February 17, 2025 • 52 mins
Today's episode: welcome to my Captain America 4 review. The good, the bad, the exaggerated negative critical reviews: I will be covering all of it as well as talking more in general about the current state of the MCU and Disney in the larger Hollywood crisis and the conservative blowback that started from the previous administration. Here is hoping that this review can also reignite some passion in the other marvel fans and give a positive outlook on the upcoming projects.
You can follow me on Instagram and Threads @robscal.jpg, on TikTok @robscal.com and on Twitter @robscaltweets
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, welcome to the Overshare pamphlet.
(00:25):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show.
I'm going to be talking to you every Monday 6am UK time.
And today, today we're talking about something that, you know, is in my bag to be fair, but
I don't usually talk about it on podcasts because I don't know, I feel like it's been
(00:48):
an on and off topic and it has become like a pretty controversial topic as well.
Recently, I think the hype of these kinds of movies has died down or more than died
down, but like I think it's all over the place and people have very contrasting opinions
on these.
So, but yeah, and I haven't also watched anything super exciting from the Marvel department
(01:15):
in that sense.
So yes, I'm talking about Captain America, brand new, brave new, brave new world, brand
new, brave new world, Captain America 4 technically, but also the first Captain America movie where
Steve Rogers is the longer Captain America.
So it's like the first Sam Wilson Captain America movie.
(01:38):
So and I want you to keep that in mind.
This is a first installment of this version of Captain America.
So it's not by any stretch of the imagination, a proper sequel, but it's more like a restart
in that sense for this new version of Captain America.
(01:58):
So yeah, anyways, so I'll be getting to the plot roughly.
I don't want to be too much into the spoiler territory, I guess.
I will actually, unfortunately, I think I might have to like get a bit into some spoilers,
of course, but I'll try to first give a summary, but I would still say that if you haven't
(02:22):
watched the movie, maybe listen to this at your own risk.
And if you are not planning to watch it, then you can listen to this, or if you do plan
on watching it then and you don't mind talking about spoilers, then don't.
But if you do mind, then just go watch it and listen to this again.
So yeah, anyways, just want to like to point out, I mean, talk about the movie in general.
(02:47):
When I think about it, what I think worked and what I think didn't work and what's my
opinion on the movie overall.
And I think I want to connect this to like a larger conversation about Marvel and superhero
movies and just in general Disney and I guess like the Marvel phase four, phase five, whatever
(03:08):
we're in, the multiverse saga, how it's been going and how I think it's going to fare in
the long term and where it's going to go next.
And if there's any chance for Marvel to still redeem itself and, you know, bring back its
audience, I guess, like, you know, core audience at least.
(03:32):
But yeah, so I'm going to go over it all over, like, you know, over every single thing in
there.
But yeah, first off, as you know, songs of the week.
Now I want to start off by talking about mayhaps.
(03:55):
And you know what, I'm going to talk about this.
So if you don't know anything about Italian music in that sense and what time of the year
this is for Italian music, we are well, we just finished the seasonal San Remo festival,
which is a music festival where multiple singers compete with brand new songs released on the
(04:16):
same day and they perform them for like three or four, you know, days, basically like evenings
in that sense.
And then there is a winner that is voted by, I think, a board.
And the best song basically then is sort of crowned as the best song of, you know, the
(04:40):
country that's like the best out of all the singers that have participated in this festival.
And then the winner also goes to Eurovision, which is very important here because sometimes
the, how to say, the voters have taken that into account and sometimes they don't.
(05:00):
But whatever, that's because it's a point.
The winner of this year has been just terrible to, in my opinion, like they chose really
probably the worst candidate for that.
But whatever.
But out of all these songs, I've found some interesting ones and they're all in Italian,
but who cares?
Like I think you guys would still enjoy, I guess, listen to some Italian music, maybe
(05:21):
mayhaps.
But the one I've been really listening to on repeat has been Fango in Paradiso, which
is mud in heaven, maybe?
Just literally translated by Francesca Micheline, which is basically a sort of ballad.
(05:43):
I would venture to say Swiftian adjacent.
I know big words here, but it is that.
It is that in any possible way.
I just really, really like the lyrical content of this song.
It's very, the topic of this song is basically a breakup and a long lasting relationship
(06:09):
that finally dissolves basically into, and leads to this, you know, like it's breaking
down by this breakup and all that stuff.
It's sort of like a recollection of all the moments in the past and like the reasons it
brought these two people to break up and mostly Francesca's perspective of how this went down
and why she decided to break up with this person.
(06:33):
And there's a lot of great writing on here.
A lot of metaphors, a lot of interesting imagery, I guess, here and that really describes, you
know, the person that we're talking about, the boy in question pretty well, the boy,
the man.
Don't get me wrong.
There's all of like relatable stuff as well about, you know, thinking about this person
(06:57):
after the breakup saying like, I wonder who you're gonna, you know, have kids with and
if you're gonna move, address, and if I'm ever gonna see you again and if I'm gonna
run into you again.
And you know, all that.
Oh my God, that was loud.
But yeah, so it's very interesting and I also loved the structure of the song, which
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also reminds me a lot of the Swifty and sort of tempo track because there are a couple
of lyric changes throughout the song and a lot of like some interesting repetition and
a post chorus uses a bridge, well, a double repetition of a chorus with changing words
and all that stuff, outro being also a post chorus, very interesting stuff, like very
(07:53):
cool structure of the song and inventive writing in that sense and you know, that's the typical
sign of Taylor Swift's writing, like she loves to like, you know, make a pop song spicy by
changing the structure of the song or like by using different words or different lyrics
for the same chorus or for a same, you know, for an outro, whatever, so it's just very,
(08:19):
very interesting.
I really, really enjoyed it.
So check it out.
I mean, if you're in the mood for something like a bit more ballad-y, it's definitely
a power ballad basically, yeah, so give it a go, give it a go, give it a go.
And the other song I want to talk about is Salty by Chungha and Sinme.
Chungha is back with her, well, I don't know, well, this is her in her new contract, I guess
(08:45):
in a new label, the second EP under this label and a lot of great songs in here, but I think
I just love Sinme so much as a soloist as well and these two, Chungha and Sinme used
to be the it girls in the soloist category for the girls back in 2016, 17 in K-pop, third
jam basically.
So if you were around at that time, you would know that this is a huge deal because these
(09:09):
two girls specifically were dominating the solo camp, I guess in that sense of K-pop.
So this is a big deal in any event, but love the collab, very, very cool stuff, very interesting.
Vibe of the song, it's very poppy, very, you know, very cute sound in that sense.
(09:36):
So I am quite satisfied with the song, I love their voices in this, it's just like, I think
it's a good blend of because they have two different tones.
I think Chungha is a bit more like projecting, like, you know, she's more of a projector
(09:58):
in terms of voice, but some is a bit more like soft and stylistic type of singer and
it just rocks.
The song is so catchy and just, you know, being a cold ass bitch, like a cold hearted
bitch basically.
Love it, loves it, loves it.
There's a lot of great stuff in here.
(10:20):
I would say maybe give it a go, give it a listen if you know anything about historical
moments in K-pop, this is it.
This is it for real, for real.
So yeah, pretty cool stuff.
Then I do want to talk about High Fashion by Addison Rafe because bitch, she's done
it again.
(10:41):
I'm really vibing with this version of Addison, I think she's honing her sound quite a bit,
this very falsetto-y type of singing style.
I think what really takes the cake here is this production that is like very, like, I
don't know how to explain it, but like it sounds very 2014, in that sense, but modernized
(11:04):
of course.
It's very EDM-y, in that sense, and very cool.
I just really, really love what she's doing in terms of, well, lyrics are a bit corny
maybe sometimes, but I don't know, like she's saying basically, I know I'm drunk but I don't
need your drugs, I'd rather get high fashion, don't want cheap love, I'd rather get high
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fashion, I don't need your drugs, whatever, she repeats that.
But I think the production is very interesting, like it's a very, like, infectious type of,
I guess a very heavy type of EDM type of production maybe, but it's not fast-paced whatsoever,
like it sounds something like Ellie Goulding maybe, could have, production, but it's like
(11:51):
more experimental than that.
Like the melody of the production doesn't really match necessarily the melody of the
singing, but somehow it works, I don't know how to explain it, but it's just like very,
very good, and it's a very moody, like constant mood type of track, it's just incredible.
But it has that like 2014 type of vibe, not necessarily dated per se, because it's not
(12:16):
that, but yeah, I just think she's just in her bag, and this is part of a EP I think,
they said like it's nine tracks maybe perhaps, and it would include Dipepsy and what was
it, Aquamarine, and I understand why, because it is very much in that same like soundscape
(12:43):
maybe, same stylistic, you know, singing in that sense, very, very cool stuff, but I fashion
is a bitch, so just go listen to it.
And also the video, oh my god, the video is so good, the reference to Wicked and all that
stuff, just you know, the slippers, the red slippers and everything else, just very cool
stuff.
(13:05):
And yeah, I would definitely say she is onto something big here, I am very much tuning
in for, well whatever, I'm not entirely sure when it's gonna be released, but I'll be tuning
in for that, just very cool stuff.
