I admit to really looking forward to this movie since it came out in theaters, but I waited until it came out for me to watch at home - I should get a gold star. Friends whose opinions I value have said that this movie was better than (or at least close to) The Avengers, and I enjoyed the crap out of that movie. When I used to collect comics, I always thought of Cap as a weak character barely more than adequate to have a single short-lived series named after him. Marvel Studios is really trying to make him a big hero, and they've done a pretty good job so far, so I really wanted to see this movie.
Chris Evans is back to reprise his role, and he really plays this character well. After having seen him in The Fantastic Four, I didn't expect much of him for the first movie, and he did a very good job in it. He has since managed to make this somewhat two-dimensional character interesting and conflicted.
I've developed some respect for Scarlett Johansson since she did a great job in Her. When you have a woman that pretty on screen, it is sometimes easy to believe that their acting is better than it is just because they are enjoyable to have on screen. In Her, however, she was never on screen, so we relied entirely on her breathy voice and range of vocal emotions to get everything across, and she did a great job. In this movie, she is hampered by a very bad hairstyle that was lifted straight from the comics, but she managed to power through it.
Sam Jackson probably had a bigger role in this movie than he had in The Avengers. That's a good thing, as I particularly like Sam and the dynamic cool that he manages to bring to pretty much everything he does. In this movie, they give him some action scenes and some dramatic scenes, and the King of Cool handles it all like a pro - which by strict definition he is.
The movie is about Cap and his assimilation into a new normal life as a Shield operative when stuff starts to hit various fans. Cap has to deal with the fact that covert operations take place and that human life is not always the top priority for a spy organization. From there, he has to decide who he can and cannot trust - which seems WAY too easy for the audience to decide VERY quickly.
I anticipate that the Everything Wrong With Captain America will be excellent. It's going to have a lot of stuff to work with. There are so many continuity flaws and stylistic choices that bend reality that I found myself distracted by them at several points. Overall, the movie disappointed my high hopes but was still very enjoyable to watch.
Acting was good
Special Effects were very good
Story was okay
Action was very good
Direction was good
3.75/5