Captain America: The First Avenger is Titanic for boys. Think about it: a period piece book-ended by modern-day segments in which a young man is desperate to cross the Atlantic and make something of himself. On the way, he meets someone who appreciates his inherent abilities and charms, only to lose him in a bittersweet moment of self-sacrifice. The only confounding variables are that Steve Rogers is genuinely likeable and there is a lot more KickSplodeAction. But they both have ice, so it all works out

Sincerity is a lost gem of storytelling: Captain America is oozing with it and is so much more charming for it. It’s especially important given how easily the film could slip into jingoism, preaching or obnoxiousness. I loved that Captain America is the virgin superhero. Guys need heroes like that, because meaningless sex is too much set out as the be all and end all for them. School is depressing enough as it is without the belief that everyone but you is getting some and you don’t know how to dance.