
masonsaul
Joined Oct 2018
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masonsaul's rating
Unfortunately, there really isn't anything brave or new in Captain America: Brave New World, an inert political thriller that represents another failed attempt to recreate the highs of Winter Soldier and definitely isn't at the level of quality that Anthony Mackie deserves for his first film as Captain America. As an unexpected sequel to The Incredible Hulk it finally acknowledges some of the longest running unanswered questions in the MCU and is still a generally entertaining watch in disposable fashion.
Anthony Mackie is giving it his all by being reliably charming, headstrong and making the dramatic moments work by showing the mantle he carries comes with a lot of responsibilities that he's doing his best to manage. This film has loads of issues but he's never one of them and the handful of self-deprecating moments when he's going up against Red Hulk ensure he is super likeable. Plus, he has a solid chemistry with Danny Ramirez whose constant quips never become too annoying.
Harrison Ford clearly isn't phoning it in and brings a fair amount of empathy to Ross even as his actions make it harder to do. The character has never had this much depth on screen so it's great to see Ford be given something worthwhile in his MCU debut. Tim Blake Nelson is a solid villain who exudes menace comfortably and Giancarlo Esposito does a lot with a little whilst still feeling massively underutilised which is common practice for villains in this cinematic universe.
Julius Onah's direction feels like the well documented reshoots and standard issue lazy construction of these films has removed any potential vision or craft. This looks ugly and overlit most of the time with some trademark truly dodgy CGI throughout. The hand to hand combat is weirdly stilted and almost every single throw of the shield is either too slow or weightless so the big CGI action ends up offering the best set pieces despite their shoddy assembly.
Anthony Mackie is giving it his all by being reliably charming, headstrong and making the dramatic moments work by showing the mantle he carries comes with a lot of responsibilities that he's doing his best to manage. This film has loads of issues but he's never one of them and the handful of self-deprecating moments when he's going up against Red Hulk ensure he is super likeable. Plus, he has a solid chemistry with Danny Ramirez whose constant quips never become too annoying.
Harrison Ford clearly isn't phoning it in and brings a fair amount of empathy to Ross even as his actions make it harder to do. The character has never had this much depth on screen so it's great to see Ford be given something worthwhile in his MCU debut. Tim Blake Nelson is a solid villain who exudes menace comfortably and Giancarlo Esposito does a lot with a little whilst still feeling massively underutilised which is common practice for villains in this cinematic universe.
Julius Onah's direction feels like the well documented reshoots and standard issue lazy construction of these films has removed any potential vision or craft. This looks ugly and overlit most of the time with some trademark truly dodgy CGI throughout. The hand to hand combat is weirdly stilted and almost every single throw of the shield is either too slow or weightless so the big CGI action ends up offering the best set pieces despite their shoddy assembly.
Flamin' Hot is a quintessential underdog story reaffirming the American dream to an almost cynical degree, undermined by the sheer amount of liberties taken with the true story it's loosely based on and counterbalanced by a winning charm that's hard to resist. Like most buyopics it essentially acts as a commercial for the product it's about but it cares more about one person's story which is why it works as well as it does.
Jesse Garcia gives a great lead performance with a boundless enthusiasm making him endlessly likeable and someone who's easy to root for. He's a consistent presence since he's narrating the film as well as being in almost every scene and it's a testament to his performance that he is always loveable. It's definitely his film however, there are still a couple of nice supporting turns from Annie Gonzalez and Dennis Haysbert.
Eva Longoria's direction is really impressive because there's so much energy that she's able to sustain for the entirety of the film with inventive montages and an ability to cover a lot of time in a speedy yet breezy fashion. It feels like its going to run out of steam eventually and it never does, only toning it down when needed for a more emotional scene. Marcelo Zarvos' score is very schmaltzy which works thanks to the overall warmth.
Jesse Garcia gives a great lead performance with a boundless enthusiasm making him endlessly likeable and someone who's easy to root for. He's a consistent presence since he's narrating the film as well as being in almost every scene and it's a testament to his performance that he is always loveable. It's definitely his film however, there are still a couple of nice supporting turns from Annie Gonzalez and Dennis Haysbert.
Eva Longoria's direction is really impressive because there's so much energy that she's able to sustain for the entirety of the film with inventive montages and an ability to cover a lot of time in a speedy yet breezy fashion. It feels like its going to run out of steam eventually and it never does, only toning it down when needed for a more emotional scene. Marcelo Zarvos' score is very schmaltzy which works thanks to the overall warmth.
Cellular is a tightly paced thriller rife with a lot of dumb conveniences that just work in the execution of it all, making it very easy to get invested in. It's 94 minutes of escalating problems that keeps everything on its toes and has the right amount of characters in the mix so it can juggle a lot of different elements to maintain a high energy. It's a testament to screenwriter Chris Morgan's talents for writing satisfyingly dumb movies.
Chris Evans comfortably rises to the task and remains likeable throughout as he tries his best to save the day, eschewing the early cynicism quickly. Kim Basinger gives the best performance by spending a lot of time in a panicked state without losing her urgency and William H. Macy is the unexpected MVP. Jason Statham gets to play the villain in a nice change of pace even if the role is so generic it could literally be anyone else.
David R. Ellis' direction has plenty of early 2000s stylings and brings a lot of dynamism to proceedings in a way that stands out more now. There's a couple of intense car chases, clever switch ups and tense shootouts that ensure this is always a blast. The humour is less successful but it's still mostly well implemented and the score by John Ottman has all the required bombast to really sell the high stakes.
Chris Evans comfortably rises to the task and remains likeable throughout as he tries his best to save the day, eschewing the early cynicism quickly. Kim Basinger gives the best performance by spending a lot of time in a panicked state without losing her urgency and William H. Macy is the unexpected MVP. Jason Statham gets to play the villain in a nice change of pace even if the role is so generic it could literally be anyone else.
David R. Ellis' direction has plenty of early 2000s stylings and brings a lot of dynamism to proceedings in a way that stands out more now. There's a couple of intense car chases, clever switch ups and tense shootouts that ensure this is always a blast. The humour is less successful but it's still mostly well implemented and the score by John Ottman has all the required bombast to really sell the high stakes.