The period feel is captured wonderfully but there's not enough of Weaving.

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2011)

Regular Joe, Steve Rogers is a bit on the weak side but a medical experiment makes him taller, stronger and faster. At the height of WWII Rogers is shipped to Europe to raise morale and he ends up going head-to-head with the 'Hydra' Nazis.
Director Joe Johnston handles the period piece well, the American and European locations with a mixture of great set design and effects to fill in the background are fantastic. With artistic licence the time and feel is captured wonderfully, however, the modernistic look of certain weaponry is an unnecessary distraction which takes you out of the moment. It possibly should have been used sparingly for the bombs that are integral to the plot. Nevertheless, the special effects used to make Chris Evans thinner and of smaller stature are outstanding, a real achievement. That said, some of CGI action scenes fair-less well under scrutiny.
In the first third of the film Johnston manages with the aid of the screenplay to tease out a few questions about war, individual hopes and moral issues. The majority of the film is set at the peak of World War 2, which oozes patriotism but fans or anyone familiar with Marvels Captain America maybe disappointed with the lack the hero coming to terms with a modern environment or any present day plot or contemporary showdown with The Red Skull.
The First Avenger: Captain America is at its most interesting when Chris Evans is Steve Rogers humble self, going through his army training then later finding his purpose. There's some well written humour, the segment of the promotion tour of America to rally financial support of the war is complete with a dance number and showgirls which is highly entertaining. Writers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely to names a few contributors give some great lines and setups.
Hugo Weaving is superbly cast as the Red Skull. Finely tuned Skeletor-like make up with an odd eeriness of Michael Jackson captures The Red Skull perfectly. Sadly, Hugo's talents are underutilised and he is given few dialogue scenes or interaction with his nemesis, leaving him pretty much your stereotype villain. Notable is Capote star Toby Jones as Dr Zola, the Skull's sidekick. Tommy Lee Jones steals every scene as Col. Chester Phillips but Dominic Cooper is a welcomed surprise as Howard Hughes-alike, Howard Stark, who is of course father of Tony Stark a.k.a Iron-Man. Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter is first rate perfectly fitting to the time period with her looks. Dry, subtle and warming is Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine who underplays the character excellently but is sadly missed for the most part of the film. And of course no marvel film these days would be complete without a cameo from Stan Lee.
Even more so than Iron Man, Hulk or Thor the closing really pushes S.H.I.E.L.D and the scene, plus preview after the credits reaffirms the need to push speedily to The Avengers rather than integrate it coming together slowly through sequels. Which is a missed opportunity.
Chris Evans is adequate as Captian America, and thanks to a grounded, even performance he oddly fits. Disappointingly we never get to see a modern 'traditional' Captain America costume in this, again another annoying draw to see The Avengers, when a Captian 2 would have been more desirable in the first instance.
The First Avenger is more fun during it's first half, with a good mix of action and drama. But the second half stumbles becoming a borderline predictable sci-fi rather than comic superhero as the script is thrown out for all out action.