Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Captain America : Brave New World 

This film was better than I expected due to how Marvel’s films have been hit or miss lately this one was a pleasant surprise! Now I am a massive marvel fan as that should not be a surprise to anyone but what I will say is that the Marvel films I the last couple years have had a rocky set of films that being said it is no easy task to make a follow up to Civil War which was one of the finest hours the studio brought to the screen. Now this film is the first time we see Sam Wilson take on the mantle of Captain America since the series they did a couple years ago and that show was used as transitional period for people to get used to seeing a new person pick up the shield and take on the name of Captain America. Now the film operates in many ways as a political thriller that many will draw comparisons to Winter Soldier as that film also had the same themes of espionage and government corruption and this film takes a lot on and their are things that don’t land and things that do though. My feelings on is that the film operates as a successful film way better than some other entries they have done recently and the film is incredibly compelling despite some of its plot holes. 

Firstly, This film takes on lots of stuff for the audience to take away from it, As it is about setting up a new voice for what the embodiment of the American sense of hope is through the superhero landscape. In a time of such dividing times this is a story that feels very relevant and Captain America has always been a beacon  of hope and unity and those themes are very much felt throughout the course of the film it also is able to discuss what its like living in a symbol’s shadow as he has the impossible task of trying to build upon Steve Roger’s legacy which feels like an impossible feat in a time and Now I will say when I first saw the film I thought it was okay but as the weeks have gone by I have found more things I like about it as it takes chances to go in areas that feels like phase 1 marvel. Now thats not to say I didn’t have issues with it I for sure do but the whole idea of the film being about a war solider being set up and falsely accused of being a political threat yeah that is one of the more interesting plot lines that yes mirrors winter solider but approaches it in a way that felt fresh and different in its execution. As having the addition of Harrison Ford to the cast I thought was one of the strong suits of this film as he could of showed up and just come to get a big payday but he worked real hard on this film and gives a really well rounded performance that will surprise many for a man at 81 years of age still turning in great performances like this I was so happy to see him involved in this film. The issue I have in terms of the casting of this film is having Giancarlo Esposito in the film as he serves no purpose to the plot at all. He is all over the posters and the marketing for the film so your to assume he is to play a massive role in the narrative but he is barley in the film. Now if they’re setting his character up for something bigger down the road wouldn’t you want to have him leave a lasting impression on the viewer. As he is a terrific actor but barley had the chance to explore anything about who his character is which just felt Like a lost opportunity. The other issue the film has is it takes on a ton more stuff then it can chew as it introduces new characters, brings back old plot lines, gives us a new narrative and sets up the next film all within 2 hours and the way they handled it did come across messy which is why I can see why so many people have issues with the film. If it stuck to one or two of the plot points instead of more then three it would of had a way cleaner narrative and wouldn’t feel so overstuffed with plot as their are times that I wanted to see things expanded upon that never did and unnecessary things were heavily done in detail that was not needed at all. The film still kept me entertained due to the great central performance by Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford along with the great espionage aspect of the story that never felt like a replica of past narratives Having the Red Hulk story be such a big part of the film was amazing I just wish it was not revealed during the marketing for this film as I feel more would of enjoyed it if it wasn’t spoiled for them in the trailer. I understand the need to generate attention to a film but that was a massive plot point that could have been avoided in the marketing for it. I do like this film I know I have said my fair share of negatives towards it but I did throughout enjoy the film for what it is but their are things for sure that could of been improved on to better strengthen the story for a more clean and well focused film. 

Secondly, The performances from Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford are one of the big positives I give this film! Now the film again had Giancarlo but he seemed more like wasted potential instead of a fully realized role which is upsetting as I was looking forward to him having a big juicy role which sadly was not the case. Now in terms of the role of Captain America now being passed onto Sam Wilson I will say I think the work done by Mackie is great as he in the other films like Civil War and even the team up films provided a lot of comic relief for the films he was in but here their is not much jokes he is all business. He plays the role of Captain America with such a leadership mentality and also has that action star quality to him that made him such a fit for this big position he feels should have gone to someone else. Anthony Mackie soars as Sam Wilson in this film giving what I think is his best turn as the character yet and delivers his finest hour onscreen. Harrison Ford plays the new General Ross who was originally played by the great late William Hurt and has stepped into the role with such charisma and energy that being said you can see he plays him very much emotionally pulled back In the first half of the film. As he has no idea if he can still trust this new model of Superheroes but as the plot progresses we learn that he has deep rooted anger issues that he is being treated for but things go very wrong with him and Ford gives an amazing performance that is among one of the best I have seen from such an acclaimed actor in the MCU. Overall both actors shine greatly in their well respected roles. 

