Cap America: First Avenger: 6/10
This is my third time watching it and I think I like it less every time. I didn’t like it when it first came out and I still don’t quite understand why. It seems to hit all the right notes on paper. It’s a good story. All the actors are perfect for their roles. I can point to the overly sci-fi approach they tried with all the Hydra stuff, or the more nostalgic style of moviemaking that seemed to hold the intensity back a bit, or even some cheap looking sets. But I simply could not connect to the movie or characters. I’ve said it before, but I see the scene where I’m supposed to feel sad or inspired or whatever, but I just don’t feel it. The terrible music didn’t help either. Way too overbearing and obvious is trying to elicit an emotion. People complain that Doc Strange and Ant Man were formulaic. Well, this one really feels like it is, and generic to boot. Both Cap sequels put this one to absolute shame.
I’ll list some good points: I liked the Red Skull. I thought the Cap USO montage was good. And I like the story overall. I really wish I could like it more and I’ve gone back to it twice to try and re-evaluate it.
Anyway, by far the worst of the MCU origin movies, and competing against Thor 2 as the worst MCU movie overall.
I should also point out that I really enjoy the vast majority of the MCU movies. I think they are all great. I even really like/love Iron Man 3, Doc Strange, Ant Man and both Avengers movies, which I know are all very divisive. CA:FA just doesn’t do it for me.