Movies: Captain America: Brave New World

[John Price]

the critics are dumb this was a solid movie

 

[Fripp]

It was "just fine" for me. Not a top 10, but also not a bottom 10.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I posted my flippant review a page or so back. But for less jokey thoughts, it's not the worst MCU movie as I have seen a few folks who I follow regularly complain, but it's definitely in that tier for me.

It's the worst combo of being both a mess and a nothing. The story is obviously Frankensteined together from disparate parts and ideas and has the misfortune of being built upon both Falcon & The Winter Solider and The Incredible Hulk, both of which also already are in the bottom tier of MCU movies/shows IMO. And with a dash of The Eternals?? Hoooo buddy, with ingredients like that, this was always going to be a tough recipe to pull off. Did they make this on a dare?

The single biggest problem is Ross. He's stupid. He behaves stupid. He talks stupid. And when they finally give you the reason for why he's acting stupid ... the reason itself is pretty stupid. Ross is, historically, shrewd and cold. But what this movie posits is ... what if he were kinda dumb and secretly had a heart? It's not that I have a rabid fealty to Thunderbolt Ross' characterization, but the changes made here are purely to drive the story and, worst of all, just aren't interesting. I feel like Harrison Ford's pretty checked out on this too which also doesn't help.

Now, there's a sick part of me that almost admires them hinging the emotional crux of the movie on caring about a 17-year-old movie with an almost completely different cast and a key character who's only been mentioned once or twice since. It's a big, stupid swing and boy does it whiff. Cherry blossoms. GTFOH.

Anthony Mackie is an actor I tend to like and I think he always gives a galant effort (even when he's asked to also be kinda stupid which he also is in moments here). But man, I wish he got better material.

Outside of Mackie the whole thing just feels like a shrug. The MCU is a big machine and not every piece can be important nor should be important but smaller stories can still be well done. As a viewer I don't want to feel like you're mailing it in and that's exactly what this feels like. An unimportant story built upon other unimportant stories made with let's-just-get-this-over-with energy.

The MCU's made a few worse movies and shows ... but I don't know if anything is as forgettable as this.