Action movies became synonymous with “over-stuffed money machines”. The action of Captain America is constant, but it’s bred from actual meaning. In a post-9/11 and post-NSA scandal America, the word “freedom” took on multiple meanings and, of all movies; a superhero movie took the issue to heart.

Though there’s a lot of action and Marvel-esque comedic gems (cue a surprise kiss), the movie stays grounded and there is still one central villain so no worries; it’s no Spider-Man 3. The thrill is non-stop, but it doesn’t get stale. Neither does the plot, which is full of intrigue, politics, and smart twists and turns. The near-apocalyptic crisis stretched further than any of the boundaries previously set by recent superhero movies, not because of the number of explosions (even though there are still a ton of explosions) but by the relevant ethical questions posed and vaguely answered by the film.

On the surface, Captain America seems like any old over-exaggerated moral compass with muscles the size of over-blown balloons. With that, it’s easy to fall into the cheesiness of early Superman movies… or to fall into the stereotype of any version of Superman really. There’s nothing much to him; he is simply the “perfect American”, even though he’s technically an illegal alien. But ol’ Cap avoids the cheese and questions what makes truly makes him super: his morality.

Along for the ride (though she’s actually fueling it) is the Black Widow, who shares a substantial amount of screen time with Cap. While she’s objectified a few times, as any female superhero (or most female characters in general), Widow isn’t as objectified compared to previous female Marvel roles. Widow uses her charms to her advantage, rather than being objectified by characters around her. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a charming, feminine woman, but taking into account the male writers, directors, and producer you have to wonder about the intent of her charms, especially considering that the majority of the Marvel fan-base’s opinion of Widow seems to about her looks or “who she’ll hook up with.” Hopefully, Marvel is not playing into cheap tricks to earn that huge paycheck of theirs.

By Jenna Keeney