**A long format review from 2011**
So, Thor has only been out for a week and a half, and already it’s grossed $100 million! Pretty fucking good considering it hasn’t even been released in America yet, where like, every movie ever makes most of its money. As you may have guessed, yes, I did finally get around to seeing le Thor, hence the delay in my review of The Incredible Hulk. But know what? Fuck you man! I just watched fucking Thor!!
So in case you couldn’t guess, I was rather damn impressed with it all. Why? Well boys and girls, strap your tolerance boots on, this one could get long.
The Computer Graphics were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Now I’m not one to believe that CGI is the sort of thing that could make or break a film, but having it be this fantastic goes quite a ways to helping out. I also was unfortunate in my having to watch it in 3D, and yet it was worth it. This is a pretty big statement from me. I despise 3D… I even walked out of the cinema not feeling nauseous. A tad headache-y sure, but that was it. So congrats Thor.
The comic relief was powerful. In that “funny but not silly” kind of way. I mean, it’s all a bit silly, but it would have been so easy to fall into the cheesy trap with this film. The writing team and director Kenneth Branagh (The Boat that Rocked, Sleuth, Hamlet) did a fantastic job of keeping the audience engaged and not descending too far into shameless, lame, self-parody.
The characters of the film were written almost as strongly as they were in Iron Man 1 & 2, not quite, but they did have quite a number more to work through, so they couldn’t work with everyone as well as they did with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. They also managed to totally pull off an American movie with romance and comedy, in a way that totally avoided those awful American Romantic Comedies (my least favourite genre in the history of ever).
There’s this whole thing where Thor comes from another world. Which was after all really the only way you could bring a God into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been so grounded in reality. And I’ll tell you, Asgard (Thor’s home planet) was fucking great. They pulled off this crazy similarities in appearance between family members on Asgard, despite the fact that none of the actors are related. You may disagree with me on inspection of posters and whatnot, but after seeing the movie, you’ll get what I mean. Also the actors they got to play the younger Loki and Thor were eerily believable. Like, to an actually kind of scary point. I wonder if any of it was fake… The Frost Giant homeworld of Jotunheim is also visually stunning.
The sound effects were very confronting. I couldn’t really figure out if I though this was a good or a bad thing… It’ll be interesting to rewatch on DVD, and see if it was only so crazy because of the speakers in the theatre. Thor may have lacked the wholeness as a film felt by Iron Man 1 & 2, or The Incredible Hulk, but it was perfect as a lead up to The Avengers, which, now that it’s all set in stone, is really kind of needed. With Thor more than the other heroes it’s the most important, because there was really no way to humanise that sort of character, he’s just so outlandish that you really need an entire film just to ground him in this world they’re developing.
But all of the things I’ve had to say about the film were basically leading up to this one big thing; the cast! The cast was incredible, not only did they manage to snag a total of THREE of my favourite underrated actors ever, one of them just so happened to my favourite actor in the whole wide world, Ray Stevenson!
We have Australian (fuck yes Australia!) Chris Hemsworth (Home and Away [Hey! We all have to start somewhere, right?], A Perfect Getaway, Ca$h, Cabin in the Woods) playing Thor, Natalie Portman (Black Swan, V For Vendetta) playing Thor’s love interest; Jane Foster (lots of people have started having a problem with Natalie Portman nowadays, but I still love her), Anthony Hopkins (The Rite, The Wolfman, Beowulf, Red Dragon, Hannibal, The Silence of the Lambs [Yes, this is the same guy who played Hannibal Lecter. I fucking know, right!?] Bram Stroker’s Dracula) as Thor’s father; Odin, Stellan Skarsgard (King Arthur, Exorcist: The Beginning, Beowulf & Grendel, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Angels & Demons) as Dr. Erik Selvig; Jane Foster’s mentor, Ray Stevenson (Rome, King Arthur, Outpost, Punisher: War Zone, The Book of Eli) as Thor’s friend, and member of the Warriors Three (above); Volstagg, Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T., The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 28 Weeks Later, The Hurt Locker, The Town) as Hawkeye; the S.H.I.E.L.D. sharpshooter, and Samuel L. Jackson (The Exorcist III, Jurassic Park, Jackie Brown, Shaft, Pulp Fiction, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, S.W.A.T., Snakes on a Plane, 1408, Cleaner, The Spirit, Inglourious Basterds) as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director; General Nick Fury… And those are just the actors I already adore.
I’ve now also grown quite attached to Tom Hiddleston (Wallander) who plays Loki, Thor’s brother, and the main antagonist, as well as Joshua Dallas (Doctor Who and The Descent Part II) who plays another of the Warriors Three (above), and Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Defendor) who plays D’arcy Lewis; Jane Foster’s friend and colleague.
As I always like to say, I watched this film in a theatre (Belcompton, shit, uh, Belconnen, Hoyts to be specific). I really think this film has lasting value, but it’s important to note that I almost always feel a film is enhanced when watched on the big screen, especially with Action films, effects films, epic films and franchise films. Thor happens to be all of those things. I was especially excited waiting for the post-credits scene to come up in that huge cinema. So please take into consideration that I reviewed this on the silver screen, if you happen to be watching it on DVD or BluRay or some such. Because you better of not fucking downloaded it!! Damn scum…
80%
-Gimly

