captain america collection
REVIEWER: lyall carter
★★★★★
It all begins with Captain America. The Avengers story and the film series only really began to pick up momentum with Captain America: The First Avenger.
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It is 1942, America has entered World War II, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated at being rejected yet again for military service. Everything changes when Dr. Erskine recruits him for the secret Project Rebirth. Proving his extraordinary courage, wits and conscience, Rogers undergoes the experiment and his weak body is suddenly enhanced into the maximum human potential. When Dr. Erskine is then immediately assassinated by an agent of Nazi Germany's secret HYDRA research department (headed by Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. the Red Skull), Rogers is left as a unique man who is initially misused as a propaganda mascot; however, when his comrades need him, Rogers goes on a successful adventure that truly makes him Captain America, and his war against Schmidt begins.
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Captain America: The First Avenger is often overlooked in terms of the other two Cap' movies and is seen as the weaker of the two. But out of all the Cap' movies, this is my favourite (and in my top 3 Marvel fav's.) The development of the earnest and honourable Steve Rogers, his relationship with Peggy Carter, Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving, and the WWII background all make for a brilliant film.
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In Captain America: The Winter Soldier for Steve Rogers, awakening after decades of suspended animation involves more than catching up on pop culture; it also means that this old school idealist must face a world of subtler threats and difficult moral complexities. That becomes clear when Director Nick Fury is killed by the mysterious assassin, the Winter Soldier, but not before warning Rogers that SHIELD has been subverted by its enemies. When Rogers acts on Fury's warning to trust no one there, he is branded as a traitor by the organization. Now a fugitive, Captain America must get to the bottom of this deadly mystery with the help of the Black Widow and his new friend, The Falcon. However, the battle will be costly for the Sentinel of Liberty, with Rogers finding enemies where he least expects them while learning that the Winter Soldier looks disturbingly familiar.
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Understandably seen as the best Captain America film comes down to Cap's relationship with Bucky 'The Winter Soldier' Barnes. Its brutal and beautiful all in one breath.
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With many people fearing the actions of super heroes, the government decides to push for the Hero Registration Act, a law that limits a hero's actions. This results in a division in The Avengers. Iron Man stands with this Act, claiming that their actions must be kept in check otherwise cities will continue to be destroyed, but Captain America feels that saving the world is daring enough and that they cannot rely on the government to protect the world. This escalates into an all-out war between Team Iron Man and Team Captain America while a new villain emerges.
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This is where the end begins. The end of Captain America and Iron Man's friendship and the division of the Avengers. Brilliantly balanced in terms of action and drama, Captain America: Civil War is one of Marvel's best.
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Often overlooked the Captain America films are absolutely pivotal to the Marvel universe..