Captain America: The First Avenger

****
Dir. Joe Johnston
This is a character I've looked forward to seeing on the big screen for quite some time now. While Iron Man is still my favorite Avengers movie so far, I was very pleased with director Joe Johnston's adaptation of the classic Marvel Comic.

First off, I thought it was very well casted. Chris Evans really brought the character of Steve Rogers to life for both fans and non-fans as well. He had that innocence in his voice and facial expressions, as well as that firm patriotism that defined him. However, from a comic fan standpoint, he did lack that lion-like leadership ability that makes him the Superman of the Marvel Universe. I mean in Civil War, the Cap leads the superhero rebellion in response to the Registration Act, and ends up slamming Iron Man to the ground. But overall, Evans' performance was very well executed. But the best was Hugo Weaving as Red Skull. What he brought to the character combined with the outstanding costume design was brilliant. While it saddens me that for many this was their first and only look at the iconic characters, I really like how they were depicted here.

As far as how Johnston structured the story, I thought he and the screenwriters did a really good job of chronicling the key events. It was not an easy task given the amount of material they had to cover. In addition with the Cap's background, they also had to explain the origins of H.Y.D.R.A. and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Another really good aspect about the film was that it maintained the WW2 feel throughout, and did a good transition at the beginning and end when Nick Fury rescued Steve from the iceberg in the present day. The action scenes were very well done. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid visual effects that correlated with the mood of the story. However, the fight between the Cap and Red Skull wasn't as climactic as it could've been. It felt a little too rushed because Johnston wanted to get to the crash and confrontation between Steve and Col. Fury. Perhaps length and more sound effects would've enhanced its intensity. Overall though, I was very pleased with Johnston's adaptation and really look forward to Avengers this spring.