Joining Marvel’s streak of amazing superhero films is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was released to theaters on Apr. 4. The film carries the same pacing and atmosphere as other Marvel films, including Iron Man and The Avengers. The exciting action scenes, patriotic themes shown through character development and entertaining acting of the movie placed it on my list of best Marvel films.

This movie includes drama, comedy and action as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), otherwise known as Captain America, tries to assimilate to the modern world after returning from the WWII era. During this process, Rogers has to face a new enemy, the Winter Soldier, with the help of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his new friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). Though there is one scene that I believe does not belong in the movie, the plot is well-developed and unique, focusing on political conflict rather than the simple ‘good guy vs. bad guy’ base that most superhero movies have.

Thanks to developing special effects technology and skilled stuntmen, the action scenes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier were fantastic. The sound effects and quick pacing kept the action sequences interesting, and the one-liners of the characters weren’t too cheesy. In fact, there were many instances throughout the movie that served as comic relief, a signature Marvel move. As usual, Marvel creator Stan Lee’s cameo was humorous, sarcasm was often used to make the audience laugh. This mix of comedy and action creates an attractive style for the movie that viewers can find entertaining.

The themes of this movie, as with most superhero movies, are meaningful and share lessons to be applied during everyday life. Loyalty, whether it is to the good or bad side, is widely presented in this film. Rogers’ patriotism and loyalty to his country and S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as the loyalty of servants to the creators of the Winter Soldier show how important it is to make sacrifices and persevere for what one believes.

Relationships also play a huge part in the plot of this movie. Fury’s lack of trust towards anyone and Romanoff’s tendency towards having relationships of convenience help develop the characters while reflecting the complexity of human interactions on an individual scale when much larger conflicts are going on.

While the performances of Evans, Jackson and Johansson were amazing, the portrayal of new characters Falcon and Alexander Pierce deserve praise as well. Anthony Mackie’s performance as Captain America’s new friend and fighting partner felt natural and realistic as he captured the emotions of a war veteran trying to assimilate back into society, just as Steve Rogers. The connection between the two soldiers seems appropriate and genuine, having a more positive image than the relationship between Tony Stark and his friend Rhodey which is refreshing and delightful to see. Also, Robert Redford’s playing of S.H.I.E.L.D. enemy Alexander Pierce appeared to be a good choice by the casting team. Pierce represented an opposing idea to the themes of the movie: betrayal. Redford’s facial expressions and commanding voice made him easy to hate and impossible to trust – two important characteristics of the ‘bad guy’ of a superhero film. The impressive performances by these two supporting characters makes me hopeful for future Marvel films featuring original comic book characters.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a fantastic Marvel film, capturing the pacing and charm of The Avengers without the beloved characters of Iron Man and Loki. The meaningful themes and solid character development of this movie make it one of the best Marvel films I’ve ever seen, and the end credit scenes make me excited for the upcoming film: Avengers: Age of Ultron.