Our present is stranger than most movies. How’s that changing the way I watch them?
The new Captain America, Brave New World, stars Anthony Mackie as Steve Rogers’ successor. It’s been released after a few delays and re-shoots. The result is a mid-film that should’ve been released directly in Disney+ instead of IMAX theaters. It’s a mess of non-sensical plot and bad CGI. I call Giancarlo Esposito the cilantro of movies and series. Cause he makes everything better. Well, not even he could save the new MCU film.
Everything said is not new or is an individual opinion. This has been one of the worst-reviewed Marvel movies ever. Interestingly enough, I saw Harrison Ford as President Ross turning into Red Hulk and asked myself, “We got a pathetic, hypersensitive POTUS in real life. He’s our Orange Hulk, and we see the news for free.” This begs the question: Is our current political and social situation affecting how we watch movies?
Faceless Characters
© 2024, Paramount Pictures
Not so long ago, I watched and logged the September 5. My review complained about the lack of character development of faceless terrorists taking Israelis hostages during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Even though that would’ve been tasteless and xenophobic any time under any circumstances. It’s more visible now that Palestine is suffering from genocide and the involvement of our government in ethnic cleansing.
In times like this, we need better films. This is not a time for half-assed shallow characters like President Ross or nameless enemies reminiscent of 80s Reagan Era action flicks. It is the time to write films that take us to another world for a few hours. Films that shed light on the nuances of communities under attack. And that will inspire us to rise up and fight for our rights. Or have no political content at all. Let’s have some good old fun for a few hours without thinking about politics for a chance. When we spend money on movie tickets and expensive popcorn, for the most part, we want to break free from reality.
Back to the Hulk in the Room
Back to Captain America: Brave New World and their universe’s POTUS turning into Red Hulk. It is not stranger than fiction. We have an evil billionaire con man who inspired many similar movie characters sitting in the Oval Office with the wealthiest man in the world, who is equally vile, standing next to him and dismantling the government. We are past the Idiocracy phase. Now, we are in the dystopian oligarchy of Metropolis, Brazil, and Robocop.
To answer my own question. Yes, our present is changing the way we watch movies. It is our opportunity to make the best out of it. To express our thoughts within the context of our terrible present. Writing about the parallelism between pop culture and our real-life timeline is one way to make our voices be heard.