The movie was not great. I don't like action movies that much but I'm expecting some good fighting scenes since this is a Marvel movie. I was disappointed. It was mostly talking and I don't understand half of what the actors were saying. I should watch this with subtitles next time.

Really good movie. I loved the little tiny skinny him. He looked hilarious. Lots of action and cool cgi stuff going on.

I had a great time with this, it narrowly surpasses 'Iron Man' for me.
'Captain America: The First Avenger' is thoroughly entertaining. I absolutely enjoyed the story and how it is told, while the 1940s style is done fantastically - love the settings and costumes. The only negative I have is about the body double effect of skinny Captain America - which looks, honestly, ridiculous... in an amusing way, at least.
This is, possibly, the most I've enjoyed the overall cast for an MCU film so far. Chris Evans is fun to watch in the lead role, he does a grand job. Behind him, the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell and Hugo Weaving are enjoyable too.
A very pleasant experience, this. Good fun.

Probably only my third time viewing and first in at least 8 years and while it's not great, I did find it to be pretty entertaining and Chris Evans embodies the role so well. Red Skull and the heavy prosthetic they placed on Hugo Weaving still was pretty silly looking, however, making him one of many weak villains in the MCU. **3.25/5**

Definitely the most underrated of all the MCU films, Captain America: The First Avenger is a great war film done comic book style about a little guy making a big difference. Red Skull is one of the better villains simply because of how fantastic Hugo Weaving is. Peggy Carter is a great heroine and Hayley Atwell's performance is an absolute joy. Also, Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci light up the screen whenever they're on.
With strong action scenes, nicely developed characters, and seamless CGI, Captain America: The First Avenger is perfectly fine as a stand alone film. Shameful that so many audiences were just going out of obligation for The Avengers, because this movie has a lot to offer.

PLOT
Steve Rogers, a scrawny young man, wants to enlist in the US Army and go overseas to fight in WWII. But his size and health means his attempts at enlistment always end the same way -- a 4F rating. Until a scientist sees him and recruits him to try out for a special training program to create a super soldier.
WHAT I LIKED
The Marvel universe sticks pretty close to classic script with him being given a serum that jacks his body into super muscle mode. He's already brave and smart, so it would seem like a no-brainer to send him overseas? But the guy in charge of his training doesn't want him, he's just one man, so Rogers ends up doing public relations back home. And he is quite shocked that the men overseas don't react as positively when they see him as the crowds back home. I really enjoyed the way they handle the first battle scene for him, basically him figuring things out as he goes, a far cry from his battle-hardened approaches later.
I even liked his interactions with Agent Carter. I had thought it would be more subtle than it was, and I hoped we'd see a bit more of her operating on her own (after all, they gave her character a whole series on TV!), but she was second fiddle to the hero.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
The challenge with a lot of American movies of the war is that it is as if they are the only actors in the war, no allies, just them, and that level of nationalistic narrowmindedness is a bit grating. That may be a small gripe when the show is called CAPTAIN AMERICA, not CAPTAIN OF WORKING WITH ALLIES, but still, it's annoying. I also was disappointed there wasn't a lot more on Red Skull. His history, his abilities, other pursuits, all of it was left basically unreferenced. Sure, some of it shows up elsewhere in the Marvel universe, but a bit more crosswalk would have been nice. I felt he really wasn't that well-fleshed out as the uber villain he could have been.
THE BOTTOM LINE / TWEET
As an origin story, it lacks pizazz