Yeah, then maybe, yeah, okay, let's end with this one.
(13:32):
I was not aware that Tyler, the creator, and Brian Beattie, Beattie, I don't know how to
say their name, but they had like multiple collaborations, or two collaborations for
The Grinch, like the illumination and like the animation thing, movie The Grinch, they
(13:53):
made two songs, well Terry Crater made an entire EP for that, but he made an EP for
the movie and there's two songs that were basically featuring Brian Beattie, one I think
is just Tyler and him, and the other one is like with Santi Gold, I don't know who that
(14:20):
is, but both songs are incredible, both songs are super fucking good, and I would recommend
listening to both of them, but if I had to choose one, actually I don't know which one
to choose between the two, I would say Mayhaps, Light On, I know it's a very Christmassy
(14:44):
song, the message, but I just like the production-wise, very R&B adjacent, and Brian Beattie, he's
definitely very famous for Calico, but also this reminds me a bit of his Boy In Jeans
EP where it was more like dabbling with R&B production and style basically, but very cool
(15:08):
stuff, and also it's very Tyler the Decorator as well, production-wise as well, I don't
know, it just works so well, so I am intrigued very much, I hope they do collaborate even
more further than mine, but yes, I am interested definitely in that, I hope they actually have
(15:38):
more stuff coming through, and maybe we'll see more of them, but check out both of them
to be fair, the other one is called When Gloves Come Off, and it's also incredible,
(16:00):
so yeah, just give it a go, give it a go, give it a listen, give it a little listen,
and that's pretty much it for the songs, because I don't want to be too, you know, I guess
like, I don't want to bombard you with too many songs, but yeah, let's get into the real
(16:22):
topic which is Captain America 4 Brave New World.
Now, I want to start off this by saying that I have noticed that basically, I would label
this period of time I guess a bit of a Marvel hatred specifically, but I think it's like
(16:43):
under a big umbrella of just, it's a combination of very different facts, it is, I don't want
to cut some slack from Marvel, but I also want to play a bit, like, you know, I want
to defend a bit the Marvel movies in that sense, because I have seen people, it's trendy
basically now to shit on Marvel movies, and I think it's partially due to superhero fatigue
(17:06):
and just in general people being fed up with shitty movies coming from these, both from
Marvel and DC, Joker 2 was a big blow to that space, to the comic book space specifically,
but Marvel of course also had a part to play in this, because they have also released very
mediocre movies and cannot really blame people for reckoning like that, but also I think
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the pendulum has swung too much into this other direction where basically any movie
is met with skepticism, and I know you might say immediately that, well, what about That
Pool and Wolverine or whatever, I think that movie was very successful because of marketing
strategies and I would venture to say that in any event, while that definitely was a
(17:54):
better movie than this one, it wasn't that much better in my opinion, it was still good,
it was still a good movie, and even this one in my opinion is a good movie, it's a good
solid movie, and I think it's just like good average Marvel, by any stretch of the imagination
it's not one of the worst movies ever done by Marvel, they have done way worse, and this
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movie is I guess on par with other Captain America movies, so I don't really see, I think
it's a bit hypocritical and a bit just like you know, hating just for a trend of it, it's
just a bit stupid, so I'm here to sort of like you know, defend this movie, I think.
I would agree with y'all that it's not the best movie again as I said, but I would still
say that it's a very solid movie, still good, not bad by any stretch of the imagination,
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so yes, anyways, first off, another disclaimer as well, is that this is supposed to be the
first Sam Wilson solo movie, so this technically is Captain America 4, but it's more like
Captain America 1 for Sam Wilson, so that's also why I think people should just like you
know, be a bit more open minded with this, like you cannot expect to have a big Avenger
(19:08):
level type of movie here, this is the first movie where Sam Wilson is Captain America,
so this is like a solo, first solo movie in a trilogy probably I assume, so keep it down,
you know, keep your expectations down when it comes to that, because this is not going
to be another you know, I think it's already pretty interesting that they put in the Hulk
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and all that stuff, the ride to Hulk and all that stuff, like in terms of you know, connections
I guess, like important characters in this, that's already an upgrade in that sense, because
the first Captain America movie didn't have any of that in terms of popular characters
apart from Captain America, so yes, keep that also in mind I think when you go into watching
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this movie, but what is this about, what is this movie about, this is a movie that sort
of introduces Sam properly as the new Captain America, after you know, the events of Endgame
and if you haven't watched also the Facul and the Winter Soldier, there's sort of like
a sequel to that, but mostly it's just, all you need to know is that you know, basically
(20:22):
old Captain America received Rogers as you know, given the mantle to Sam Wilson, he has
chosen him to be the next Captain America and here this movie is sort of like you know,
Captain America finding his own footing in this new, very confusing world, right, after
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the events of Endgame and you know, the dissolution of the Avengers and all that stuff, so here
Captain America has to sort of try and link back and like you know, reestablish a relationship
with the new President of the United States, which is President Ross here, like it's, you
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know, Ross is basically, he was a military sergeant I think, who became, well he was
elected as President in order to protect you know, humans from uncontrolled superheroes,
like unchecked superheroes and vigilantes in that sense, so but I mean there is a history
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that involves basically Ross, Captain Ross, he's never been you know, especially liked
by any of the Avengers specifically, he was the man behind the Civil War and all that
stuff, like he, the court of Sokovia, he was the one who sort of played a hand in dissolving
the Avengers per se, so you can imagine that Sam Wilson has definitely bad blood with this
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man but he also is a man of integrity and he is Captain America, which is made very
clear in the movie that is as important as a President, you know, for the United States,
he represents also the United States and the Americans, so I am very, like I was very intrigued
to see how these two people would you know, relink and try to appease you know, whatever
(22:16):
bad blood they had and all that stuff, so yeah, Captain America here and also the other
part, the other side of this conversation also, Steve Rogers left a big, like some big
shoes to fill in basically, right, like the pressure is on Sam to like, get this mantle
and you know, and prove to the world that he is worthy of being Captain America, not
(22:41):
only a good Captain America but also be good enough as a black superhero and also a non-enhanced
superhero, he's not, he doesn't have the super serum, the super soldier serum, so he's like
a pretty much a normal human being with a lot of expertise in fighting and military
(23:03):
strategies and all that stuff, so he has to prove to the world that he is worthy of being
Captain America and that he's worthy to, like he's good enough, he's not even better than
Steve Rogers to bring back you know, the United States together and also lead potentially
(23:23):
the Avengers if they're gonna come back, if, which they will, but yeah.
So that's sort of the main plotline of the movie and it is a political thriller because
basically in between these two characters, Ross and Sam Wilson, someone is an evil, well
(23:45):
a villain basically, is trying to stir the pot and basically severe this relationship
again and to ruin the reputation of Captain Ross and bring up, you know, and uncover some
of his darkest secrets and some of his evil deeds that he has done in the past and so
that's the entire, I guess, purpose of the movie is to uncover who this person is and
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stop him from tearing the US and the world in general apart again.
So yeah, and again, I want to stress that this is a political thriller but under the
Marvel universe, so it is more accessible, I guess, for the families and the children
and all that stuff, but it's still very sophisticated, I think, because it still deals with a lot
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of interesting topics which are for example very current also to nowadays political spectrum,
I guess, and political setting in the US and also I think maybe worldwide because it is
after all dealing with, you know, a president that is elected, I guess, in a very interesting
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political climate and a fractured America and all that stuff and it's very much what's
happening today as well.
So there's a lot there and there's a lot to discuss, of course, and I do want to also
say that even though these topics are definitely explored, this movie is not, of course, going
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to give you an answer in terms of who to vote and all that stuff, you know what I mean?
It is a political thriller but also it's not necessarily choosing any sides from liberal
to republican.
And that's definitely, in my view, a merit of the movie because the position that Marvel
is in, which is like very much a position of, I guess, how do I say, like this movie
(25:44):
has been, and in general Marvel has been, and Disney by the same token, been criticized
severely by the conservative audiences.
So it was in Marvel's best interest and Disney's best interest to just be as, you know, neutral
when it comes to the depiction of the president and the politics of the US as possible.
(26:08):
But it does also deal with international conflict and secure resources and all that stuff.
So it is very, very cool.
And again, there's also a lot to talk about in terms of when a leader has to sort of prove
to other people that he's worthy of being in that position and what constitutes a proper
(26:34):
leader and why was Sam also chosen to represent the country in that sense by Steve Rogers.
And we get answers to that, of course, so that's really, really, really powerful, I
think, as a movie.
And again, he is a black American citizen becoming probably the most famous, I guess,
(26:58):
American superhero.
So it's just incredible to me.
Like these are some very, you know, big shoes to fill in.
And he, I think Sam Wilson, but also the actor in general, does a great job at doing that.
And it's just a very powerful message again.
So I am quite satisfied with the message of the movie.
(27:20):
So yeah.
I, okay, I want to talk about first what I think overall of the movie.
I said like it's what are the good sides and what are the bad sides, I think, of the movie,
what could have been improved and what I didn't particularly like.
So let's get into that specifically.
(27:44):
So let's start with the bad maybe.
