So the first thing that is kind of weird, is that Bucky is there! Bucky! in uniform! Without his metal arm! You kind of go all “Awww, Bucky. Poor Bucky.”

I think what you realise when you start re-watching Captain America, is how much they learned from the previous films. It’s just so slick. Bad guy, intro. Good guy, intro. Why we love Steve Rogers for 20 minutes and why he’d make a great Captain America, check. He’s so well known as a character that you don’t need the melodramatic beginning that was the most painful bit from Thor. He has his origin story, but it’s so efficiently managed that it doesn’t feel baggy or overwrought.

But they still embraced the inherent ridiculousness of the situation. The 1940s vibe, the vita-ray, the entire set up.  It borrowed just enough camp from Thor to have the whole singing and dancing chorus girl routine, and then it’s dropped flat in front of the troops out in the field. It’s just such good timing. Such a good way to mark the shift in tone.

Also, all the costumes and sets. So cool.

Like Iron Man, it also uses characters efficiently. From the random Hydra guy who tries to steal the serum at the beginning, to the team he creates to go after the Red Skull – they are all introduced as the scenes take place. There’s no other set up needed. You see them all before their main purpose becomes obvious. Like, they needed like 2 small scenes to set up Captain America’s team, and then go, montage of ass-kicking. It’s just really efficient.

It leaves all the main action for the set dramatic pieces. The first when he goes to rescue Bucky and then for the finale. You then get the down-time in between to advance the plot and to be AWW PEGGY AND STEVE. Can we just reflect on how amazing Hayley Atwell is? Do you think they knew that she’d be *that* amazing as a character. She’s so perfect.

But Chris Evans was also just so well cast. He does enough of the naive innocence to be likeable but not too much to be annoying. He’s inherently likeable and not-overbearing. He is Captain America. I wonder if they waited to get the formula right before making Captain America as they could count on him being a staple for the rest of the films?

The only thing that was kind of bad, was that some of the scenes haven’t aged as well. Maybe this is because there’s more green screen than previous films? Or that they actually just have to have more stuff going on in the background. For example, when they are chasing the big-ass plane at the end, it just looks…blurry and odd. We’re re-watching on Blu-ray so maybe its fine on other medium.

Anyway, I was laughing and clapping at various bits (okay, mostly at Steve and Peggy being ADORABLE.) Such a solid film. It made me want to immediately watch Avengers Assemble but we’re saving that for tomorrow!