Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America is one of the most iconic Marvel characters, having been created in comics during World War II. This adaptation for the cinema, led by director Joe Johnston (of 'Rocketeer'), remains faithful to the principles of the hero, in addition to paving the way for the Marvel Universe and, later, the introduction of the Avengers. Chris Evans, after the criticism he received as the Human Torch of 'Fantastic Four', fits perfectly in the role, in addition to the great performance by Hugo Weaving as Red Skull. In the end, we have a feature film that combines origin story with war movie in a competent way, in a solid entertainment. Watch the full saga!
After ten years, Marvel Studios finally brings its first female superhero solo movie: 'Captain Marvel'. More than a fun, visually interesting adventure, full of 1990s nostalgia and good fighting sequences, the feature film brings several metaphors about the current world, including the refugee crisis and of course, female empowerment. Carol Danvers, the title heroine played by Oscar winner Brie Larson ('Room'), will surely inspire other women to overcome the challenges imposed by society, revealing all their potential. There are, indeed, problems: the script needs to be a bit more cohesive, and villains that do justice to the importance of the protagonist (minus one or two, most are recycled from 'Guardians of the Galaxy'). Nothing that erases, of course, the positive points, including Brie's, Samuel L. Jackson's (who returns as Nick Fury) performances and, obviously, that of the four-legged co-star, Goose. Oh, and keep an eye on the mid-credit scene, which makes a direct bridge with 'Avengers: Endgame'.
The first Marvel Studios movie that had, up until then, only licensed its characters to other studios. The beginning with Iron Man had no noble motives: it was just a character that sold more action figures. However, Robert Downey Jr.'s charm in the lead role, combined with Jon Favreau's direction ('Chef'), raised the bar. To give you an idea, the script wasn't ready during filming - not only was there a lot of re-writing, but also a lot of improvisation from the protagonist. Combining humor, action and drama, 'Iron Man' not only defined the foundations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also dictated what would be done in superhero movies from then on.
The second movie from Marvel Studios, betting on a hero who was already well known to the audience. Unfortunately, this ends up being one of the weakest feature films from the House of Ideas - the lack of experience of the company at the time, as well as the difficult relationship of the star Edward Norton with the director and producers, is clearly felt. The result is a weak script, which is worth only for the action scenes - even if the special effects have not aged well. Although the story introduces Hulk into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio later chose to cast a new actor for the role of Bruce Banner. It's worth watching, of course, as part of the wider package of superheroes from the House of Ideas.
After the success of the first Iron Man, Marvel Studios brought back Tony Stark in a story that helps expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to getting to know more about Nick Fury and SHIELD, another heroine is introduced: the Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson – not to mention, of course, that James Rhodes dons the War Machine armor for the first time. The script itself is far from surprising, but it is competent in dealing with Stark's ego crisis and the repercussions of the technology he created on the rest of the world.