Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

I may be a little bit biased when it comes to saying what I'm about to say in this review, but hot damn, THIS WAS ONE AWESOME SUPERHERO FILM, and it certainly deserves all the praise it gets!

As the last summer blockbuster and superhero movie of this year, I can say that Captain America: The First Avenger lived up to most of the expectations I've placed on it since I became aware of the fact that Marvel was going to create it. After several attempts at making a movie based on the star spangled avenger decades earlier pretty much failed to impress audiences, the time was ripe enough to make something closer to the source material. After the success and impression Iron Man left, Marvel Studios went full speed ahead on their attempt to construct a singular universe wherein their films (and each one's respective events) would intersect and converse with one another, ultimately leading to the hype chain of a team movie that is The Avengers on 2012. Ambitious as it sounds, it's definitely happening folks, and I couldn't be any happier with the results I've seen so far from Marvel movies.

Back to the Cap film... Wow. I still find myself reeling from the experience of actually watching it. The fact that the character is one of my favorite heroes in the world of comics adds to that personal bias I mentioned earlier, and no doubt you'll be seeing thick layers of it run rampant throughout this review. While the previous Marvel films this year, namely Thor and X-Men First Class, put things off to a good and action packed start, Captain America has the luxury of ending things on a high and exciting note that will leave smiling after watching it and walking out of theaters. His symbolic and charismatic nature alone screams for attention, and like Thor's signature weapon Mjolnir, nobody can miss that distinguishable trademark piece of hardware that is his Vibranium mighty shield. Is it good? Unquestionably so. Is it better than the other superhero films? That's subject to extensive debate and preference. I will be tackling those points as I go through this review, so if you'd like to read about my opinion, you're welcome to go further down this review. SPOILERS will be present of course, so if you want to avoid them and watch the film with a clear conscience, best turn back now before the jump. Thanks again goes to Solar UIP and SM Cinema for the premiere invite!

SDCC '11: Marvel unveils The Avengers teaser poster!

Unveiled over at the San Diego Comic Con and Marvel.com, the first official teaser poster for Disney and Marvel Entertainment's live action film adaptation of The Avengers is finally here! With the impending release of Captain America: The First Avenger this weekend, fans and viewers will get their first glimpse of Earth's Mightiest Heroes by way of a post credits scene after the end of the film! To further hype up the excitement for next year's mega superhero team movie, Marvel has updated the official Avengers site, where you can register for updates and download the poster above for your personal collection! For more info and details, visit Marvel.com or the official Avengers site!

The Avengers assemble and charge into theaters on May 4, 2012!

The Avengers Update: Teaser Trailer leaks online!

Much like what happened to The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer before it, somebody has camcorded and released the first trailer of Joss Whedon's epic film adaptation of "The Avengers", which is to be found as a post-credits scene at the end of "Captain America: The First Avenger". First detailed and described by a post in Superherohype, the trailer now finds its way into YouTube, and was featured up in Bleeding Cool along with screenshots. SPOILER obviously, so check it out below at your own risk and while it's still online, but sooner or later it's going to be taken down for sure.

UPDATE: The bootleg has been taken down. Wait til the official one comes out online, or watch it in theaters with Captain America: The First Avenger.

I'll leave descriptions and more info on the trailer above to be the source articles Superherohype and Bleeding Cool.

Captain America: The First Avenger arrives this July 22, while The Avengers assemble in theaters next year May 3!

Captain America Update: 9 Minutes of B-Roll Footage!

Via a post from Superherohype, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment have released two clips featuring B-Roll footage from the set of Captain America: The First Avenger! Much like Thor, this is pretty much a "Behind-The-Scenes" look at the movie, so it does contain MAJOR SPOILERS. Look at these at your own risk if you can't wait to see what's in store in next few days, otherwise, wait til July 22 for the movie to hit theaters!

Captain America: The First Avenger B-Roll Footage Clip I

Captain America: The First Avenger B-Roll Footage Clip II

Captain America: The First Avenger charges into theaters July 22!

Captain America Update: Another new poster revealed!

With literally just a week or so to go before its release in theaters, Marvel Entertainment and Paramount Pictures have unleashed yet another theatrical poster for their next superhero flick this summer, Captain America: The First Avenger! First debuting in HitFix then making its way through a post in Slash Film, this new one-sheet, a full figure of Chris Evans as Cap(sans mask) stands tall and proud right smack in the middle, with the rest of the supporting cast behind him (Bucky, Peggy Carter, and the Howling Commandos) and the Red Skull's face covered in shadow and looming just in front of the American flag plastered in the background. Also, Evans can be seen with his mask/ helmet on while riding the Harley-Davidson motorbike to the right most side of the sheet.