Lastly, Captain America : Brave New World is one of the better Marvel films I have seen in a while now with its flaws I can still enjoy it for what it is. It is a spy thriller with political undertones that works well as the Captain America brand works best when it is doing films that best act as political dramas I find and is the only marvel driven character that pulls it off the best aside from Iron Man. It could of been great but settles for just being good film and I did have some hope this would be one of the better ones sadly it is not the case but due to the great performances from Mackie and Ford they elevate this messy plot and keep the audience engaged the whole way through. This film is not bad by any means it just felt like a lot of lost potential for something that could have been one of the best films in this current Phase of the MCU. I recommend checking this out if you wanna stay in the loop of what will be going down in Doomsday soon but if your a marvel fan or a fan of the genre you’ll enjoy this for what it is I recommend people check this out. 

Its been a while since the American people have had any sense of hope and with Steve Rogers gone they need someone to pick up the mantle and Sam Wilson is thrust into taking on what feels like a impossible legacy he left behind and leading the people into a new world

Rated PG - 13 : intense Sequences of Violence|Action|Some Strong Language

Anthony Mackie : Mackie gives his best outing as Sam Wilson so far with his turn in this film! Now Sam Wilson has been quite the comedic side character I have found in recent entries as his introduction in Winter Soldier was one of the best parts of that film as he was a ex military man that wanted to do good for his community. As his arc progressed he became more of a side character and they let the humour drive his personality with his fun banter between him and Bucky barnes. That being said his performance in Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a injection of much needed energy for the character for audience’s to see he was not just some comic relief character that got lost along the way after his killer introduction. Here he builds upon the great arc that was greatly given to him in the Disney Plus series and he shows how terrified and intimated he is by the shadow that Steve Rogers cast over this huge portion he now has to lead the world with. He tries his best to live up to the massive expectation thrust onto him as he has the public doubting he can do this role well and then the government still unsure how to feel about him he has to prove so many People wrong and that kind of pressure could bring anyone down and he has to show them he has the willpower and strength to push through. You can see him having a tough time not letting everyone else’s opinions not get to him as he is very much alone since the Avengers haven’t been seen in a very long time so he is has to find a way to inspire a positive image for himself and the brand of superhero in a time when the world is more divided then ever. Mackie soars in this performance showing sides to the character we up to this point had not seen explored yet and we see the anger, frustration and sheer anxiety just building up inside of him but having to deal with it in a way where he can’t lash out as he knows that is not the reaction he wants people to see from him. Mackie knows the character inside and out at this point and knows what best course of action is needed for the character within any scene We are seeing Sam Wilson at a time in his life where any wrong decision could alter the course of his image and how carful he has to be with it. It is one of the strongest and most compelling situations we have seen Sam Wilson in and Mackie delivers a truly fantastic lead performance giving the new blood look to the iconic character that is Captain America and he carried this film in terms of performance and proves he is the right man to take on this iconic role. 

Julius Onah : This man gives a great contribution to the comic book character that is the new rebranded Captain America. Now I am not familiar with the directing style of this filmmaker prior to viewing this film but I will say considering he was tasked with ushering in the new face of this gigantic role it was no easy feat by any means. There are some things he did really well with his film and some he could have vastly improved on I will start with the positives now the film does a great Job at not making this a film of race it does not go out of its way to point out he is a man of colour taking on the outfit. Sure culturally it is a big thing for the film but they don’t make it a big deal within the narrative because their is no need to as he is just a man and if they made it a subject of importance in the film it just would make the audience feel rubbed the wrong way its 2025 we can have a African American Captain America without people making a big deal out of it. So I am glad that they chose to steer clear from focusing on his skin tone and making a film with racial undertones. Sure the film is political and it discusses the divide of the people from the government but putting their energy into the right things to discuss politically I will say was done so well. It also operates as a great spy thriller and the message put onto the film is trying to prove to the people and the men in suits that superhero’s can be trusted as their are people that will want them to fail and stumble to show their is weakness or vulnerability that can be exposed and make them out to be a negative in society which is what the film presents as a man discussion which I thought was one of the strongest narrative aspects of this film. It also felt like Winter Soldier with the whole theme of corruption at the top of the political ladder and the performance given by Mackie and Ford are great and also introducing some fresh new faces of people we will be seeing in projects going forward. Now the negatives I had was it was trying way to hard to take on more then it could chew which is a huge issue as the film could of focused in on one and not several and it would of made for a far better neater narrative instead of the messy execution  we got overall I will say The film may have it’s flaws but Julius Onah really excelled at putting his spin on this new look of Captain America in a way that feels exciting.