So today let's talk about Captain America Brave New World!
Little disclaimer : I'm not good at reviews, I'm not a cinephile, I'm not an expert so see it as a personal opinion and stick to your own!
I'll make another post to talk longer about MCU Sam (Sterns) because I have so much to say and it's not his movie haha
So let's talk about the movie :
I think the movie suffers from the very visible last minute changes and its length. There's a lot of very nice ideas that are under exploited (Sam Sterns, for exemple). A shit tons of things were removed from the trailers and it feels like they marketed a different movie. I mean, we have official merch of characters that aren't in the movie, of design that aren't in the movie and it's just incredibly weird. So many good shot I was looking forward to got removed and it felt a bit disappointing, I don't even understand why they used shots of stuff they changed (like Sam's old design, the whole Funeral, why is it even in the trailers if they weren't planning to keep that?).
It's pretty damn visible how Disney censored this movie to avoid hurting these poor lil' Trumpists and it's very frustrating. I love this movie so I'm angry they tried to please a crowd who weren't planning to see it anyway because FLASH NEWS Trumpists are, in fact, racists.
Captain America is far from being the first Disney they changed to please the orange face fanclub, so really it's not a stretch saying it did have a huge repercution on the movie.
That being said, I truly loved the thriller/geopolitical part, though the conclusion felt a bit rushed and I wish they went deeper with Sam (Sterns) trying to reboot America and not just messing with Ross. Why was it even removed? What happened to his very good anti Gov sentences we heard in trailers? At some point he says "I'm the hero" and this sentence would go hard if he was after the system like it was teased in trailers but when you hear it in this context it's just "ok but why?". It's not clear enough that he's not only seeking revenge but also trying to change the system and it makes his writing and dev incomplet. I'm sure Tim had more to offer than a revenge and it's my biggest disappointment with this movie, removing that part of Sam. It's still here, Sam is still about justice and all but it's not obvious enough for the big audience who isn't as crazy as I am about it, it feels more like a personal revenge and I know, because it's crystal clear through interviews and trailers, that it was more than that so what happened? I hope they'll give us these cutscenes but I don't have much hope on that, it's not a common thing anymore. He was great, don't get me wrong, but I know he was meant to be way better and it's kinda frustrating. It's kinda ironic that Sam is comics accurate in this way too, full of unexploited potential. Sam only going for a revenge is very in character and I loved that but I'm just incredibly curious of this "what could have been" movie.
I'm happy with what we had anyway, I'm glad the final design wasn't reveal (for once) even if I hope we're still getting merch and stuff (poor Tim was the main antagonist and he's not in a single poster nor have a merch of his final look) and I'm glad they went for this one rather than the one they choose first. I really wanted an horrific Sam, because as much as I love his main design I thought it would hit harder for a live action movie and matches the thriller and paranoid ambiance better. I don't wanna talk too much about him here and keep that for another post but really there's a lot of moments I felt destabilized because what he said or what he does was literally things I've been talking about online, to explain what Sam is and should be if he was properly written, things that aren't in comics but should have been given hints here and there, it felt like seeing something I would write so I was like "h-how" and it was amazing having all my headcanons becoming a reality. This Sam is so different from comics Sam while respecting his roots, I'm really happy I got to meet him. But enough about Sam, I said I would keep a post for him.
It's crazy to me that they didn't use a super soldier plot, it would be enough to justify Ross, Sam, connect to Incredible Hulk, the title and to give Sam Wilson a real temptation and struggle will still matching the plot. But at the same time maybe it's for the best for Sam Wilson, in the way he can cut ties with Steve and be his own character.
I'm not gonna delete nor edit the post I did about Super Soldier and how I thought it would be in the plot 'cause theories are theories, they're not meant to be a reality and if they're not I don't care, it's part of the game. I would have liked that because it matches my Sam better, but it's not about him, it's about Sam Wilson and for him I think they did the right choice.
Speaking of him, he was really good. I liked him as a mentor, he felt older and more mature and he truly had the aura of a Leader, to me he's ready to properly lead the Avengers and I'm looking forward to more. Even before knowing we would get Sam Sterns, I was looking forward to this because Sam Wilson is my fav Cap and Anthony Mackie is just perfect in a lot of ways for this role. It's only the beginning for him and I can't wait to see where the future leads him. My only complain for him isn't about him but rather how the movie was a better Hulk movie than a Captain America movie.
I'm gonna talk about the cast while we're at it, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross is still such an unbelievable cast for me lol but what a cast. He was moving, his Hulk crisis felt incredibly familiar for me who's dealing with anxiety and panic attack. And boi, after what we got in Ragnarok and Endgame it feels good to FINALLY have a serious proper depiction of that and not to be seen as a loser and a joke. The way Ross couldn't ear shit, sweats, couldn't walk straight, had to leave etc... It was very accurate and FOR ONCE very respectful. It made it easier to feel empathy for Thadd, I genuinely felt bad for him (AND I HATE THAT). Same when he talks about Betty or with her, it's very moving.
Though the most moving character was certainly Carl Lumbly as Isaiah, he gave me tears. His performance was really great. Honestly if it wasn't for me simping over both Sam and Tim Blake Nelson it would be my fav performance in this movie (I felt genuinely so bad when he was on the ground begging to the cops to spare his suit).
Esposito was just here to have fun and hit on stuff honestly lol it's hard to say more about his character considering it's only the beginning for him but I thought he was cool and badass (typical Esposito).