Arguably, this poster takes the cake among the new ones I've seen recently. It does follows very much in the style of its predecessors Iron Man and Thor, with the main character square in the center and the rest of the stars pictured in the background. One has to imagine how much of an impact this film will make upon it's release, and with the recently relaunched Captain America #1 comic book by Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven now out in shops this week (and a pretty damn good read too I might add), Cap hype is definitely up in the air. This will all escalate even further with the appearance of The Avengers cast in next week's San Diego Comic-Con, where Evans joins his co-stars to promote what will definitely be the biggest superhero movie of 2012 next to The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises! For more info on the new Cap poster, visit the source posts at HitFix and Slash Film!

Captain America: The First Avengers arrives in theaters this July 22!

Captain America Update: Second official trailer debuts!

After debuting with the new poster just a few hours ago, Yahoo! Movies has followed up with the Captain America: The First Avenger updates by releasing the full length second trailer for the movie! You can check it out below courtesy of You Tube!

Captain America: The First Avenger Trailer #2!

Excited yet? It's month to go before the movie hits theaters, and we all can't wait for it!

Captain America: The First Avenger charges into theaters on July 22!

Captain America Update: New Poster debuts via Yahoo!

Yahoo! Movies has released this stunning new poster for Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment's next summer blockbuster superhero film, Captain America: The First Avenger! It's a simple yet patriotic sideview shot of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/ Captain America, unmasked, standing headstrong with his iconic shield, and ready to face any dangers that lie before him, with the American flag flipping just behind him in a sunset background. You can check a bigger image of this poster as well as other new stills via the source post at Yahoo! Movies! Also, the new trailer is expected to be online soon, so check back for updates on that!

Captain America: The First Avenger fights his way into theaters July 22!

Captain America Update: New "Behind The Shield" Featurette!

Via a post in Screen Rant and first seen in Norton's Facebook page, a new "Behind The Shield" featurette has been posted, given people a slightly detailed behind the scenes look at Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment's upcoming superhero flick, Captain America: The First Avenger! Besides teasing small things about the movie, this short documentary takes a look at the cast and crew of the film, as well as Marvel's own staff, as they discuss the importance of Captain America as a character and how symbolic his shield has become to fans and readers the world over.! You can check out the clip via the embedded You Tube vid below, or visit the source post at Screen Rant for more detailed reading!

Captain America: The First Avenger "Behind The Shield" Featurette!

Captain America: The First Avenger throws his mighty shield on July 22!

Captain America Update: New stills and relaunched movie site!

Marvel Entertainment and Paramount Pictures have released 11 new images for their next upcoming superhero movie release, Captain America: The First Avenger. In addition to seeing more stills of Bucky, Dr. Erskine, and Dum Dum Dugan, fans also get to see a new and real close up shot of Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull! Also, the official site has undergone a relaunch, and new stuff can be checked out there. Be sure to visit it via this link, and check more movie stills via the source post at Marvelousnews.com!

Captain America: The First Avenger charges into theaters on July 22!

Captain America Update: USO costume revealed!

Anyone wanting to avoid SPOILERS best shy away from this post, because it spoils a significant nod to the comics that Captain America: The First Avenger is based on! With just a month away until the film's release, purists who don't want to know what the USO costume is can stop reading now. Otherwise, take a look and see a classic look get the movie treatment!

Via a post at Screen Rant, an image of Chris Evans dressed in Captain America's original comic book look has made its way online and is confirmed to appear in the film. It's kinda ironic to say this, but I feel it looks a lot more goofier than the actual movie costume he uses in the field. While I initially had my misgivings about the changes, I can see why Marvel Studios and the film's makers decided to overhaul Cap's suit and make it "realistic" for his battles during WWII. I can't see Steve Rogers running around in that get up unless he's willing to eat bullets and take in seconds, so I guess this is more of a nod to fans like us who appreciated the "classic cap" look in the comics rather than being implemented full time in "The First Avenger". That's not to say that Cap won't be getting a costume upgrade after he wakes up in the modern age either. As confirmed by Evans himself and through the recent reveal of the promotional merchandise poster, Cap will be getting another makeover come the time of "The Avengers", so it's a safe bet he'll be looking more "Ultimate Cap" than "Regular Cap". For more on the story, visit the source post at Screen Rant!

Captain America: The First Avenger throws his mighty shield into theaters come July 22!

Captain America Update: Slick retro poster unveiled!

With just over a month to go before it appears in theaters, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment have released this slick and neat looking "retro poster" for Captain America: The First Avenger, featuring the entire cast in a "World War II" style campaign movie type one sheet!

