it will make some things in other movies, namely the stand-alone Hulk movie, make more sense, but the post-credits scene which sets up The first Avengers movie will feel out of place. The 4K disc will probably be a double-dip for a lot of people who had already purchased the Blu-Ray, but I think the upgrade is worth it.