Danny Ramirez was very great as an actor but I have a hard time liking character like Joaquin Torres (I'm a grumpy bitch) so it's hard to really say anything about him because I don't pay that much attention to his character. I'll probably have to rewatch the movie for that but I think he will be popular among Cap 4 fans.
There's Tim Blake Nelson, of course, but again I keep that for another post haha
I can't talk about Liv Tayler that much because she was more of a cameo. It was a nice cameo and unlike most people I like that she was just a cameo, she felt like the final reward and it hit harder this way. Again, it's not a Hulk movie. You can't complain that it's too Hulk while complaining it's not enough.
Speaking of which I hear you "where is Bruce Banner?" and if anything the movie did an incredibly good job to properly write Ross and Sam (Sterns) without him (and BOI it's not easy to write a good Sam without Hulk). Adding him would havé been a bad choice imo (it's an unpopular opinion I know).
The rythm was very good, I felt entertained the whole two hours (unlike Endgame LOL).
The final fight with Red Hulk was also very nice, we had the transformation, the moves (though I think they didn't use the heat power enough), it was the best Hulk moment we got these past 17 years on screen honestly. The CGI was a bit weak in the background here and there but it was nice anyway. The choregraphy are ok I guess, I'm not a big fan of impressive blockbuster fights (I'm the only Hulk fan who don't give a single fuck about his fights) so I'm not the best to talk about that, I liked it a lot. The movie was more colorful than usual but some parts felt weird, idk how to explain but the way it was shot feel odd to me, kinda cheap from time to time.
The main complain I saw is how the movie didn't bring anything to the MCU, first of all I disagree, it brings Adamantium, it teases the new Avengers team and Secret Wars. Second, I really don't understand why it's a bad thing. People are crying "we miss the old MCU", you have it right here, a movie focusing on itself that isn't just a giant trailer for the next giant trailer, why are you even upset it stands for itself? And yes, certainly Sam Wilson rebuilding Avengers and Sam Sterns announcing Secret Wars would have been huge if we didn't know about this project already but the problem is Marvel talking about upcoming projects too soon here, not Cap 4. You need to re-learn to appreciate a movie for what it is and to move on, Endgame happened 6 years ago, let it go.
I personally loved how the movie focused on itself, I missed that. It makes it feel really like an old MCU movie through it simplicity and I enjoyed that. I think the movie will suffer it's very chaotic marketing, the fake news, the comparaison with more "spectacular" movies and the length. I think the movie would have been better with an extra 20-30min thriller based and add more dev to Sam Sterns (and I'm not saying this as a fan who wants more because I saw a lot of people agreeing to that, saying he was awesome and would need more dev). To me it's a good MCU movie, closer to the root of Marvel movies than everything we got these past few years. But I think it will suffer an Eternal treatment (people complaining it's not Endgame, not a big teaser and alt Right bigots being upset at it). I would give it a 7/10 if I was objective.
But as flawed as it is I really had a great time and loved the movie. The fun the whole casting had is really obvious and somewhat contagious and you can't help but have a good time with them too. I wish we had more.
You see, I'm perfectly capable of objectivity. But why should I have any? Why shouldn't I love and appreciate something flawed? Everything I love is flawed, it's the point of Art. It shouldn't prevent us to have a good time. It's important to admit our flaws and the flaws of what we like because we want it to grow for the best but that shouldn't prevent us from deeply loving it. We live in a world where people are actually HAPPY to feel disappointed, they're happy to be able to hate and trashtalk things and it's just sad. People don't want to feel happy, they want to be able to be mean to something.
I had so many people joking about how I should feel disappointed and it makes me feel so uncomfortable, why are strangers even joking about, wishing about sometimes, that I would feel disappointed? Why would you want to see someone feeling disappointment? What's happening to genuine passion?
I waited 17 years for this moment and I walked through Hell for it, you think I'll be disappointed? If you're looking for hate you're not in the right place and I'll kindly ask you to get the fuck off. I share passion here, I'm not chasing clouts.
And that's the thing, the conclusion I wanna give. I'm not a cinephile, I just want to have a good time, to feel and to enjoy the moment, it's no deeper than that. I don't give a single fuck about reviews and notes and shit and you shouldn't either. They're interesting yes, especially for me as an artist. But it shouldn't define your tastes, it shouldn't be used as a way to tell people they're allowed to like something or not. I wish people wouldn't base their own experience on a rate. I wish they would just connect to things on a personal level. That they could live what I lived with this movie, even with its problems.
Because what I'm saying apply for both side of the coin. Just because something has meh or even bad reviews doesn't mean you should dislike. But just because you like something doesn't mean it's not flawed and you cannot talk about it. Nothing is that manichaean and certainly not something coming from the mind of an imperfect humanity.
I had an incredibly great time because as I explained in the previous post this movie means more to me than a random movie. I can't rate it because the connexion I have to it is way too intimate. It doesn't matter if it's flawed, if it could have been better, if people dislike it, if it's underrated, the only thing that matter is how I feel about it, my own fun, my own feelings and boy, I had the time of my life. What I did to see this movie, what I went through, the weekend I spent after that, I will never ever forget that. This is what passion is about, it's not about a rating, it's not about a trend, it's about feelings. And it will forever be one of the best experience of my life and I'm so happy I was alive to see that. I don't care what haters and specialists think about it, I will always love this movie.