Okay, so maybe the bad.
Yeah, let's start with the bad.
So as any country making a movie, you're supposed to have a black widow here and you do have
a black widow here who works interestingly enough for the US government.
(28:07):
Like usually, you know, black widows are spies from Russia in that sense, like from the Red
Room in Russia, but of course they went for this other route, which is quite interesting,
I guess.
But I think the bad side of this is that, I don't know, they haven't chosen a proper
actress, a good actress enough for this role.
I think she is more like, I would say she's still a good actress, but I think she is a
(28:34):
good black widow, if that makes any sense as an actress.
Physicality-wise, she's very small and not very showy as the other black widows.
And also, I think black widows, they're not necessarily like sexually, you know, interesting
in that sense.
I don't know, like they're a bit more seducing, but they definitely are a bit more, like physicality-wise
(28:57):
a bit more like feminine in that sense, right?
And a bit more acrobatic.
Well, this lady who was cast for this role is a bit of an interesting character, and
I don't really think she's ideal in this.
I would have rather seen Yelena Belova in this one, but she is in her own movie, which
(29:20):
is the Thunderbolt Will Tool, come out later on this year as well.
So I just wish we had a better black widow in this movie, that's it.
So I don't think she was very, you know, she didn't really add much to the movie per se.
So yeah.
Also, I do think sometimes the movie feels less cinematic than it's supposed to.
Sometimes it feels a bit cheap, which is insane because this movie is, I think it costs like
(29:45):
300 million dollars or something, so I don't understand where all that money went.
Probably in the reshoots, most definitely in the reshoots, but it's crazy.
Sometimes it feels a bit cheap.
I'm just gonna say that.
It just feels a bit cheap sometimes.
It feels a bit too TV showy in that sense.
Some action sequels and some settings and everything do feel cinematic, don't get me
(30:06):
wrong.
Even the scene where Sam goes to the White House to meet the president, that is also
a very cinematic scene.
But some other scenes are a bit more TV show adjacent, I guess.
Like the mission where they have to retrieve the adamantium and all that stuff.
(30:28):
It's just a bit of everything.
So it doesn't really feel very cinematic there, but I don't know.
Also another complaint I have is that the easter eggs planted in this movie are definitely
there, don't get me wrong.
There's definitely some stuff.
The first Hulk movie, a villain hinted back in the days so long ago is now making an appearance.
(30:52):
He's the main villain here, the leader.
And then there's Captain Ross' daughter coming back in, like a fornicamio, and Bucky as well.
But none of these are, I would say, very strong.
I would have used...
Maybe the strongest one in my opinion of the easter eggs is the adamantium that finally
(31:15):
makes an appearance in the MCU, is finally introduced in the MCU.
And the adamantium here comes from the Celestials and is linked back to the Eternals, right?
So if you haven't watched the Eternals, basically at the end of the Eternals, this giant cosmic
entity basically emerges from the Earth, but it's stopped by the Eternals and it creates
(31:36):
this very interesting setting in the...
I think it's in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, I can't remember.
But it's basically this giant turned into a stone and becomes like a...
It's called a Celestial Island.
So basically people have extracted adamantium out of that giant that emerged from the Earth,
basically, right?
(31:56):
And that's a new introduction to this element.
But as you may know, as you may or may not know, this is a very important element for
the birth of Wolverine.
So this is definitely an easter egg for the X-Men and for everything that is gonna come
after Doomsday and everything else.
(32:18):
So that was really exciting for me.
When I first heard adamantium in the movie, I was like, oh, they're doing it.
They're planting seeds.
This is what I love about the Marvel stuff.
They're doing it.
But I could have used some stronger easter eggs specifically for the Doomsday situation
(32:40):
in Doctor Doom and the Avengers movie that are gonna come out, what, 2026 or next year
and 2097.
So I could have used more of that.
So that's another compliment I had.
And also, adding on to that, I think there is no important and creative scene, which
is getting a bit frustrating.
(33:02):
Give us some cool and creative scenes that make us excited for the next movies.
You know what I mean?
Just give us something.
Please give us something.
But yeah, so.
But that's probably the main, like some of the main things that I didn't really particularly
enjoy about the movie.
(33:23):
But yeah, the things that I did really like were the acting.
The acting was really, really good from all like Giancarlo, Giancarlo Exbozito, whatever
his name is and all that stuff.
So yeah, loved all of them.
(33:43):
So they had an incredible, incredible run in this movie, I think, acting wise.
Like the emotional tension was really, really, really good.
So they kept it high.
I think this is the best part of the movie in general.
Like the very interesting part is that apart from the political thriller type of theme
that's very unique to the movie, it's also a very emotionally charged movie.
(34:05):
There's a lot at stake and there's a lot of emotional crescendo in this movie and a lot
of, you know, really kept me glued to the screen at the end of the day.
I think the intro sequence specifically was not very interesting, but as soon as we started
getting a bit more into the dialogues between President Ross and Sam Wilson, that was like,
(34:29):
oh, things are starting to happen here because they, you know, President Ross was like, I
need to get the Avengers back together and you need to lead them.
And he was like, immediately, also the music was incredible.
Like he started getting suspicious and all that stuff is quite interesting.
So interesting stuff.
(34:51):
So that I really liked.
Then I also, the emotional tone is very, very high and it's a very, like there is a proper
dissolution to this emotional condrom here, which is really good.
The ending is pretty, pretty well set up and the, you know, the, I guess the thing that
ties the leader, which is the main villain of the movie and Captain Ross and Radd Hulk
(35:14):
basically is very important here.
And the whole plot of the movie is also basically, it's an agreement basically between the leader
and Captain America, right?
Captain America thinks that basically President Ross has changed as a person.
He believes in the good of people.
Well, the leader is pessimistic and thinks that people can never change and therefore
(35:35):
they need to be punished for that.
Right?
Well, Sam Wilson thinks that people can and should be afforded the possibility to change
and should be protected specifically because of that.
Right?
To afford them a second, to give them a second chance and, you know, give them some grace
in that sense, which is really what ultimately makes Sam Wilson the perfect Captain America.
(36:01):
He's a very, you know, very, like he sees the good in people and he's there to protect,
you know, give people a sign of not, this is what I said, like don't simply hope.
This was, that's basically Steve Rogers, Captain America's message, but it's more like give
them an ideal of change and, you know, sort of a leader that leads them to like proper
(36:25):
better and embodies basically better ideals for the US.
Right?
And just in general, the world, because it is, as they said, this is a, you know, a very
global movie in that sense.
So very cool stuff.
I also really did like, you know, the, I guess, just like a position, just like a position
(36:48):
between Sam and Steve, Captain America's in that sense.
Like Steve definitely was, well definitely had, I guess, the, the, I guess the morality
of Captain America, but I think he was also very much never going, you know, he was also
always for the, you know, for saving even the people who did wrong in that sense.
(37:13):
Well, Sam is that definitely, but also I think he's more smart about it and he's ready to,
you know, make concessions to evil people and to make, you know, to bargain with, you
know, the, the, the, the enemies basically to get a better outcome overall.
(37:33):
And I think also, but they're also quite similar in the sense of they both are very idealistic
but I think Sam is more grounded in reality and understands both sides in that sense.
Well, Steve was a bit more one-sided and a bit less in the gray area, if I have to be
honest.
I think he was more like, for example, Civil War really, I think opened my eyes on like
(37:56):
what Steve Rogers was as a Captain America.
He was more like, you know, not seeing Iron Man's side and he was definitely choosing,
like he ended up basically choosing the Winter Soldier over, you know, Iron Man because,
I don't know, he had personal matters in his hands.
Well, I think he didn't really afford much grace to, you know, Tony Stark and he could
(38:22):
have, you know, it was still his friend.
He should have, you know, understood his other side and maybe prepared him better for the
truth, which was, you know, the Winter Soldier killed Tony Stark's parents, but whatever,
there's another conversation, but yeah.
So I also really liked some of the settings.
The Celestial Island backdrop was incredible in the Jet Scene.
Jet Scene itself was just beautiful.
(38:43):
Just gorgeous.
Like the backdrop of that giant in the ocean is just so cool.
I just like loved it so much.
I also really liked the Hulk scenes.
All the Hulk scenes were incredible.
The ones where they were like at the top of the White House and the Red Hulk gets the
(39:06):
American flag and like the pole and like throws it at the helicopter and all that stuff.
Incredible.
And then when he jumps from the, like when the Red Hulk jumps from the White House, he
destroys basically from the impact, like left behind the entire White House.
It's just incredible.
The chase scene between them was just so cool.
(39:26):
And also the fight between them was incredible.
And I still think that there's a lot of, like, I like that they bring up this important conversation
which needs to be had.
It's that Sam Wilson is the only one that doesn't have any superpowers at all.
Like he refused to take the serum and here he really grapples with that idea that he
maybe should have and he should, you know, he needs that extra help to, I guess, achieve
(39:50):
that.
And he regrets at times not taking it.
There is a scene where his own, basically, Falcon, the new Falcon gets very badly injured
and he blames himself and the fact that he doesn't have much power as a human in that
sense in terms of physicality, he blames himself for that.
