Scoring
We polled our entire team and ranked every MCU film across six categories. We weighted each category based on their overall value to the success of the movie.
Plot - 25%
Character Development - 20%
Villain - 20%
Action - 12.5%
Intangibles - 12.5%
Supporting Cast - 10%
Overview
Film: Captain America: The First Avenger
Release Date: July 22, 2011
Reception
IMDB: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomato - TOMATOMETER: 80%
Rotten Tomato - Audience: 74%
Box Office
Budget: $140,000,000
Opening Weekend: $65,058,524
Gross US: $176,654,505
Gross Worldwide: $370,569,774
Trailer:
Plot
Synopsis: Steve Rogers, a rejected military soldier transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a "Super-Soldier serum". But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a war monger and a terrorist organization.
Analysis: Classic story of an under-appreciated character that gets a makeover to achieve their dreams and win over their crush. If you ever wondered what the plot of "The Princess Diaries" would be like set in the World War II era, well, now you know.
Grade: 6/10
Character Development
Analysis: The story did a fine job at establishing the pure nature of Rogers pre-procedure, but it's still weird seeing Chris Evans' head on what looks like a 12 year old's body. Outside of that, there isn't a lot of development that happens to the character other than getting juiced. Marvel has done an amazing job developing this character throughout the franchise, so It's tough grading Rogers when we know what's to come. The key with making Cap like-able is giving him the unintentional comedic side to lighten up the character. Otherwise, you just want to punch him in his perfect teeth. Unfortunately, this film didn't give the main character a lot of runway to develop the character outside of being strong and pure.
Grade: 6/10
Villain
Name: Red Skull
Bio: Johann Schmidt is the former head of HYDRA-Abteilung, a special weapons division of the Nazi Schutzstaffel and the modern-day incarnation of the ancient HYDRA society. A brilliant scientist in his own right, he fought his way through the ranks of Nazi elite to become a confidant of Adolf Hitler himself.
Evil Plan: After gaining possession of the mystical Tesseract and its unimaginable power, he decided to turn his back on the Third Reich and rule the world alone.
Analysis: Hugo Weaving has become a fan favorite after having successful roles in films ranging from The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and V for Vendetta. When everyone heard the news that he would be taking on the character of Red Skull, fans were pretty pumped. Weaving does a fine job in the role and his cliché German accent will be engraved in fans minds forever. Unfortunately, the material didn't give this actor enough runway to truly develop an all-time great MCU villain.
Grade: 6.75/10
Supporting Cast
Margaret Carter, but my friends call me Peggy
Bucky Bromance
Howard "Fondue" Stark
Colonel Kay
Analysis: Pulling a Captain Hindsight on this film, this cast is stacked. Peggy Carter got her own spin-off show that also included Howard. Bucky became a huge part of the MCU and could potentially take over as Cap. Don't even get me started on Tommy Lee throwing heaters about being a steak connoisseur and turning down kisses from Cap. Even though most of these characters had their best moments after the film ended, it's still probably the strongest aspect of First Avenger.
Grade: 7.75/10
Action
Analysis: There are a few iconic scenes that stick out from this film. Cap chasing down the hydra agent after his procedure, the shield throw, dual flamethrowers. Unfortunately, you probably remember these from the film's marketing. Seeing these scenes played out in full on the big screen is a bit underwhelming.
Grade: 6/10
Intangibles
Analysis: The best part of this movie is the personal relationships. The starting foundation of Steve and Bucky's Bromance is fun to watch. Also, the ending scene of Steve and Peggy talking about their date will break your heart every time. Although these moments are great, they aren't exactly enough to carry the film.
Grade: 5.5/10
Best Moments
ICYMI: There is Cow in Steak
Final Score
Analysis: The first act of this film works pretty well for an origin film, but as soon as you hit the song and dance routine it starts to fall off a bit. It's not exactly a bad movie, it's just not memorable. That being said, this film still gave us the foundation of the character that we know and love today.
Grade: 6.28/10
Image Credits: Disney
