Every now and then I'll start laughing out of the blue remembering when Mortimer's character thwarts Jack Donaghy's advances by grimacing and shorthanding: "Sorry ... hollow bones."
It’s been a little shocking to see that the new Captain America is so universally disliked. I’ve been out on the MCU since Endgame (with one quick stopover into Doctor Strange 2 to be a Sam Raimi completist), but based on the trailers this was easily the most intrigued I’d been by an MCU movie since then. Not enough to see it, of course, but I was like “ooh Harrison Ford?” - and I support the idea of Anthony Mackie taking over as the lead. Fascinating to hear that they’re following up the “plot threads” of Incredible Hulk after 17 years lmao
I know it flies in the face of capitalism, but it really felt like Marvel needed to back off a bit after Endgame. They'd accomplished something that hadn't been done before while others tried to copy it and failed. They could have basked in the glow of it and let people miss Marvel movies for a while. Or do a few one-offs without feeding this ridiculous mythology.
I fear it's inevitable that this CA underperforms to some degree and that part or much of the blame will be placed on Mackie, who I've loved since 8 MILE. Like blaming Alden Ehrenreich for SOLO not making as many millions as they preferred. Marvel/Star Wars was fun when it was powering new stardoms and reviving old ones. It's extra depressing that it's now the place promising acting careers go to get knocked back a few paces.
> it’s just an interconnected and increasingly unwieldy series of plot points.
This really key to whole thing. Me not believe in "franchise fatigue" — we never get tired of Batman or James Bond, and comic book readers have been following these characters since '60s without losing interest.
Issue is that, original run of Marvel movies actually felt *connected*. Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk were in one movie or other nearly every year for ten years. They knew each other. They had strong opinions about each other. They were sharply-defined personalities. They were co-leads of larger series.
Who are leads of current MCU? Shang-Chi was great, and then we never saw him again. Only two heroes who had actual relationship were Strange and Spidey, and they erased relationship. Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and Loki all explore multiverse and have no contact with each other. Post-Endgame movies are just bunch of stuff that happened. *That* why people not engaged.
But one thing that has me hopeful for MCU to turn ship around is Marvels post-credits scene. Kamala/Kate/Shuri/Spidey/Ant-Man's-Daughter-Whatever-Her-Name-Was Young Avengers team would have me interested again. Whereas, me like Anthony Mackie as cap, but at best me would have this one on TV on background while me mixing up some dough.
More or less how we treated the TV series. Watched it more out of resignation that no one was really making espionage series at the moment (we hadn't discovered SLOW HORSES yet), so if this is how we were going to get them may as well make the best of it.
They are legit good movies. The law of diminishing returns absolutely applies to the second, and I see it'll apply to the third from the review, but that first one is good enough to allow for such a decline and still be AOK. :)
I have many regrets in this life of mine, but one regret I do not have at all is avoiding most Marvel movies. I have not seen any Avengers. Also, I have never seen any of the Zack Snyder DC films. Zero regrets!
On the flipside, I'm fully invested in the Paddington Cinematic Universe! At least to #3. #2 was really the Hugh Grant show, and what a show it was. Glad to read #3 did not disappoint.
Total bummer that Brave New World is getting dunked on in reviews because I really do like Mackie as the New Cap. But, he's saddled with a whole lot of pretty rough plot-gunk and it sounds like it all comes to a head here.
Do we think Marvel can actually get their act together again? I think there are a lot of promising lanes for them:
- F4 looks fun and is an obvious chance for something that can start as a reset (even if they'll surely eventually get bumped into our modern timeline I'd imagine)
- Thunderbolts is likely to feel like a much better version of what's going on with this Cap movie. Pugh / Harbour / Russell / JLD feel like one hell of a fun cast and I wish Cap was a lead in that vs. this
- Obv. they're holding out for an X-Men reboot which could very well be awesome and maybe they can carve out something good from what they're doing with the Avengers stuff in 2026
They really did lose their grip on stand-alone movies that discretely tie in to the overarching plot. This has always been a little shakier than people say IMO but woof, they seem to only be able to completely ignore or burrow in to the point of irrelevancy as of late.