But I think that's what makes this character very compelling is that he, I don't know,
(40:15):
that he refuses to take the serum anyways because he thinks that he can still, you know,
show to people that he's still worthy to become the America despite not having any super power
whatsoever, right?
So that is very powerful.
I still think he needs the serum to be fair because he cannot possibly compete with these
threats.
He barely survived the Red Hulk, basically, and I think if he had the serum he would have
(40:38):
at least fared better against him physically, I guess.
So very interesting stuff, but I think he does need to take the serum, unfortunately.
I mean, I understand there's moral grounds, but man, if you want to survive, like, actually
live this, like, survive this, you need to take it, I think.
But yeah.
(41:00):
Now let's get, I guess, before this episode runs for too long, but let's get into like
all the criticisms that I've seen floating around.
Despite like, you know, me saying that this movie is fairly good, like it's solid, solid,
overall, I think many critics don't believe that.
They don't agree with me, unfortunately.
(41:22):
I've seen some critics actually agree with me in the sense that there is a lot of like
forced hatred on these movies, but the majority of the critics are saying that this is like,
you know, a disconnected movie and it's just, you know, Marvelous Suss's touch and his sauce
and all that stuff.
And I can see why you would believe that and I do not disagree in a sense of that.
(41:46):
I don't disagree that Marvel has lost a bit of its, you know, disconnectedness.
Well, yeah, it lost its like, you know, connectivity, I guess, sorry, between all the movies.
That definitely is a thing.
But also I would like to venture and like to hope basically this movie is actually,
you know, a first block, I guess, in what is the culmination of Avengers, Doomsday and
(42:09):
everything else.
Because to me, at least the way I watched the movie and interpreted the movie, this
is a setup for Sam to bring the Avengers together.
Literally just what part of the conversations that are, you know, faced in this movie are
about that.
And it is a stepping stone, I guess, in that sense for a building block, I guess, for what's
(42:31):
about to come.
So I understand there has been a bit of a, you know, I guess like a problem with connectivity
between all the movies.
You don't feel as connected and as organic and all that stuff.
There are several reasons why I think that hasn't happened.
(42:51):
But I do think that this movie actually is going to be a stepping stone for and it's
going to be, you know, it's going to have huge ramifications going forward, right?
It's going to be a stepping stone for the next movies as well.
And I think you can sort of see also that the Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four coming
up this year are also all stepping stones for Avengers, Doomsday.
(43:13):
And I think people should afford a bit more lenience to these movies because I think there's
going to be a good payoff eventually as well.
Like Sam here is getting prepped to be the leader of the future Avengers that are going
to fight against Doom.
There's also a little, you know, a little droplet here for Doom.
(43:34):
And in the only post-credits scene they're talking about the multiversal wars basically,
right?
So there is something there, but I think people are missing the fact that this is unfortunately,
I mean it's taken us so long, but it is something that is setting up the next movies.
And there's some criticisms that Marvel hasn't felt as connected as before.
(43:59):
But I want to defend this movie and also Marvel in general because there are several reasons
why.
It's not simply sloppy writing because this again is not a sloppily written movie.
It's a fair, like a solid movie, a Marvel standard movie in that sense.
It's a building block.
It's a first movie in a series, you know?
Like view it as that, right?
(44:20):
And to, again, to defend Marvel, I think there are several reasons why as of now movies haven't
felt as connected.
Definitely the writing has not been the best.
I have to agree with the previous movies.
And I think it's not simply a problem with creative direction, but I think there's been
a lot going on at Disney in general.
(44:42):
One part of it I think is the post-pandemic world that we live in.
I think Disney Plus has definitely watered down the connectivity between all the movies.
Like ever since streaming has become a huge phenomenon in the entertainment industry,
I think Marvel was sort of forced to produce TV shows and a lot of stuff that went in the
(45:09):
streaming service that, you know, I guess put a lot of things on the plate, right?
So there was so much output and so little consideration of, you know, how all these
things, all these pieces were going to fall into place.
I think also another problem is a Bob Chapek situation, which is basically the previous
(45:35):
CEO that sort of sent Disney in a bit of a low time and specifically put it at war against
the conservative audiences.
And it's still, Disney and Marvel in general are still recovering from this.
So they're still recovering from the pandemic in my opinion, but also still recovering from
the advent of streaming and this Bob Chapek situation.
(45:56):
And plus on top of that, I would say it's also a post-Jonathan Majors recovery period.
Like Jonathan Majors was supposed to be the main villain, like the, he was going to play
basically Kang.
And some of the movies, including quantumania and you know, other like Loki and all this
(46:19):
stuff, they were all building towards this huge villain.
And then there was a private matter that tainted, I guess, Jonathan Majors' reputation and
Disney had to backtrack and, you know, backpedal and had to change basically this narrative
and the narrative of the Marvel movies basically and find a new villain out of nowhere to put
(46:42):
into this, you know, in this phase five and four and five basically.
So I can really blame, I can partially blame Marvel, I guess, for its sloppy writing, but
also I cannot really blame it so much because they had to reschedule and redo everything.
And part of it also is reflected in this movie because I think you can really feel this movie
(47:04):
was shot so many times or reshot so many times because they had to like change the plot line
severely and changes so many times and rework it around and all that stuff.
The Bob Chapec situation was also very unfortunate.
I think Marvel was and Disney in general was under hyperproductive phase that was, you
(47:24):
know, forced by Bob Chapec and his CEO days.
And then with Bob Iger now, where he's trying to save the company by focusing more on sequels,
which I think is the right choice.
And this is also a step in the right direction, to be fair, because I do think that, again,
we are sort of missing that connectivity because of how much output Bob Chapec has put into
(47:47):
this, had put into the Disney machine.
So I think since now we're getting, we're focusing a bit more on the quality and the,
you know, building off of previously written stories and focusing on sequels and all that
stuff, I think we're slowly getting out of that low point of all these combining factors
and we're slowly, hopefully starting to focus a bit more on what is about to come next,
(48:12):
which is Doomsday and the Avengers movies and all that stuff.
I mean, you can already see some good signs from the change in direction, I guess, of
the CEO because, you know, The Lion King 2, despite all the negativity, it still performed
incredibly well, was one of the most, the highest grossing movies of 2024.
Inside Out 2 was also one of the highest grossing movies of 2024.
(48:35):
And Moana 2 was also very, very successful.
So I think in the different Disney divisions, Bob Iger, the new CEO, has definitely, well,
new but also old because he returned basically as CEO after Bob Chapec.
But he was, he's definitely, you know, redirecting Disney and Marvel in the right direction.
(48:56):
That does not mean that they're going to be able to overcome the negativity anytime soon
because it still feels like the conservative audiences are still very much against Disney
and against Marvel because of the Florida situation and all that stuff and the Santas
and all of that.
But I still think that we should trust this new direction, the new creative direction
(49:20):
of Marvel and Disney in general because I've seen the effects before with other divisions,
you know, Pixar and Disney Animation and all that stuff.
It seems that they're getting on the right track.
But again, only time will tell.
I think also this movie has a full month to, you know, get a revenue in that sense because
(49:44):
there's no other movie in Hollywood.
Hollywood is in a very poor state at the moment and they're all hoping that something's going
to change.
And I think the fact that there's no other movie competing with this one at the moment
is also a sign that Hollywood is, you know, very afraid of making any bad steps.
So I think people are going to check out this movie and they're going to hate on it, the
(50:05):
conservative audiences, but hopefully people can come around and still enjoy the movie
for what it is.
I think it's a very solid movie to be fair.
It's not nothing, you know, crazy bad at all.
It's actually pretty good.
It's a movie.
It's definitely a good movie.
It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's also not what people are saying that
it is like a sloppy disgusting movie.
It's not literally like just go and watch it for yourself and you'll see that it's actually
(50:29):
a pretty solid movie.
So yeah.
So what's next?
I would say my only advice is for Marvel from moving forward.
I mean, this is also a movie that was reshot so many times.
So I understand that it's the script is not perfect anymore because it's like, you know,
it's been changed and revised to fit this new creative direction and this new villain
(50:50):
coming in and this new story to be changed because of external factors.
But I would say for the next movies and probably we'll see that in the next in the Thunderbolt
and the Fantastic Four, I would say leaning more into the Easter eggs, try and make it
feel like as if these movies are actually all connected and there is something to look
forward to in that sense.
(51:11):
So but I'm positive.
I think there will be more good stuff coming up.
I'm very excited for their devil as well.
A lot of good stuff coming up.
But Thunderbolt movie looks incredible.
The trailer for both the Thunderbolt and the movie look very promising to me.
So I am excited.
And yeah, again, check out the movie for yourself.
(51:33):
Don't that the critics and you know, some hate train basically repel you from going
and watch this movie and enjoy it.
So and I also was very surprised that there are actually some people going to watch this
movie.
Like I went to the cinema and it was full.
The theater was full and there are a lot of people shoring up for this and they all agreed
(51:54):
to me at the end of the movie that it was an OK movie.
It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.
So give it a go.
Yeah.
But yeah, that's it.
Stand strong Marvel.
I am still rooting for you.
I'm still there.
If you have 100 fans, I'm one of them.
