Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Skinny Steve Rogers holding up a trash can lid like a shield in a back alley is the best special effect in The First Avenger, and it isn’t close. That’s the whole character in one image, and Chris Evans sells it. The problem is everything after he gets big. Red Skull is a cool face with a speech attached, Hugo Weaving doing his best with a villain who mostly yells at a glowing cube. The actual war gets squeezed into a montage, like Marvel bought a war movie and could only afford the trailer. Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter is the real star, and Tommy Lee Jones delivers every line like he’s already late for lunch. The bit where Cap sells war bonds on stage in tights is goofy and great. $370.6 million worldwide, 80% with critics. A 6.5 because the heart is all there and the third act is a highlight reel. $396 says you dive on the next water balloon at a cookout and wait for somebody to call you a hero.

What works: Chris Evans makes skinny Steve’s stubbornness believable, and Peggy Carter and Tommy Lee Jones give the old-school war setting real personality.

What doesn’t: Red Skull is a great look with nothing underneath, and the actual war gets crammed into a montage right when the movie should open up.

Who it’s for: Anyone working through the Marvel movies in order who likes a little old Hollywood adventure with their superheroes.