Captain America: The First Avenger - 8 stars out of 10
"Captain America: The First Avenger" is just plain awesome. The superhero movie trend of the past 10 years has often suffered from a lack of proper character development [*cough*ironically Fantastic Four*cough*]. I think that the writers often think that they need to get to the action as soon as possible so that there are enough special effects to please the viewers. Occasionally, the writers come to the realization that if they take the time to develop the character in a way that the audience will empathize, people will actually want to see the sequel(s). This story is perfect because everybody can relate to being the bullied little guy (whether physically or figuratively). The special effects artists deserve an award for turning Chris Evans into a 90-pound pipsqueak. I cannot even conceptualize the meticulous time that it took to pull off that effect (and the risk of it looking ridiculous), but the entire theme of the movies lies in that incredible instantaneous transformation: It doesn't matter how big you are, but instead how much heart you have inside. While Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans put forth great performances, and Hugo Weaving is always an excellent villain. He is particularly evil in this film. However, my vote for the most impressive performance goes to Stanley Tucci, who I did not even recognize! His accent and make-up as Dr. Erskine are incredibly impressive and will become just another chapter in his future autobiography: "A Day in the Life of one of Hollywood's Greatest Actors!" Perhaps the most unique element of this story is... the story! This film is totally different from the other Marvel films because it takes place in the WWII era, which works perfectly for the Captain America character. It also allows for an incredible ending that will have everybody itching to see "The Avengers" on its opening weekend. Bump this one to the top of your list - it's the best superhero movie since "Iron Man!"
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