Yep, all of this is kinda why I've held off seeing this movie. I so enjoy Anthony Mackie, and it's a shame Marvel have set him/Sam up in a way that basically says, "Lol we don't see color." That way, they can get away with saying both, "The existence of a Black Captain America speaks for itself!" and, "Eh, we can only assume it didn't perform at the box office because America isn't an interested in a Black Captain America yet." Vom. Thanks for this review!
I assume the "Russian head of security" is the actress Shira Haas, playing the infamous Israeli Marvel character Sabra. Which is a VERY DIFFERENT proposition to what you suggested. But similarly thematically empty within the movie, of course.
The Marvel movies have gone forward with the Avengers as paramilitary operators outside of the law for a very long time, under several presidencies. The longer that goes on, the more political that gets. This movie is the one that flies closest to the sun, theoretically, as far as those ideas -- you don't have to ask what Ant-Man means under a 2024 America, but you MUST ask what a Black Captain America means, particularly one who seems to want to play nice with the government, even as they ask him to unite a new Avengers.
I've heard some whispers about how this may have been an original plan for the film, but I don't understand why this whole movie couldn't be about forming a new Avengers team. The politics and conflicts therein with the White House, the ideology of what Avengers should mean, particularly with a racist AND anti-vigilante President, are RICH. Instead, they went with this empty hooey about the Leader mobilizing an army of a Red Hulk and... thirteen to fifteen soldiers?
We live with a White House where things change every DAY. This is a movie that takes place over a few days, and the President is shot at, and then he destroys the White House as a MONSTER and is revealed to have wrongfully imprisoned people while negotiating a questionable international deal for a rare and world-changing element -- and at the end, he's behind bars, but NOTHING in the Marvel Universe has changed. What the hell, man.
🤣🤣🤣🤣💀 I appreciation the correction! I didn't know she was Israeli (did they mention it?), though in my defense her accent sounds Eastern European and she's a former Widow; either way, the optics of the President entrusting his security to a foreign agent remains sus and also strangely familiar.
I was really hoping this movie would be about rebuilding the Avengers against the backdrop of the themes you mentioned. But I don't think Marvel has the stomach for wading into anything that smells like a real world conflict. Clearly.
Great comment. I'd earmarked your review and was just waiting to see it myself before reading.
The publication history of that character Sabra, and what they've done with her for that movie, are extremely interesting, making your observation even more damning. I highly recommend a Sabra deep-dive.
I wonder/worry Marvel is just going to lean into Trump tropes to cover for lazy story telling. Not sure if you've watched any of the new Daredevil show yet but it's basically Fisk = Trump and they're not even subtle about it. I get it, Trump is basically a cartoon villain and it would be laughable if the real world implications weren't so serious.
All respect to Jeff up there, they're not subtle about the implication, but the show still puts a premium on D'Onofrio's performance and his own personal reservations about his actions and his empire. Trump, unfortunately, now dominates a few familiar genre tropes.
Oh yeah, it's absolutely worth watching if for no other reason than D'Onofrio's performance. I liked the first 2 episodes and am going to stick with it, I liked the Netflix Marvel shows and they're at least sticking with the same vibe that the Netflix Daredevil had. I just noticed that Kingpin is Trump and they're not trying hide it.
This sounds like click ɓait for movies. Put in the usual suspects, pretend to update the scene and then proceed to write without any creativity or consciousness whatsoever.
And I love Michelle, but this fight we're in now is
for our very existence.
No holds barred. Call it whatever you want, but we are the second coming and he is the Anti Christ.
I digress, thanks for the review. I won't see the movie.
"During the film’s climax, Sam takes a page out of Michelle Obama’s playbook: “When they go low, we go high.”
That sounds like a line from an old jazz song: "When I get low, I get high." And the writer definitely meant "high" in the sense of being drunk or stoned.
Which is what I suspect all the Marvel screenwriters are when they write these trashy things.
I imagine they can't get too radical because like all titans of industry, the studio heads want to maintain a crowd-pleasing liberal veneer while still staying on T's good side. If he had one.
“What even are superheroes in a post-justice America” is still incredibly America-centric. Superheroes are a descendant of myths of Gods and Heroes from Ancient Greece and Rome, from medieval fantasy like King Arthur, and from Victorian fiction like Dr. Jekyll. These myths and legends are a way for the zeitgeist to grapple with fears and anxieties over modernity. The larger than life myth of the “superhero” will outlast another empire collapsing. This myth is not owned by capitalist America, but by humanity itself.
Well, sure, but the superheroes we all know are largely American creations. Their American-ness is intrinsic to several of the most notable characters, such as Superman and obviously Captain America. And given these movies will continue to feature US-based characters, the discord between the America of the movies and the hellscape that America is becoming will only become more noticeable. Or they become entirely fantasy, no longer grounded in anything recognizable.
Yep, all of this is kinda why I've held off seeing this movie. I so enjoy Anthony Mackie, and it's a shame Marvel have set him/Sam up in a way that basically says, "Lol we don't see color." That way, they can get away with saying both, "The existence of a Black Captain America speaks for itself!" and, "Eh, we can only assume it didn't perform at the box office because America isn't an interested in a Black Captain America yet." Vom. Thanks for this review!
