CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD
Confession: I did not watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I ought to have, but at this point in whatever Marvel phase we're at, I never know if they're pertinent for understanding future movies (though a rewatch of The Incredible Hulk (2008) might have been equally helpful). After sitting through Captain America: Brave New World, though, I realize I will have to give it a look because I forgot how much I liked Sam Wilson/the Falcon/Captain America as a character.
Brave New World finds our hero (Anthony Mackie) caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse with global political ramifications and nothing is as it seems. Teaming up with the new Falcon (Danny Ramirez), he has to find the culprit and save not only his friend (Carl Lumbly), but also his country.
As the new Captain, Anthony Mackie finds a balance between honoring the old character with a new perspective that's all his own. Honestly, Mackie's great to watch because we've seen his character through so many films and there's so much opportunity to explore his story. Danny Ramirez as "Joaquin Torres" fits well within the Marvel brand of good-natured humor, but also has the heart to hold the serious moments together. Then we have our fearless leader Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross who is quite good as a man seeking redemption, constantly tempted by his past self.
But...
For one thing, Brave New World would've benefited from a more stylized look. Given its title and subject matter, there was a definite missed opportunity to give it a slightly dystopian, slightly futuristic, but ultimately, just slightly more visually interesting. Marvel often sticks to a generally bright, clean palette, and I can appreciate that because, for the most part, it works and doesn't distract from the story. But that's the thing: the visual cues that we are, in fact, in a "brave new world" would've served the story better than same old, same old. It wouldn't have had to venture far. But still, considering we have an entirely new Captain America, Brave New World could have been much more immersive.
I've also got a bone to pick with the fight scenes, both the choreography and the cinematography. It's true: there's little chance I could punch you without snapping my own wrist off. In most fight scenes I watch, I'm mesmerized by the quick cuts and uppercuts (I can't tell you how sorry I am for that joke). But there's something off about the physics in Brave New World. It's not always noticeable and certainly not something that would ever sway me from watching it again. But there are spots where it looks like they pulled punches and the bad guy still goes down. And I know (hope), for the most part, the actors are not actually punching their coworkers. But typically that's simply hidden with quick cuts or manic camera movement.
Which brings us to the cinematography issue because why on earth were these fight scenes shot in the most boring way possible? I sympathize with the argument that you want to be able to see the fight choreography because bad films can hide bad choreography with fast cuts and handheld camera movement. But if that's the thought, we still need to shoot it in a visually appealing way that will allow us to appreciate the choreography itself. As it stands, too many of Brave New World's fight scenes are wide or medium shots that go on for too long, have no real creative or intuitive placement, and aren't kinetic enough for us as audiences to appreciate the story's stakes.
...too many of Brave New World's fight scenes are wide or medium shots that go on for too long, have no real creative or intuitive placement, and aren't kinetic enough for us as audiences to appreciate the story's stakes.
It was frustrating because so many things could've been fixed. There are a few of your classic Marvel jokes and I did indeed laugh, but then immediately scowled the next moment when they explained the joke. The Red Hulk storyline was better utilized than I expected (I didn't want another origin story rehashing things we've seen one million times without a new perspective). But then again, they also shot his final fight scene on the most sound stagey sound stage I've ever seen. Giancarlo Esposito is a treasure as villain Sidewinder, but one or all of the five (yes, you read that right, five) writers ought to be in prison for his criminal underutilization. It was such a treat to see Tim Blake Nelson in a villain role like this and his character design was gross and amazing, but he's so hidden from view for most of the movie that it makes his character seem less relevant than he is. The inciting triggering incident is so intriguing and so dystopian, but we never really go into detail on how or why it happens, and that feels more than a little pertinent. Not to mention, the moment this chaotic event occurred, it was such a cinematographic and editing misfire. I actually looked around the theater because I thought the projector and/or speakers had malfunctioned.
Now, you're probably thinking, "Did you even like this movie at all?" And you'd be fair to question that, but the truth is, I did. I would go see it again. That's the issue: I'm rarely mad at a movie for being less than great. Only when it could've been really great does it warrant my frustration. If you look closely enough, there's a good movie and a poignant storyline trapped in Captain America: Brave New World. That's worth a ticket any day in my book.
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