If you have one fan, that means it's me.
And if you have zero fans, it means that I died.
(52:14):
So yeah, that's it.
Bye.
Hey, welcome to the Overshare pamphlet.
(00:25):
My name is Rob and I'm the host of this one man show.
I'm going to be talking to you every Monday 6am UK time.
And today, today we're talking about something that, you know, is in my bag to be fair, but
I don't usually talk about it on podcasts because I don't know, I feel like it's been
(00:48):
an on and off topic and it has become like a pretty controversial topic as well.
Recently, I think the hype of these kinds of movies has died down or more than died
down, but like I think it's all over the place and people have very contrasting opinions
on these.
So, but yeah, and I haven't also watched anything super exciting from the Marvel department
(01:15):
in that sense.
So yes, I'm talking about Captain America, brand new, brave new, brave new world, brand
new, brave new world, Captain America 4 technically, but also the first Captain America movie where
Steve Rogers is the longer Captain America.
So it's like the first Sam Wilson Captain America movie.
(01:38):
So and I want you to keep that in mind.
This is a first installment of this version of Captain America.
So it's not by any stretch of the imagination, a proper sequel, but it's more like a restart
in that sense for this new version of Captain America.
(01:58):
So yeah, anyways, so I'll be getting to the plot roughly.
I don't want to be too much into the spoiler territory, I guess.
I will actually, unfortunately, I think I might have to like get a bit into some spoilers,
of course, but I'll try to first give a summary, but I would still say that if you haven't
(02:22):
watched the movie, maybe listen to this at your own risk.
And if you are not planning to watch it, then you can listen to this, or if you do plan
on watching it then and you don't mind talking about spoilers, then don't.
But if you do mind, then just go watch it and listen to this again.
So yeah, anyways, just want to like to point out, I mean, talk about the movie in general.
(02:47):
When I think about it, what I think worked and what I think didn't work and what's my
opinion on the movie overall.
And I think I want to connect this to like a larger conversation about Marvel and superhero
movies and just in general Disney and I guess like the Marvel phase four, phase five, whatever
(03:08):
we're in, the multiverse saga, how it's been going and how I think it's going to fare in
the long term and where it's going to go next.
And if there's any chance for Marvel to still redeem itself and, you know, bring back its
audience, I guess, like, you know, core audience at least.
(03:32):
But yeah, so I'm going to go over it all over, like, you know, over every single thing in
there.
But yeah, first off, as you know, songs of the week.
Now I want to start off by talking about mayhaps.
(03:55):
And you know what, I'm going to talk about this.
So if you don't know anything about Italian music in that sense and what time of the year
this is for Italian music, we are well, we just finished the seasonal San Remo festival,
which is a music festival where multiple singers compete with brand new songs released on the
(04:16):
same day and they perform them for like three or four, you know, days, basically like evenings
in that sense.
And then there is a winner that is voted by, I think, a board.
And the best song basically then is sort of crowned as the best song of, you know, the
(04:40):
country that's like the best out of all the singers that have participated in this festival.
And then the winner also goes to Eurovision, which is very important here because sometimes
the, how to say, the voters have taken that into account and sometimes they don't.
(05:00):
But whatever, that's because it's a point.
The winner of this year has been just terrible to, in my opinion, like they chose really
probably the worst candidate for that.
But whatever.
But out of all these songs, I've found some interesting ones and they're all in Italian,
but who cares?
Like I think you guys would still enjoy, I guess, listen to some Italian music, maybe
(05:21):
mayhaps.
But the one I've been really listening to on repeat has been Fango in Paradiso, which
is mud in heaven, maybe?
Just literally translated by Francesca Micheline, which is basically a sort of ballad.
(05:43):
I would venture to say Swiftian adjacent.
I know big words here, but it is that.
It is that in any possible way.
I just really, really like the lyrical content of this song.
It's very, the topic of this song is basically a breakup and a long lasting relationship
(06:09):
that finally dissolves basically into, and leads to this, you know, like it's breaking
down by this breakup and all that stuff.
It's sort of like a recollection of all the moments in the past and like the reasons it
brought these two people to break up and mostly Francesca's perspective of how this went down
and why she decided to break up with this person.
(06:33):
And there's a lot of great writing on here.
A lot of metaphors, a lot of interesting imagery, I guess, here and that really describes, you
know, the person that we're talking about, the boy in question pretty well, the boy,
the man.
Don't get me wrong.
There's all of like relatable stuff as well about, you know, thinking about this person
(06:57):
after the breakup saying like, I wonder who you're gonna, you know, have kids with and
if you're gonna move, address, and if I'm ever gonna see you again and if I'm gonna
run into you again.
And you know, all that.
Oh my God, that was loud.
But yeah, so it's very interesting and I also loved the structure of the song, which
(07:28):
also reminds me a lot of the Swifty and sort of tempo track because there are a couple
of lyric changes throughout the song and a lot of like some interesting repetition and
a post chorus uses a bridge, well, a double repetition of a chorus with changing words
and all that stuff, outro being also a post chorus, very interesting stuff, like very
(07:53):
cool structure of the song and inventive writing in that sense and you know, that's the typical
sign of Taylor Swift's writing, like she loves to like, you know, make a pop song spicy by
changing the structure of the song or like by using different words or different lyrics
for the same chorus or for a same, you know, for an outro, whatever, so it's just very,
(08:19):
very interesting.
I really, really enjoyed it.
So check it out.
I mean, if you're in the mood for something like a bit more ballad-y, it's definitely
a power ballad basically, yeah, so give it a go, give it a go, give it a go.
And the other song I want to talk about is Salty by Chungha and Sinme.
Chungha is back with her, well, I don't know, well, this is her in her new contract, I guess
(08:45):
in a new label, the second EP under this label and a lot of great songs in here, but I think
I just love Sinme so much as a soloist as well and these two, Chungha and Sinme used
to be the it girls in the soloist category for the girls back in 2016, 17 in K-pop, third
jam basically.
So if you were around at that time, you would know that this is a huge deal because these
(09:09):
two girls specifically were dominating the solo camp, I guess in that sense of K-pop.
So this is a big deal in any event, but love the collab, very, very cool stuff, very interesting.
Vibe of the song, it's very poppy, very, you know, very cute sound in that sense.
(09:36):
So I am quite satisfied with the song, I love their voices in this, it's just like, I think
it's a good blend of because they have two different tones.
I think Chungha is a bit more like projecting, like, you know, she's more of a projector
(09:58):
in terms of voice, but some is a bit more like soft and stylistic type of singer and
it just rocks.
The song is so catchy and just, you know, being a cold ass bitch, like a cold hearted
bitch basically.
Love it, loves it, loves it.
There's a lot of great stuff in here.
(10:20):
I would say maybe give it a go, give it a listen if you know anything about historical
moments in K-pop, this is it.
This is it for real, for real.
So yeah, pretty cool stuff.
Then I do want to talk about High Fashion by Addison Rafe because bitch, she's done
it again.
(10:41):
I'm really vibing with this version of Addison, I think she's honing her sound quite a bit,
this very falsetto-y type of singing style.
I think what really takes the cake here is this production that is like very, like, I
don't know how to explain it, but like it sounds very 2014, in that sense, but modernized
(11:04):
of course.
It's very EDM-y, in that sense, and very cool.
I just really, really love what she's doing in terms of, well, lyrics are a bit corny
maybe sometimes, but I don't know, like she's saying basically, I know I'm drunk but I don't
need your drugs, I'd rather get high fashion, don't want cheap love, I'd rather get high
(11:27):
fashion, I don't need your drugs, whatever, she repeats that.
But I think the production is very interesting, like it's a very, like, infectious type of,
I guess a very heavy type of EDM type of production maybe, but it's not fast-paced whatsoever,
like it sounds something like Ellie Goulding maybe, could have, production, but it's like
(11:51):
more experimental than that.
Like the melody of the production doesn't really match necessarily the melody of the
singing, but somehow it works, I don't know how to explain it, but it's just like very,
very good, and it's a very moody, like constant mood type of track, it's just incredible.
But it has that like 2014 type of vibe, not necessarily dated per se, because it's not
(12:16):
that, but yeah, I just think she's just in her bag, and this is part of a EP I think,
they said like it's nine tracks maybe perhaps, and it would include Dipepsy and what was
it, Aquamarine, and I understand why, because it is very much in that same like soundscape
(12:43):
maybe, same stylistic, you know, singing in that sense, very, very cool stuff, but I fashion
is a bitch, so just go listen to it.
And also the video, oh my god, the video is so good, the reference to Wicked and all that
stuff, just you know, the slippers, the red slippers and everything else, just very cool
stuff.
(13:05):
And yeah, I would definitely say she is onto something big here, I am very much tuning
in for, well whatever, I'm not entirely sure when it's gonna be released, but I'll be tuning
in for that, just very cool stuff.
Yeah, then maybe, yeah, okay, let's end with this one.