I was the most disappointed for Mackie. He's a great actor and has been second fiddle for too long.
I assume the "Russian head of security" is the actress Shira Haas, playing the infamous Israeli Marvel character Sabra. Which is a VERY DIFFERENT proposition to what you suggested. But similarly thematically empty within the movie, of course.
The Marvel movies have gone forward with the Avengers as paramilitary operators outside of the law for a very long time, under several presidencies. The longer that goes on, the more political that gets. This movie is the one that flies closest to the sun, theoretically, as far as those ideas -- you don't have to ask what Ant-Man means under a 2024 America, but you MUST ask what a Black Captain America means, particularly one who seems to want to play nice with the government, even as they ask him to unite a new Avengers.
I've heard some whispers about how this may have been an original plan for the film, but I don't understand why this whole movie couldn't be about forming a new Avengers team. The politics and conflicts therein with the White House, the ideology of what Avengers should mean, particularly with a racist AND anti-vigilante President, are RICH. Instead, they went with this empty hooey about the Leader mobilizing an army of a Red Hulk and... thirteen to fifteen soldiers?
We live with a White House where things change every DAY. This is a movie that takes place over a few days, and the President is shot at, and then he destroys the White House as a MONSTER and is revealed to have wrongfully imprisoned people while negotiating a questionable international deal for a rare and world-changing element -- and at the end, he's behind bars, but NOTHING in the Marvel Universe has changed. What the hell, man.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
🤣🤣🤣🤣💀 I appreciation the correction! I didn't know she was Israeli (did they mention it?), though in my defense her accent sounds Eastern European and she's a former Widow; either way, the optics of the President entrusting his security to a foreign agent remains sus and also strangely familiar.
I was really hoping this movie would be about rebuilding the Avengers against the backdrop of the themes you mentioned. But I don't think Marvel has the stomach for wading into anything that smells like a real world conflict. Clearly.
Great comment. I'd earmarked your review and was just waiting to see it myself before reading.
The publication history of that character Sabra, and what they've done with her for that movie, are extremely interesting, making your observation even more damning. I highly recommend a Sabra deep-dive.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
Excellent analogy to our current reality.
I wonder/worry Marvel is just going to lean into Trump tropes to cover for lazy story telling. Not sure if you've watched any of the new Daredevil show yet but it's basically Fisk = Trump and they're not even subtle about it. I get it, Trump is basically a cartoon villain and it would be laughable if the real world implications weren't so serious.
I haven't started the new season yet but this sounds not so great!
All respect to Jeff up there, they're not subtle about the implication, but the show still puts a premium on D'Onofrio's performance and his own personal reservations about his actions and his empire. Trump, unfortunately, now dominates a few familiar genre tropes.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com
Oh yeah, it's absolutely worth watching if for no other reason than D'Onofrio's performance. I liked the first 2 episodes and am going to stick with it, I liked the Netflix Marvel shows and they're at least sticking with the same vibe that the Netflix Daredevil had. I just noticed that Kingpin is Trump and they're not trying hide it.
Bong Joon-Ho explicitly said Kenneth Marshall in Mickey 17 wasn't based on Trump and yet...
This sounds like click ɓait for movies. Put in the usual suspects, pretend to update the scene and then proceed to write without any creativity or consciousness whatsoever.
And I love Michelle, but this fight we're in now is
for our very existence.
No holds barred. Call it whatever you want, but we are the second coming and he is the Anti Christ.
I digress, thanks for the review. I won't see the movie.
The Christians lining up behind him is the craziest thing of all. Stay strong!
dittoo
"During the film’s climax, Sam takes a page out of Michelle Obama’s playbook: “When they go low, we go high.”
That sounds like a line from an old jazz song: "When I get low, I get high." And the writer definitely meant "high" in the sense of being drunk or stoned.
Which is what I suspect all the Marvel screenwriters are when they write these trashy things.
I knew this movie felt like it missed the mark, but you put it perfectly.
Great review Eric. I haven't watched this one yet because everything else is more interesting to me, but I appreciate your thoughts.
I imagine they can't get too radical because like all titans of industry, the studio heads want to maintain a crowd-pleasing liberal veneer while still staying on T's good side. If he had one.
This is 100 percent correct
“What even are superheroes in a post-justice America” is still incredibly America-centric. Superheroes are a descendant of myths of Gods and Heroes from Ancient Greece and Rome, from medieval fantasy like King Arthur, and from Victorian fiction like Dr. Jekyll. These myths and legends are a way for the zeitgeist to grapple with fears and anxieties over modernity. The larger than life myth of the “superhero” will outlast another empire collapsing. This myth is not owned by capitalist America, but by humanity itself.
Well, sure, but the superheroes we all know are largely American creations. Their American-ness is intrinsic to several of the most notable characters, such as Superman and obviously Captain America. And given these movies will continue to feature US-based characters, the discord between the America of the movies and the hellscape that America is becoming will only become more noticeable. Or they become entirely fantasy, no longer grounded in anything recognizable.
Appreciate the comment!