I unapologetically loved the MCU project from Iron Man through Endgame. I've enjoyed some individual things since then, but it's clearly been floundering since they came to a natural (and necessary) stopping point.
It's not great that Endgame came out SIX YEARS AGO and we're still fiddling around with loose ends from that. And not the "can you imagine what would happen to society if half of us disappeared for five years" part, but the "Sam still feels weird about being Cap" part.
At any rate, I will probably catch this entry, though I'm not expecting much. (I am, against my better judgment, actually looking forward to THUNDERBOLTS, though.)
Brave New World is the MCU as an 80s action show cranking out a generic villain-of-the-week episode. There is literally NO connection between our heroes and the conflict at hand, so they invent one by making one of the team a brainwashed patsy. There's zero stakes, it's all just filling time as they try to pad things out to hit the magic number of episodes for syndication before cancellation.
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE made me angrier but BRAVE NEW WORLD bored me. With that said the Alamo in DC was SLAMMED tonight, so I don't think this is going to be a flop
I caught CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD a couple nights ago, and bet a behind-the-scenes account about its production would entertain more the movie itself. This thing is ROUGH — dialogue that feels like a first-draft placeholder, frazzled, confusing action and a sad waste of Mackie, a charismatic actor the movie has no idea what to do with. I found it less compelling than FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER, which was flawed but at least let Mackie and Stan bounce off each other. I hope Mackie gets a better vehicle next time around. He deserves one.
(Side note: Tim Blake Nelson has a wonderful villain voice.)
It's actually Emily Mortimer who replaced Sally Hawkins, not Emily Blunt.
Indeed it is.
She has hollow bones. Bird bones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofkem-qzr1o
Every now and then I'll start laughing out of the blue remembering when Mortimer's character thwarts Jack Donaghy's advances by grimacing and shorthanding: "Sorry ... hollow bones."
Tortured syntax/missing noun alert:
"the film is just of bunch that happens"
Me not see any problem with syntax!
I had the same thought reading that sentence!! This is a movie that deserves this type of grammatical structure.
It’s been a little shocking to see that the new Captain America is so universally disliked. I’ve been out on the MCU since Endgame (with one quick stopover into Doctor Strange 2 to be a Sam Raimi completist), but based on the trailers this was easily the most intrigued I’d been by an MCU movie since then. Not enough to see it, of course, but I was like “ooh Harrison Ford?” - and I support the idea of Anthony Mackie taking over as the lead. Fascinating to hear that they’re following up the “plot threads” of Incredible Hulk after 17 years lmao
They did it for the best of storytelling reasons: they don't have to pay Universal for the Hulk rights anymore
I know it flies in the face of capitalism, but it really felt like Marvel needed to back off a bit after Endgame. They'd accomplished something that hadn't been done before while others tried to copy it and failed. They could have basked in the glow of it and let people miss Marvel movies for a while. Or do a few one-offs without feeding this ridiculous mythology.
I fear it's inevitable that this CA underperforms to some degree and that part or much of the blame will be placed on Mackie, who I've loved since 8 MILE. Like blaming Alden Ehrenreich for SOLO not making as many millions as they preferred. Marvel/Star Wars was fun when it was powering new stardoms and reviving old ones. It's extra depressing that it's now the place promising acting careers go to get knocked back a few paces.
Other reviews I've read liked Mackie in this more than Scott, while having the same overall view of the movie.
Hope it doesn't get in his way.
> it’s just an interconnected and increasingly unwieldy series of plot points.
This really key to whole thing. Me not believe in "franchise fatigue" — we never get tired of Batman or James Bond, and comic book readers have been following these characters since '60s without losing interest.
Issue is that, original run of Marvel movies actually felt *connected*. Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk were in one movie or other nearly every year for ten years. They knew each other. They had strong opinions about each other. They were sharply-defined personalities. They were co-leads of larger series.
Who are leads of current MCU? Shang-Chi was great, and then we never saw him again. Only two heroes who had actual relationship were Strange and Spidey, and they erased relationship. Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and Loki all explore multiverse and have no contact with each other. Post-Endgame movies are just bunch of stuff that happened. *That* why people not engaged.