(13:32):
I was not aware that Tyler, the creator, and Brian Beattie, Beattie, I don't know how to
say their name, but they had like multiple collaborations, or two collaborations for
The Grinch, like the illumination and like the animation thing, movie The Grinch, they
(13:53):
made two songs, well Terry Crater made an entire EP for that, but he made an EP for
the movie and there's two songs that were basically featuring Brian Beattie, one I think
is just Tyler and him, and the other one is like with Santi Gold, I don't know who that
(14:20):
is, but both songs are incredible, both songs are super fucking good, and I would recommend
listening to both of them, but if I had to choose one, actually I don't know which one
to choose between the two, I would say Mayhaps, Light On, I know it's a very Christmassy
(14:44):
song, the message, but I just like the production-wise, very R&B adjacent, and Brian Beattie, he's
definitely very famous for Calico, but also this reminds me a bit of his Boy In Jeans
EP where it was more like dabbling with R&B production and style basically, but very cool
(15:08):
stuff, and also it's very Tyler the Decorator as well, production-wise as well, I don't
know, it just works so well, so I am intrigued very much, I hope they do collaborate even
more further than mine, but yes, I am interested definitely in that, I hope they actually have
(15:38):
more stuff coming through, and maybe we'll see more of them, but check out both of them
to be fair, the other one is called When Gloves Come Off, and it's also incredible,
(16:00):
so yeah, just give it a go, give it a go, give it a listen, give it a little listen,
and that's pretty much it for the songs, because I don't want to be too, you know, I guess
like, I don't want to bombard you with too many songs, but yeah, let's get into the real
(16:22):
topic which is Captain America 4 Brave New World.
Now, I want to start off this by saying that I have noticed that basically, I would label
this period of time I guess a bit of a Marvel hatred specifically, but I think it's like
(16:43):
under a big umbrella of just, it's a combination of very different facts, it is, I don't want
to cut some slack from Marvel, but I also want to play a bit, like, you know, I want
to defend a bit the Marvel movies in that sense, because I have seen people, it's trendy
basically now to shit on Marvel movies, and I think it's partially due to superhero fatigue
(17:06):
and just in general people being fed up with shitty movies coming from these, both from
Marvel and DC, Joker 2 was a big blow to that space, to the comic book space specifically,
but Marvel of course also had a part to play in this, because they have also released very
mediocre movies and cannot really blame people for reckoning like that, but also I think
(17:30):
the pendulum has swung too much into this other direction where basically any movie
is met with skepticism, and I know you might say immediately that, well, what about That
Pool and Wolverine or whatever, I think that movie was very successful because of marketing
strategies and I would venture to say that in any event, while that definitely was a
(17:54):
better movie than this one, it wasn't that much better in my opinion, it was still good,
it was still a good movie, and even this one in my opinion is a good movie, it's a good
solid movie, and I think it's just like good average Marvel, by any stretch of the imagination
it's not one of the worst movies ever done by Marvel, they have done way worse, and this
(18:17):
movie is I guess on par with other Captain America movies, so I don't really see, I think
it's a bit hypocritical and a bit just like you know, hating just for a trend of it, it's
just a bit stupid, so I'm here to sort of like you know, defend this movie, I think.
I would agree with y'all that it's not the best movie again as I said, but I would still
say that it's a very solid movie, still good, not bad by any stretch of the imagination,
(18:42):
so yes, anyways, first off, another disclaimer as well, is that this is supposed to be the
first Sam Wilson solo movie, so this technically is Captain America 4, but it's more like
Captain America 1 for Sam Wilson, so that's also why I think people should just like you
know, be a bit more open minded with this, like you cannot expect to have a big Avenger
(19:08):
level type of movie here, this is the first movie where Sam Wilson is Captain America,
so this is like a solo, first solo movie in a trilogy probably I assume, so keep it down,
you know, keep your expectations down when it comes to that, because this is not going
to be another you know, I think it's already pretty interesting that they put in the Hulk
(19:31):
and all that stuff, the ride to Hulk and all that stuff, like in terms of you know, connections
I guess, like important characters in this, that's already an upgrade in that sense, because
the first Captain America movie didn't have any of that in terms of popular characters
apart from Captain America, so yes, keep that also in mind I think when you go into watching
(19:55):
this movie, but what is this about, what is this movie about, this is a movie that sort
of introduces Sam properly as the new Captain America, after you know, the events of Endgame
and if you haven't watched also the Facul and the Winter Soldier, there's sort of like
a sequel to that, but mostly it's just, all you need to know is that you know, basically
(20:22):
old Captain America received Rogers as you know, given the mantle to Sam Wilson, he has
chosen him to be the next Captain America and here this movie is sort of like you know,
Captain America finding his own footing in this new, very confusing world, right, after
(20:42):
the events of Endgame and you know, the dissolution of the Avengers and all that stuff, so here
Captain America has to sort of try and link back and like you know, reestablish a relationship
with the new President of the United States, which is President Ross here, like it's, you
(21:02):
know, Ross is basically, he was a military sergeant I think, who became, well he was
elected as President in order to protect you know, humans from uncontrolled superheroes,
like unchecked superheroes and vigilantes in that sense, so but I mean there is a history
(21:27):
that involves basically Ross, Captain Ross, he's never been you know, especially liked
by any of the Avengers specifically, he was the man behind the Civil War and all that
stuff, like he, the court of Sokovia, he was the one who sort of played a hand in dissolving
the Avengers per se, so you can imagine that Sam Wilson has definitely bad blood with this
(21:51):
man but he also is a man of integrity and he is Captain America, which is made very
clear in the movie that is as important as a President, you know, for the United States,
he represents also the United States and the Americans, so I am very, like I was very intrigued
to see how these two people would you know, relink and try to appease you know, whatever
(22:16):
bad blood they had and all that stuff, so yeah, Captain America here and also the other
part, the other side of this conversation also, Steve Rogers left a big, like some big
shoes to fill in basically, right, like the pressure is on Sam to like, get this mantle
and you know, and prove to the world that he is worthy of being Captain America, not
(22:41):
only a good Captain America but also be good enough as a black superhero and also a non-enhanced
superhero, he's not, he doesn't have the super serum, the super soldier serum, so he's like
a pretty much a normal human being with a lot of expertise in fighting and military
(23:03):
strategies and all that stuff, so he has to prove to the world that he is worthy of being
Captain America and that he's worthy to, like he's good enough, he's not even better than
Steve Rogers to bring back you know, the United States together and also lead potentially
(23:23):
the Avengers if they're gonna come back, if, which they will, but yeah.
So that's sort of the main plotline of the movie and it is a political thriller because
basically in between these two characters, Ross and Sam Wilson, someone is an evil, well
(23:45):
a villain basically, is trying to stir the pot and basically severe this relationship
again and to ruin the reputation of Captain Ross and bring up, you know, and uncover some
of his darkest secrets and some of his evil deeds that he has done in the past and so
that's the entire, I guess, purpose of the movie is to uncover who this person is and
(24:10):
stop him from tearing the US and the world in general apart again.
So yeah, and again, I want to stress that this is a political thriller but under the
Marvel universe, so it is more accessible, I guess, for the families and the children
and all that stuff, but it's still very sophisticated, I think, because it still deals with a lot
(24:33):
of interesting topics which are for example very current also to nowadays political spectrum,
I guess, and political setting in the US and also I think maybe worldwide because it is
after all dealing with, you know, a president that is elected, I guess, in a very interesting
(24:57):
political climate and a fractured America and all that stuff and it's very much what's
happening today as well.
So there's a lot there and there's a lot to discuss, of course, and I do want to also
say that even though these topics are definitely explored, this movie is not, of course, going
(25:18):
to give you an answer in terms of who to vote and all that stuff, you know what I mean?
It is a political thriller but also it's not necessarily choosing any sides from liberal
to republican.
And that's definitely, in my view, a merit of the movie because the position that Marvel
is in, which is like very much a position of, I guess, how do I say, like this movie
(25:44):
has been, and in general Marvel has been, and Disney by the same token, been criticized
severely by the conservative audiences.
So it was in Marvel's best interest and Disney's best interest to just be as, you know, neutral
when it comes to the depiction of the president and the politics of the US as possible.
(26:08):
But it does also deal with international conflict and secure resources and all that stuff.
So it is very, very cool.
And again, there's also a lot to talk about in terms of when a leader has to sort of prove
to other people that he's worthy of being in that position and what constitutes a proper
(26:34):
leader and why was Sam also chosen to represent the country in that sense by Steve Rogers.
And we get answers to that, of course, so that's really, really, really powerful, I
think, as a movie.
And again, he is a black American citizen becoming probably the most famous, I guess,
(26:58):
American superhero.
So it's just incredible to me.
Like these are some very, you know, big shoes to fill in.
And he, I think Sam Wilson, but also the actor in general, does a great job at doing that.
And it's just a very powerful message again.
So I am quite satisfied with the message of the movie.
(27:20):
So yeah.
I, okay, I want to talk about first what I think overall of the movie.
I said like it's what are the good sides and what are the bad sides, I think, of the movie,
what could have been improved and what I didn't particularly like.
So let's get into that specifically.
(27:44):
So let's start with the bad maybe.
Okay, so maybe the bad.
Yeah, let's start with the bad.
So as any country making a movie, you're supposed to have a black widow here and you do have
a black widow here who works interestingly enough for the US government.