This impressive one sheet only appears as an exclusive to member's of the film's crew, and those attending Hero Complex's Film Festival can win a copy of it as well. The design pays tribute to Captain America Comics #1, showing Cap punching the lights out of Adolf Hitler, as illustrated by talented artist Paolo Rivera! For more on the poster as well as details on the Hero Complex Film Festival (which is rumored to have the NEW Cap trailer debut in it), check out the source posts at SuperHeroHype and Hero Complex!

Captain America: The First Avenger barges into theaters with shield in hand come July 22!

Captain America Update: Three New Character Posters!

Via a post at Enewsi and posted first at Brazilian site CineMarcado, three new character posters have popped up for Marvel Studios' next 2011 superhero blockbuster flick, Captain America: The First Avenger! We get a better look at Chris Evans in Full Cap gear in one, while the other two show off Hugo Weaving and Hayley Atwell as The Red Skull and Peggy Carter, respectively.

Captain America: The First Avenger "Cap" Poster

For the other two character posters (and if you can't see the one above), visit the source posts at Enewsi and CineMarcado!

Captain America: The First Avenger blazes his way to theaters July 22!

Captain America Update: New scene filmed last Saturday!

Reported in ComingSoon and SuperHeroHype, a new scene was filmed this past Saturday for Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios' second upcoming superhero flick "Captain America: The Firs Avenger". The scene, filmed in New York City's famous Times Square, has Chris Evans' Steve Rogers interacting with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. It doesn't take a fan to realize the significance of this particular scene, but those who don't get it should know this is practically a SPOILER, and it leads up to the upcoming Avengers film next year (as well as another Cap movie). You can check out more pics in the above links, or see some footage taken by onlookers on the set that made its way to You Tube in the embedded videos below.

Captain America: The First Avenger Times Square scene filming footage 1

Captain America: The First Avenger Times Square scene filming footage 2

Captain America: The First Avenger arrives in theaters this July 22, 2011.

Steve Rogers returns as Captain America this July!

With the new movie coming out this July 22, it was only a matter of time until this happened (again)!

Announced by Marvel Comics and reported by the likes of Newsarama and The New York Daily News, Steve Rogers will once again don the stars and stripes uniform and take up the shield, as he once again becomes Captain America in the new Captain America #1 comic coming out this July, taking the reigns away from his partner Bucky Barnes, who is the current Cap at this point of time. Longtime scribe of the series Ed Brubaker will still retain his position as the writer of the new relaunched title, with Civil War illustrator Steve McNiven joining him for art duties! That's right, Cap's getting a reboot and going back to #1 on the serial lists, just in time for the movie and for new readers to catch up on.

The news comes as both amusing and disappointing to hear about. It's great to have Steve Rogers back in the uniform and all, but I've taken to and respected Bucky Barnes run as Cap for the duration of Brubaker's run on the title. Ever since he "killed off" Rogers in the aftermath of Civil War and placed his onetime WWII partner on the costume, he's done great things with the character and did wonders showing that he certainly can wield the shield if push comes to shove. On the other hand, nothing will replace Steve Rogers - He's the one true Cap and there's no denying that the role was tailor made for him since he became the one and only Super Soldier to exist. It was fun seeing the role passed and poked around, but ever since Steve returned (and in a rushed and underdeveloped "Captain America: Reborn" storyline I might add), it already foreshadowed the inevitable happening - that he's going to be Captain America again sooner or later. We saw two Caps fighting together during the events of Siege, but Rogers willingly dropped the responsibility to Bucky so he could give his friend a new sense of purpose and direction, while taking up the mantle as the new "Top Cop/ Nick Fury" of the Marvel Universe. So much has come to pass in the Captain America stories since ED Brubaker took over, and I've stuck around the title since the writer made the jump to it way back in November 2004. It's fitting that he gets to relaunch it again in time for the new flick... but will I stick around and still collect it? Only time will tell for sure. The prospect of having Steve McNiven as artist only adds fuel to the fire. We'll just have to wait and see come July... which also has Chris Evans taking up the mantle in the big screen adaptation flick - Captain America: The First Avenger!

For more details and the official press release, visit Marvel.com, Newsarama, and The New York Daily News!

Captain America #1 is due in comic shops this July at $3.99!

Captain America Update: Joe Johnston talks more about his inspiration, and new photos surface!

Posted in the LA Times' Hero Complex page, Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston talked more about his inspirations behind making the film. Having had experience working in the seminal Steven Spielberg/ George Lucas adventure film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as visual effects art director and directing the Disney hero flick The Rocketeer, it's no wonder that Johnston drew inspiration from the first Indiana Jones flick to create the backdrop and World War II setting that Cap's movie is based in. However, he goes on to note that the Marvel movie eventually came into its own as filming took place, and what we eventually see in the trailers and promotional stills is a product that fans hungry for some superhero action will definitely not miss out when the movie opens on July 22 this year.