**This is a long form review initially published in 2011:**
Though it ran at over two hours, I did feel that it had plenty of room to go further than it did. I honestly felt like Red Skull could have had a film all to himself, and actually kind of suffered for making him as intriguing as he was.
Chris Evans was an interesting choice as the titular role of Captain America, given that he's already played American sweetheart Marvel Super Hero "The Human Torch" in _Fantastic 4_ and _Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer_. He didn't Oh-My-Gosh blow me away type-thing or what have you, but he was pretty great.
So far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'd slot Captain America clean in the middle. I liked _Iron Man_ and _Thor_ more, but _Iron Man 2_ and _The Incredible Hulk_ less. Marvel Studios stated that the movie they wanted to make was set in the 40's, even though the rest of Marvel Cinematic is modern-day. This was 100% the right move to make, why? Not because of the setting, aesthetics or direction, but because it's fuckin' smart. How do you have the world appreciate an Uncle-Sam loving upper-middle class white male military blindly-loyal patriot? You make him fight the God damn Nazis, that's how.
It may seem strange, but I actually enjoyed the opening of _Captain America_ the most, which he spends a a meek, asthmatic Steve Rogers, yet to undergo the Deus Ex Machina Super Serum. It really showed the best of Evans acting ability, as well as the writing of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely whom together wrote _You Kill Me_ and The _The Chronicles of Narnia_ Trilogy.
I watched it in 3D, which was more bearable than usual. As the films of MCU progress, each of them becomes more and more a prequel to _The Avengers_, _Captain America_ being the most to date. Despite its almost-entire lack of _Avenger_ cameos, this more than previous films felt like a prequel for what's to come, which is not strictly speaking a good thing.
I had plenty of minor issues with _Captain America_, and though their was quite a number of them, all were minor, and ultimately, the only part of me that regrets watching it was the part that keeps thinking "My fucking God, I have to wait a YEAR before _Avengers_ comes out?!"
79%
-Gimly

True to "Captain America," this is the modern (comic book) version of the All American movie. Good guys versus bad guys without a lot of ambiguity. _**NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT**_.
This movie is pretty much perfection for the genre. Entertaining A to Z story with high-end Hollywood professional movie making throughout.

I recall the controversy as this was released. Alfonso Cuarón consciously decided to darken this film, and the light-hearted stories of the first two are replaced by an edgier approach to this tale for our wizarding trio. The world's most wanted wizard "Sirius Black" (Gary Oldman) escapes from "Azkaban" allegedly bent on the destruction of "Harry". The script has more by way of addition to the original book, but in a complementary - not detracting way. As the children grow into young adults, we are exposed to a scarier side of their existence - the "Dementors" that are supposed to protect the innocent and the "Boggart" all serve to introduce a physical fluidity to this shape-shifting environment of peril in which they now exist. The presence of "Valdemort" becomes more omnipresent and there is so much more substance to the stories now. Sir Michael Gambon takes over the role of "Dumbledore" without quite the presence of Richard Harris, but we can tell now that this series is heading for murky, dangerous, waters...

_Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ is fantastic! This entry is another drastic step up from the previous film and the tone takes a dramatic shift in terms of seriousness.
The quality and cinematography are simply brilliant in this film. There are so many amazing shots and sequences that just had me completely enamored. These films are ahead of their time for sure.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has the best plot of the series so far. There is a constant threat looming in the background throughout the entire film that is known from the opening minutes. Sirius Black's menacing posters and headlines create a real sense of danger, and he truly seems mad. The dementors also deliver a serious threat on screen. Their introduction is terrifying, and their presence is felt in every scene.
One of my favorite things about this film is the conclusion, the time traveling elements are perfect and answer so many questions that I had when running through the finale the first time. My fiancé and I were very confused at how things were happening, and I was having a hard time believing it. But it was brilliant the way it looped around, and the audience was given more background information that made those scenes complete.
The trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint elevate their performances once again. Their chemistry is amazing, and I have a feeling this complement will be handed out during every film until the conclusion. Gary Oldman was fantastic as Sirius Black and one of the more compelling "villains" of the series so far. Michael Gambon does an excellent job filling in for the late Richard Harris, it was really difficult to even tell that it was a different actor.
My only complaint about this film was the beginning of the movie was slightly rushed. I felt like from when Harry left the Dursley's to when he arrived at Hogwarts the audience was whipped around from location to location, and it was hard to keep track of why. But the plot settles in and finds it's groove after that and delivers a near perfect conclusion.
**Score:** _87%_ |
**Verdict:** _Excellent_

I really loved this movie.

A fun movie. Not the best but not a bad watch.

Very interesting idea for a movie. Sadness drives me crazy though. Pretty decent movie though. It's a good family to watch together.

"Riley" is a pleasant little girl living with her parents in Minnesota where she plays ice hockey, has loads of friends and generally, all in her garden is rosey. Her parents decide they need to move to (a rather drab) house in San Francisco, though, and as you might expect this causes some new tensions, especially as their furniture seems to have been lost in transit! Inside her pretty little head, we see her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness personified and vying for control of her personality during this lively time. Joy seems most adept at managing the situation and keeping things on an even keel, but after an inadvertent intervention from sadness, the two find themselves expelled from the control room and having to make their way back from deep within her memories before it all comes crashing down at the hands of those less optimistic sensations left in charge! It's almost as if there is an "X-Factor" judging panel inside everyone's head making decisions and discussing with each other which of their traits ought to prevail as circumstances dictate - and in the main it works well. It ultimately serves to advise that none of these emotions can exist in isolation and that we must learn to take the rough with the smooth, the good with the not so good. The animation is entertaining, some humour amongst the more thought-provoking stuff; a proper "train of thought" and a childhood friend "Bing Bong" whose role in her life is fading as she grows up. I loved the ending - not least because any sequel would have to deal with the big red "puberty" button on their console and a lot of mischief could be had here.