(28:07):
Like usually, you know, black widows are spies from Russia in that sense, like from the Red
Room in Russia, but of course they went for this other route, which is quite interesting,
I guess.
But I think the bad side of this is that, I don't know, they haven't chosen a proper
actress, a good actress enough for this role.
I think she is more like, I would say she's still a good actress, but I think she is a
(28:34):
good black widow, if that makes any sense as an actress.
Physicality-wise, she's very small and not very showy as the other black widows.
And also, I think black widows, they're not necessarily like sexually, you know, interesting
in that sense.
I don't know, like they're a bit more seducing, but they definitely are a bit more, like physicality-wise
(28:57):
a bit more like feminine in that sense, right?
And a bit more acrobatic.
Well, this lady who was cast for this role is a bit of an interesting character, and
I don't really think she's ideal in this.
I would have rather seen Yelena Belova in this one, but she is in her own movie, which
(29:20):
is the Thunderbolt Will Tool, come out later on this year as well.
So I just wish we had a better black widow in this movie, that's it.
So I don't think she was very, you know, she didn't really add much to the movie per se.
So yeah.
Also, I do think sometimes the movie feels less cinematic than it's supposed to.
Sometimes it feels a bit cheap, which is insane because this movie is, I think it costs like
(29:45):
300 million dollars or something, so I don't understand where all that money went.
Probably in the reshoots, most definitely in the reshoots, but it's crazy.
Sometimes it feels a bit cheap.
I'm just gonna say that.
It just feels a bit cheap sometimes.
It feels a bit too TV showy in that sense.
Some action sequels and some settings and everything do feel cinematic, don't get me
(30:06):
wrong.
Even the scene where Sam goes to the White House to meet the president, that is also
a very cinematic scene.
But some other scenes are a bit more TV show adjacent, I guess.
Like the mission where they have to retrieve the adamantium and all that stuff.
(30:28):
It's just a bit of everything.
So it doesn't really feel very cinematic there, but I don't know.
Also another complaint I have is that the easter eggs planted in this movie are definitely
there, don't get me wrong.
There's definitely some stuff.
The first Hulk movie, a villain hinted back in the days so long ago is now making an appearance.
(30:52):
He's the main villain here, the leader.
And then there's Captain Ross' daughter coming back in, like a fornicamio, and Bucky as well.
But none of these are, I would say, very strong.
I would have used...
Maybe the strongest one in my opinion of the easter eggs is the adamantium that finally
(31:15):
makes an appearance in the MCU, is finally introduced in the MCU.
And the adamantium here comes from the Celestials and is linked back to the Eternals, right?
So if you haven't watched the Eternals, basically at the end of the Eternals, this giant cosmic
entity basically emerges from the Earth, but it's stopped by the Eternals and it creates
(31:36):
this very interesting setting in the...
I think it's in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, I can't remember.
But it's basically this giant turned into a stone and becomes like a...
It's called a Celestial Island.
So basically people have extracted adamantium out of that giant that emerged from the Earth,
basically, right?
(31:56):
And that's a new introduction to this element.
But as you may know, as you may or may not know, this is a very important element for
the birth of Wolverine.
So this is definitely an easter egg for the X-Men and for everything that is gonna come
after Doomsday and everything else.
(32:18):
So that was really exciting for me.
When I first heard adamantium in the movie, I was like, oh, they're doing it.
They're planting seeds.
This is what I love about the Marvel stuff.
They're doing it.
But I could have used some stronger easter eggs specifically for the Doomsday situation
(32:40):
in Doctor Doom and the Avengers movie that are gonna come out, what, 2026 or next year
and 2097.
So I could have used more of that.
So that's another compliment I had.
And also, adding on to that, I think there is no important and creative scene, which
is getting a bit frustrating.
(33:02):
Give us some cool and creative scenes that make us excited for the next movies.
You know what I mean?
Just give us something.
Please give us something.
But yeah, so.
But that's probably the main, like some of the main things that I didn't really particularly
enjoy about the movie.
(33:23):
But yeah, the things that I did really like were the acting.
The acting was really, really good from all like Giancarlo, Giancarlo Exbozito, whatever
his name is and all that stuff.
So yeah, loved all of them.
(33:43):
So they had an incredible, incredible run in this movie, I think, acting wise.
Like the emotional tension was really, really, really good.
So they kept it high.
I think this is the best part of the movie in general.
Like the very interesting part is that apart from the political thriller type of theme
that's very unique to the movie, it's also a very emotionally charged movie.
(34:05):
There's a lot at stake and there's a lot of emotional crescendo in this movie and a lot
of, you know, really kept me glued to the screen at the end of the day.
I think the intro sequence specifically was not very interesting, but as soon as we started
getting a bit more into the dialogues between President Ross and Sam Wilson, that was like,
(34:29):
oh, things are starting to happen here because they, you know, President Ross was like, I
need to get the Avengers back together and you need to lead them.
And he was like, immediately, also the music was incredible.
Like he started getting suspicious and all that stuff is quite interesting.
So interesting stuff.
(34:51):
So that I really liked.
Then I also, the emotional tone is very, very high and it's a very, like there is a proper
dissolution to this emotional condrom here, which is really good.
The ending is pretty, pretty well set up and the, you know, the, I guess the thing that
ties the leader, which is the main villain of the movie and Captain Ross and Radd Hulk
(35:14):
basically is very important here.
And the whole plot of the movie is also basically, it's an agreement basically between the leader
and Captain America, right?
Captain America thinks that basically President Ross has changed as a person.
He believes in the good of people.
Well, the leader is pessimistic and thinks that people can never change and therefore
(35:35):
they need to be punished for that.
Right?
Well, Sam Wilson thinks that people can and should be afforded the possibility to change
and should be protected specifically because of that.
Right?
To afford them a second, to give them a second chance and, you know, give them some grace
in that sense, which is really what ultimately makes Sam Wilson the perfect Captain America.
(36:01):
He's a very, you know, very, like he sees the good in people and he's there to protect,
you know, give people a sign of not, this is what I said, like don't simply hope.
This was, that's basically Steve Rogers, Captain America's message, but it's more like give
them an ideal of change and, you know, sort of a leader that leads them to like proper
(36:25):
better and embodies basically better ideals for the US.
Right?
And just in general, the world, because it is, as they said, this is a, you know, a very
global movie in that sense.
So very cool stuff.
I also really did like, you know, the, I guess, just like a position, just like a position
(36:48):
between Sam and Steve, Captain America's in that sense.
Like Steve definitely was, well definitely had, I guess, the, the, I guess the morality
of Captain America, but I think he was also very much never going, you know, he was also
always for the, you know, for saving even the people who did wrong in that sense.
(37:13):
Well, Sam is that definitely, but also I think he's more smart about it and he's ready to,
you know, make concessions to evil people and to make, you know, to bargain with, you
know, the, the, the, the enemies basically to get a better outcome overall.
(37:33):
And I think also, but they're also quite similar in the sense of they both are very idealistic
but I think Sam is more grounded in reality and understands both sides in that sense.
Well, Steve was a bit more one-sided and a bit less in the gray area, if I have to be
honest.
I think he was more like, for example, Civil War really, I think opened my eyes on like
(37:56):
what Steve Rogers was as a Captain America.
He was more like, you know, not seeing Iron Man's side and he was definitely choosing,
like he ended up basically choosing the Winter Soldier over, you know, Iron Man because,
I don't know, he had personal matters in his hands.
Well, I think he didn't really afford much grace to, you know, Tony Stark and he could
(38:22):
have, you know, it was still his friend.
He should have, you know, understood his other side and maybe prepared him better for the
truth, which was, you know, the Winter Soldier killed Tony Stark's parents, but whatever,
there's another conversation, but yeah.
So I also really liked some of the settings.
The Celestial Island backdrop was incredible in the Jet Scene.
Jet Scene itself was just beautiful.
(38:43):
Just gorgeous.
Like the backdrop of that giant in the ocean is just so cool.
I just like loved it so much.
I also really liked the Hulk scenes.
All the Hulk scenes were incredible.
The ones where they were like at the top of the White House and the Red Hulk gets the
(39:06):
American flag and like the pole and like throws it at the helicopter and all that stuff.
Incredible.
And then when he jumps from the, like when the Red Hulk jumps from the White House, he
destroys basically from the impact, like left behind the entire White House.
It's just incredible.
The chase scene between them was just so cool.
(39:26):
And also the fight between them was incredible.
And I still think that there's a lot of, like, I like that they bring up this important conversation
which needs to be had.
It's that Sam Wilson is the only one that doesn't have any superpowers at all.
Like he refused to take the serum and here he really grapples with that idea that he
maybe should have and he should, you know, he needs that extra help to, I guess, achieve
(39:50):
that.
And he regrets at times not taking it.
There is a scene where his own, basically, Falcon, the new Falcon gets very badly injured
and he blames himself and the fact that he doesn't have much power as a human in that
sense in terms of physicality, he blames himself for that.
But I think that's what makes this character very compelling is that he, I don't know,
(40:15):
that he refuses to take the serum anyways because he thinks that he can still, you know,
show to people that he's still worthy to become the America despite not having any super power
whatsoever, right?