Speaking about pic stills, movie blog site Slash Film has also posted new ones that show off a couple of "Behind-The-Scenes" filmmaking moments that we've seen in the recent trailer. For more information and details, visit LA Times Hero Complex (for Johnston's interview) and Slash Film (for the pics)!

Captain America: The First Avenger fights his way to cinemas on July 22, 2011!

Captain America Update: The first official trailer!

After many teases and short clips, fans are now treated to the first official full-length trailer of Captain America: The First Avenger! First shown in Entertainment Tonight, the trailer finally made it's way online, and courtesy of You Tube and movie news sites like Slash Film, you finally get to see it! Click the video player below and see Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, who transforms into the greatest Star Spangled Avenger the world has ever known!

Captain America: The First Avenger Trailer!

Like what you see? I'm really looking forward to this and Thor this year! For more info, visit th source post over at Slash Film!

Captain America: The First Avenger throws his mighty shield to defend liberty and justice this July 22!

Captain America Update: ET's 1 minute footage exclusive!

Premiering at this week's Entertainment Tonight and finally making it's way online, Paramount Pictures and Marvel have released a brand new 1 minute clip of their next upcoming superhero flick this year, Captain America: The First Avenger! After the first 30 second clip aired at the Super Bowl, fans have been eagerly anticipating a trailer, which is supposed to be due within the next few weeks. This 1 minute preview serves as a first look at what fans of the star-spangled avenger can expect, seeing more scenes of Chris Evans as Cap and the rest of the cast in actiononce it hits theaters, so give it a click and check it out in the embedded player below!

Captain America: The First Avenger 1 minute preview!

For more info, visit the source post over at Enewsi!

Captain America: The First Avenger throws his mighty shield on theaters this July 22, 2011!

Captain America and Thor Update: The First TV Spots debut at the Super Bowl!

Several TV Spots and trailers have already aired thanks to this year's Super Bowl XLV! With that in mind, here's a look at Captain America, via the folks at Yahoo! Movies!

Next up, also from Yahoo! Movies! is the Thor TV Spot!

For more TV Spots and info, visit Yahoo! Movies!

Captain America: The First Avenger premieres on July 22, while Thor comes first into theaters on May 6!

Captain America Update: The First Official Poster Revealed!

Movie news sites Yahoo! Movies and Screen Rant have revealed the first official poster to one of this summer blockbuster superhero movie - Captain America: The First Avenger! Check out Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, standing with full Cap gear (minus the mask) and bowing his head down, holding the iconic circular shield down amidst the ashes of a battlefield in World War II!

Like what you see? The poster pays homage to a certain issue of Captain America drawn by artist Steve Epting, in which Cap is in the exact same pose, but with the mask on! I happen to own a copy of said issue myself, and here's an image of it below for comparison's sake!

Looking awesome, noh? The poster comes just in time as anticipation builds for the long awaited first trailer of this upcoming Marvel patriotic flick, which is set to debut this Sunday during the Super Bowl! It's definitely going to be a big game everyone's gonna watch, and a lot of trailers are gonna be shown during halftime! We'll just have to wait and see when they pop up online! For more info, visit the source post at Screen Rant and Yahoo! Movies!

Captain America: The First Avengers throws his mighty shield to theaters on July 22, 2011!

Samuel L. Jackson confirms Nick Fury will appear in Thor and Captain America!

Regardless of the fact that he stated once before that he would not be appearing on either Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger, it appears that things have turned around, and Samuel L. Jackson has now confirmed that he will indeed be making a cameo appearance as Nicholas Joseph Fury in those films, in addition to his confirmed appearance The Avengers movie! According to a post on Slash Film, Sammy J will be filming one-day shoots for both films for the cameo appearance, which have a good chance of being post-credit scenes involving the director of S.H.I.E.L.D and something that ties the respective hero's movie to the big superhero film of 2012! There's also rumors going about that Sam's got a female companion set to join him in The Avengers. Could this be his second in command in S.H.I.E.L.D, Maria Hill perhaps, or Janet Van Dyne, aka The Wasp? Only time can tell for sure once more updates pop up. For now, check out the embedded video below featuring Jackson being interviewed about his upcoming roles in those Marvel films, and for more info, check out the source post at Slash Film!

Thor opens on May 6, 2011; Captain America: The First Avenger on July 22, 2011 and The Avengers will premiere on May 4, 2012!