I Understood That Reference To Our Political Turmoil (CA: TWS)

So, apparently the whole time I was watching this movie, according to my sister who would know because she was there, I was making a high pitched screeching noise and chewing on my fingernails. I do not remember this, because I was too busy gazing in wonder at what has to be my favorite superhero movie. Ever. Full stop. Yup.

It was so good, you guys. So good. It was pretty much everything I've ever asked for in a movie about a blonde hunk of a man fighting political corruption (which is also something I have asked for in a movie). So, without further ado, and without more lavish praise on my part (at least until we get to the end), what on earth was this movie about?

Picking up about two years after Avengers, this movie finds Steve (Chris Evans) working for SHIELD to stop global terrorism, save puppies, and just generally protect American interests. He's not super jazzed about it, but a job is a job. It's also heavily implied that he's been running a lot of ops with Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), because their skill sets are pleasantly complimentary, and because Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) trusts Natasha to follow orders more than he trusts Steve. With good reason.

The movie opens on Steve and Natasha storming a hijacked SHIELD ship out in the ocean. For whatever reason, SHIELD has been boarded by French mercenaries, who seem to be trying to find some intel. Steve rescues the hostages and is about to leave, when he finds Natasha secretly downloading some intel to a flash drive. Very suspicious.

Back in Washington DC, Steve is pissed the Fury went so far as to give Natasha her own op to run while they were supposed to be rescuing hostages. But it's clear that Fury is a little concerned, and doesn't really feel like dealing with Cap's moral issues at the moment. He has bigger things on his mind. Things like Project Insight, a massive surveillance and pre-emptive security system that is pretty much comprised of an algorithm to detect crime before it happens and way, way too many guns.

Steve is not impressed. He's actually downright pissed, because he's Steve and he believes in privacy and freedom more than he believes in security. Damn straight.

Nick's also worried about the project, though more subtly than Steve, and decides to ask Secretary Pierce (the head of the World Council or something like that, played by Robert Redford) to delay Project Insight for a while.

SPOILERS now.

It seems this might not have been a wise move for our fearless Director Fury, because right after talking to Pierce, Fury finds himself in a firefight and car chase in the street. He barely escapes, only to find himself on Steve's doorstep, warning Steve not to trust anyone, handing over the stick of classified information, and then dying in a hail of gunfire coming from the sniper across the street. A sniper who happens to have a full face mask, long hair, and a metal arm. Cue the squealing.

Fury is dead, and no one knows how to cope, least of all Steve. And, worse, he's called into SHIELD to consult with Pierce, who Steve quickly realizes is out to get him and that information. From here on it's a conspiracy thriller, with Steve and Natasha teaming up with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to get the dirt on who ordered Project Insight, and to stop SHIELD from starting armageddon in the name of peace.

Oh, and HYDRA has risen again, Nick Fury isn't really dead after all, and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is a terrifying assassin with memory problems who doesn't understand why he can't seem to kill that one guy, or why that one guy seems to know him. Did I mention the part where Steve and Natasha pretend to be a married couple in an Apple Store? Because that also totally happened, and I enjoyed it.

Seriously, though, it's hard to express how much I liked this movie. The plot was fantastic, and while I enjoy a good thriller-action combo just generally, it was amazing to see a movie that so fully encapsulated the actual political debates of our current national climate. That's especially interesting since reportedly, the writers have been working on this script for a very long time. And it was timely as hell. 

It also worked really well thematically having a difference of opinions between the shady government types that think they know best, and a character whose name is literally America. That was cool too.

Now is the moment to note that this film not only passed the Bechdel Test (I think), but it had four interesting, named, fully fledged female characters, and it easily passed the Race Test. Seeing Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, and Sam Wilson sit down at a table together to plan out how to save America from itself was so amazing that I got chills.

And ode should also be added here for Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, because he absolutely nailed the role, but also the role itself was amazing. Sam Wilson is a kind and generous person who likes Cap as a human being, not just as an icon. But more than that, he's able to appeal to Steve's soldier side. They're able to address topics like PTSD and veteran care and the struggle of fighting for a country that doesn't understand you and seems to hate you when you get back. 

Plus he's hilarious and he makes for a really awesome superhero. More Falcon, please.

The other great highlight of the film is Scarlett Johansson's Natasha. I've pointed out before that I adore her and desperately wish she could have her own movie already, but this film really highlighted how much of a compelling character she is. Natasha is the woman who was unmade, and I love that this film actually dealt with the idea that she doesn't entirely know how to remake herself. She's still a mystery, and she's never really tried to be an authentic person. I actually got choked up when Steve asked her who she really was, and Nat replied, "Who do you want me to be?"

And, of course, I adore Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier/Bucky. So many feelings, so little time. He was so vulnerable and yet ass-kicking, and he brought a huge layer of authenticity to this potentially silly role. That scene where he's about to get wiped, and all he can think is that someone recognized him, that he saw something familiar - it killed me.

The real star of this movie, though, is the villain. And that's a weird thing to say, but I don't think it's untrue. Most superhero movies really do rise and fall on the strength of their villains, and this was one area where Captain America: The First Avenger actually fell flat. As my sister pointed out, Red Skull is just plain weird, but HYDRA was so similar to actual Nazi party, and their motives were so unclear, that it generally came off as a bit disrespectful, and overall not thought through. I agree with that.

All of those problems, however, are happily fixed in this movie. Because here, Steve isn't facing off against a guy wearing a weird facemask, he's fighting the entire institution of governmental security that he helped create. Steve's enemy here isn't a single man, it's an idea. And that is powerful.

Especially when you consider that Steve himself is really the representation of an idea, the idea that moral goodness doesn't have to lose. And that is perfectly played out in the very end of the film, when Cap and Sam and Natasha have saved the day, but Cap and Bucky (who still doesn't know Steve) are trapped on a crashing helicarrier. Steve has the opportunity to run, but he doesn't. He frees Bucky, who then turns around and tries to kill him. And Steve lets him.

It's perfect. It's everything I want out of a Captain America movie.

Because Steve Rogers is that guy. He'd rather die at the hands of his enemy than fight him. He'd rather redeem his friend at the cost of his own life than break a promise. Steve is pretty much every Biblical principle of morality (the real ones) wrapped into a big muscle-y package, and I love it. I need it. It's a movie that needed to happen.

Not just because I needed to see a character who was willing to give of themselves, though I did, but because I feel like we've forgotten something really crucial in this age of political paranoia and cynicism. Namely, that those aren't the only options. We don't have to choose between oppressive security and dangerous freedom. We can risk ourselves for something better.

And we should.

*high pitched screeching noises*