A very tasteful movie indeed

Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend.
This is a wonderfully little story of world building and exploration of the human mind through a young teen girl who is scare of the huge amount of change happening in her life. The parallel of internal struggle and outward reaction to adversity really sets this movie apart.
The audience is literally taken on a exploration of the mind, and the story is not only fun, but capable of serious philosophical concepts. Because it exemplifies "show, don't tell" those conversations are compacted into palatable actions by the characters.
This is a movie that might make you laugh, cry or both.
It's hard to believe that someone wouldn't relate to this somehow, and probably more that they wouldn't enjoy it at all.

Sweet story.
'Inside Out' produces an entertaining, heartfelt 95 minutes. I like how the characters work and how their world is set up, conceptually it works very nicely but visually I don't love it - something about the way it looks is kinda plain to me. While Joy & Co. are memorable, the voices behind them aren't all that standout in my opinion.
Phyllis Smith is my pick of the cast, she is the perfect person to play the character Sadness. Amy Poehler (Joy) and Lewis Black (Anger) are more than satisfactory, too.
It has a good message and meaning, for me it's just missing something extra. Still enjoyed it though.

I think this is one of the best animated feature films I have ever seen, perhaps even the best one. It is very imaginative, for a start, colorful in ways that capture the eye, and its message is as deep as you want it to be.
By that I mean it would be productive and fun to watch this with children of all ages. The older or more mature the child is, the deeper you can delve into the issues of what to do about feelings of anger, sadness, and so on. With young children, you could even watch it first time through as it is, and save comments or life lessons for additional viewings. There is plenty of action and humor to be found here to entertain hem on that level.
And as a side note, we have no small children to watch this with, but it is also a good movie for adults to settle into, especially during times of stress or worry. We read a recommendation for it during the COVID19 crisis.

A powerfully moving story, Inside Out takes place inside the mind of a young girl, Riley, as she tackles relatively normal hassles, from growing up to moving away. Inside her mind comes five emotions, all with different perceptions of life.
There's Joy, who takes charge and her job is to keep Riley content, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, and together, they work together (or try) to keep Riley from harming herself. They live together in the headquarters, or Riley's head, and they look after Riley's memories.
After eleven years of enjoyment and content, Riley and her parents are forced to move out of Minnesota, away from her friends and hockey team, and moves to the city of San Francisco inside a desolate and cold house.
But things get even more anarchic when Joy and Sadness are sundered away from the rest of the gang, holding onto Riley's core memories that make Riley, well, Riley. One by one, the islands of personality fall apart as the rest of the gang back in headquarters watch in dismay and anguish. After all, Joy is not there to keep things under control.
Inside Out truly contemplates the hardships of growing up, but every problem comes to a heart-wrenching solution. The movie truly captivates this and continues the Pixar tradition of inspiration, family, and friendship in a little bit under two hours. Watch this, you must.

Another great movie from Pixar. The story in entangling and is structured in a master way to show us in a nice recreation how the mind works and emotions like sadness are important for a healthy life.
A must to be seen.

This is the most incredible movie I've ever seen :)

It is a pretty good sequel to Volume 1. What we thought to be an epic dad-son moment was just a facade, and honestly, to Quill, who just wanted a father all this time, it was a bit sad.

What would you get when you put together a group of misfits and call it a day? Hilarious, full of classic songs and drama that you should not miss.

Baby Groot was so, so cute! Honestly, I'd pay to watch a whole movie with just Baby Groot as the focus.

Not as fun as the first one, but it was still jam-packed with all a Marvel movie will be: humor, action, drama, and BABY GROOT!

Overall, the second installment delivered very well. It was crazier than the first film, and it was packed with better character development and AWESOME VISUALS! Must....resist spoiling the film.

The villain, like any other Marvel villains except Loki, sucks. Unclear motivations + can be defeated by the power of love. You know, all that jazz. But aside from that, the entire movie was a very enjoyable watch.

Two words: BABY GROOT! Groot was there to make the nerds' wives and girlfriends stay and watch the film. He's cute, adorable and everything that your Disney princesses would love!

Solid character development and motivation. Can't gush about it now to avoid spoilers. All I can say is: "Watch it."