So that is very powerful.
I still think he needs the serum to be fair because he cannot possibly compete with these
threats.
He barely survived the Red Hulk, basically, and I think if he had the serum he would have
(40:38):
at least fared better against him physically, I guess.
So very interesting stuff, but I think he does need to take the serum, unfortunately.
I mean, I understand there's moral grounds, but man, if you want to survive, like, actually
live this, like, survive this, you need to take it, I think.
But yeah.
(41:00):
Now let's get, I guess, before this episode runs for too long, but let's get into like
all the criticisms that I've seen floating around.
Despite like, you know, me saying that this movie is fairly good, like it's solid, solid,
overall, I think many critics don't believe that.
They don't agree with me, unfortunately.
(41:22):
I've seen some critics actually agree with me in the sense that there is a lot of like
forced hatred on these movies, but the majority of the critics are saying that this is like,
you know, a disconnected movie and it's just, you know, Marvelous Suss's touch and his sauce
and all that stuff.
And I can see why you would believe that and I do not disagree in a sense of that.
(41:46):
I don't disagree that Marvel has lost a bit of its, you know, disconnectedness.
Well, yeah, it lost its like, you know, connectivity, I guess, sorry, between all the movies.
That definitely is a thing.
But also I would like to venture and like to hope basically this movie is actually,
you know, a first block, I guess, in what is the culmination of Avengers, Doomsday and
(42:09):
everything else.
Because to me, at least the way I watched the movie and interpreted the movie, this
is a setup for Sam to bring the Avengers together.
Literally just what part of the conversations that are, you know, faced in this movie are
about that.
And it is a stepping stone, I guess, in that sense for a building block, I guess, for what's
(42:31):
about to come.
So I understand there has been a bit of a, you know, I guess like a problem with connectivity
between all the movies.
You don't feel as connected and as organic and all that stuff.
There are several reasons why I think that hasn't happened.
(42:51):
But I do think that this movie actually is going to be a stepping stone for and it's
going to be, you know, it's going to have huge ramifications going forward, right?
It's going to be a stepping stone for the next movies as well.
And I think you can sort of see also that the Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four coming
up this year are also all stepping stones for Avengers, Doomsday.
(43:13):
And I think people should afford a bit more lenience to these movies because I think there's
going to be a good payoff eventually as well.
Like Sam here is getting prepped to be the leader of the future Avengers that are going
to fight against Doom.
There's also a little, you know, a little droplet here for Doom.
(43:34):
And in the only post-credits scene they're talking about the multiversal wars basically,
right?
So there is something there, but I think people are missing the fact that this is unfortunately,
I mean it's taken us so long, but it is something that is setting up the next movies.
And there's some criticisms that Marvel hasn't felt as connected as before.
(43:59):
But I want to defend this movie and also Marvel in general because there are several reasons
why.
It's not simply sloppy writing because this again is not a sloppily written movie.
It's a fair, like a solid movie, a Marvel standard movie in that sense.
It's a building block.
It's a first movie in a series, you know?
Like view it as that, right?
(44:20):
And to, again, to defend Marvel, I think there are several reasons why as of now movies haven't
felt as connected.
Definitely the writing has not been the best.
I have to agree with the previous movies.
And I think it's not simply a problem with creative direction, but I think there's been
a lot going on at Disney in general.
(44:42):
One part of it I think is the post-pandemic world that we live in.
I think Disney Plus has definitely watered down the connectivity between all the movies.
Like ever since streaming has become a huge phenomenon in the entertainment industry,
I think Marvel was sort of forced to produce TV shows and a lot of stuff that went in the
(45:09):
streaming service that, you know, I guess put a lot of things on the plate, right?
So there was so much output and so little consideration of, you know, how all these
things, all these pieces were going to fall into place.
I think also another problem is a Bob Chapek situation, which is basically the previous
(45:35):
CEO that sort of sent Disney in a bit of a low time and specifically put it at war against
the conservative audiences.
And it's still, Disney and Marvel in general are still recovering from this.
So they're still recovering from the pandemic in my opinion, but also still recovering from
the advent of streaming and this Bob Chapek situation.
(45:56):
And plus on top of that, I would say it's also a post-Jonathan Majors recovery period.
Like Jonathan Majors was supposed to be the main villain, like the, he was going to play
basically Kang.
And some of the movies, including quantumania and you know, other like Loki and all this
(46:19):
stuff, they were all building towards this huge villain.
And then there was a private matter that tainted, I guess, Jonathan Majors' reputation and
Disney had to backtrack and, you know, backpedal and had to change basically this narrative
and the narrative of the Marvel movies basically and find a new villain out of nowhere to put
(46:42):
into this, you know, in this phase five and four and five basically.
So I can really blame, I can partially blame Marvel, I guess, for its sloppy writing, but
also I cannot really blame it so much because they had to reschedule and redo everything.
And part of it also is reflected in this movie because I think you can really feel this movie
(47:04):
was shot so many times or reshot so many times because they had to like change the plot line
severely and changes so many times and rework it around and all that stuff.
The Bob Chapec situation was also very unfortunate.
I think Marvel was and Disney in general was under hyperproductive phase that was, you
(47:24):
know, forced by Bob Chapec and his CEO days.
And then with Bob Iger now, where he's trying to save the company by focusing more on sequels,
which I think is the right choice.
And this is also a step in the right direction, to be fair, because I do think that, again,
we are sort of missing that connectivity because of how much output Bob Chapec has put into
(47:47):
this, had put into the Disney machine.
So I think since now we're getting, we're focusing a bit more on the quality and the,
you know, building off of previously written stories and focusing on sequels and all that
stuff, I think we're slowly getting out of that low point of all these combining factors
and we're slowly, hopefully starting to focus a bit more on what is about to come next,
(48:12):
which is Doomsday and the Avengers movies and all that stuff.
I mean, you can already see some good signs from the change in direction, I guess, of
the CEO because, you know, The Lion King 2, despite all the negativity, it still performed
incredibly well, was one of the most, the highest grossing movies of 2024.
Inside Out 2 was also one of the highest grossing movies of 2024.
(48:35):
And Moana 2 was also very, very successful.
So I think in the different Disney divisions, Bob Iger, the new CEO, has definitely, well,
new but also old because he returned basically as CEO after Bob Chapec.
But he was, he's definitely, you know, redirecting Disney and Marvel in the right direction.
(48:56):
That does not mean that they're going to be able to overcome the negativity anytime soon
because it still feels like the conservative audiences are still very much against Disney
and against Marvel because of the Florida situation and all that stuff and the Santas
and all of that.
But I still think that we should trust this new direction, the new creative direction
(49:20):
of Marvel and Disney in general because I've seen the effects before with other divisions,
you know, Pixar and Disney Animation and all that stuff.
It seems that they're getting on the right track.
But again, only time will tell.
I think also this movie has a full month to, you know, get a revenue in that sense because
(49:44):
there's no other movie in Hollywood.
Hollywood is in a very poor state at the moment and they're all hoping that something's going
to change.
And I think the fact that there's no other movie competing with this one at the moment
is also a sign that Hollywood is, you know, very afraid of making any bad steps.
So I think people are going to check out this movie and they're going to hate on it, the
(50:05):
conservative audiences, but hopefully people can come around and still enjoy the movie
for what it is.
I think it's a very solid movie to be fair.
It's not nothing, you know, crazy bad at all.
It's actually pretty good.
It's a movie.
It's definitely a good movie.
It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's also not what people are saying that
it is like a sloppy disgusting movie.
It's not literally like just go and watch it for yourself and you'll see that it's actually
(50:29):
a pretty solid movie.
So yeah.
So what's next?
I would say my only advice is for Marvel from moving forward.
I mean, this is also a movie that was reshot so many times.
So I understand that it's the script is not perfect anymore because it's like, you know,
it's been changed and revised to fit this new creative direction and this new villain
(50:50):
coming in and this new story to be changed because of external factors.
But I would say for the next movies and probably we'll see that in the next in the Thunderbolt
and the Fantastic Four, I would say leaning more into the Easter eggs, try and make it
feel like as if these movies are actually all connected and there is something to look
forward to in that sense.
(51:11):
So but I'm positive.
I think there will be more good stuff coming up.
I'm very excited for their devil as well.
A lot of good stuff coming up.
But Thunderbolt movie looks incredible.
The trailer for both the Thunderbolt and the movie look very promising to me.
So I am excited.
And yeah, again, check out the movie for yourself.
(51:33):
Don't that the critics and you know, some hate train basically repel you from going
and watch this movie and enjoy it.
So and I also was very surprised that there are actually some people going to watch this
movie.
Like I went to the cinema and it was full.
The theater was full and there are a lot of people shoring up for this and they all agreed
(51:54):
to me at the end of the movie that it was an OK movie.
It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.
So give it a go.
Yeah.
But yeah, that's it.
Stand strong Marvel.
I am still rooting for you.
I'm still there.
If you have 100 fans, I'm one of them.
If you have one fan, that means it's me.
And if you have zero fans, it means that I died.
(52:14):
So yeah, that's it.
Bye.
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