But one thing that has me hopeful for MCU to turn ship around is Marvels post-credits scene. Kamala/Kate/Shuri/Spidey/Ant-Man's-Daughter-Whatever-Her-Name-Was Young Avengers team would have me interested again. Whereas, me like Anthony Mackie as cap, but at best me would have this one on TV on background while me mixing up some dough.
More or less how we treated the TV series. Watched it more out of resignation that no one was really making espionage series at the moment (we hadn't discovered SLOW HORSES yet), so if this is how we were going to get them may as well make the best of it.
I'm generally low on comic book movies but the real nerd deep in my heart perked up at the mention of "adamantium"
One of my cinematic blindspots is Paddington. I'm encouraged now to at least catch up with the first two.
They are legit good movies. The law of diminishing returns absolutely applies to the second, and I see it'll apply to the third from the review, but that first one is good enough to allow for such a decline and still be AOK. :)
I found I liked two more than one, largely on the back of Hugh Grant's performance.
I have many regrets in this life of mine, but one regret I do not have at all is avoiding most Marvel movies. I have not seen any Avengers. Also, I have never seen any of the Zack Snyder DC films. Zero regrets!
On the flipside, I'm fully invested in the Paddington Cinematic Universe! At least to #3. #2 was really the Hugh Grant show, and what a show it was. Glad to read #3 did not disappoint.
At the very least we now have that line in the new trailer for Friendship: “Hey Honey there’s a new Marvel out! Let’s go see that!”
As a DC resident, those fake cherry blossoms in the Brave New World advertising offend me
Total bummer that Brave New World is getting dunked on in reviews because I really do like Mackie as the New Cap. But, he's saddled with a whole lot of pretty rough plot-gunk and it sounds like it all comes to a head here.
Do we think Marvel can actually get their act together again? I think there are a lot of promising lanes for them:
- F4 looks fun and is an obvious chance for something that can start as a reset (even if they'll surely eventually get bumped into our modern timeline I'd imagine)
- Thunderbolts is likely to feel like a much better version of what's going on with this Cap movie. Pugh / Harbour / Russell / JLD feel like one hell of a fun cast and I wish Cap was a lead in that vs. this
- Obv. they're holding out for an X-Men reboot which could very well be awesome and maybe they can carve out something good from what they're doing with the Avengers stuff in 2026
They really did lose their grip on stand-alone movies that discretely tie in to the overarching plot. This has always been a little shakier than people say IMO but woof, they seem to only be able to completely ignore or burrow in to the point of irrelevancy as of late.
I unapologetically loved the MCU project from Iron Man through Endgame. I've enjoyed some individual things since then, but it's clearly been floundering since they came to a natural (and necessary) stopping point.
It's not great that Endgame came out SIX YEARS AGO and we're still fiddling around with loose ends from that. And not the "can you imagine what would happen to society if half of us disappeared for five years" part, but the "Sam still feels weird about being Cap" part.
At any rate, I will probably catch this entry, though I'm not expecting much. (I am, against my better judgment, actually looking forward to THUNDERBOLTS, though.)
Brave New World is the MCU as an 80s action show cranking out a generic villain-of-the-week episode. There is literally NO connection between our heroes and the conflict at hand, so they invent one by making one of the team a brainwashed patsy. There's zero stakes, it's all just filling time as they try to pad things out to hit the magic number of episodes for syndication before cancellation.
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE made me angrier but BRAVE NEW WORLD bored me. With that said the Alamo in DC was SLAMMED tonight, so I don't think this is going to be a flop
I caught CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD a couple nights ago, and bet a behind-the-scenes account about its production would entertain more the movie itself. This thing is ROUGH — dialogue that feels like a first-draft placeholder, frazzled, confusing action and a sad waste of Mackie, a charismatic actor the movie has no idea what to do with. I found it less compelling than FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER, which was flawed but at least let Mackie and Stan bounce off each other. I hope Mackie gets a better vehicle next time around. He deserves one.
(Side note: Tim Blake Nelson has a wonderful villain voice.)