More of what Anthony Mackie says about new Captain America film
Collider interviewed the star of Capt. America: Brave New World about what he thinks the new film should be all about, and he indicates he thinks social justice pandering should be the whole idea. At first, he says:
It's very sad how identity politics have long replaced talented storytelling, and maybe even sadder still that Marvel/DC didn't close down as publishers 2 decades ago, which might've saved them from being victimized by so much bad scriptwriting and artwork, political or otherwise. What Mackie tells here inspires no confidence the filmmakers are doing this right, and while Sabra's early stories in the Marvel universe weren't very good, this movie clearly looks like it'll water down even her costume design and Israeli origins. I noticed the news that anti-Israel protestors were picketing a screening of the film a short time ago, which just proves nothing will appease them, but in any case, the film looks like a dud anyway, and a writer for the Times of Israel who reviewed it certainly thought so:
Anyway, this doesn't sound like a movie that'll go down in history as a classic, and won't be talked about much by movie buffs going forward. It's just the sad result of PC dictating how movies and comics end up being made today.
For fans of the Captain America films, is there anything you want to tell them about this franchise's fresh start?But here's the problem. Based on what's to follow, it's clear Mackie's lecturing us that the costume, not the character, is what matters. He continues:
MACKIE: Captain America is everyone's hero. He is truly the most — he's truly the best part in all of us. And that's what makes him so great. That's what makes him everyone's Captain America.
Captain America — the mantle and the shield — are really both symbols. So what do you want those to symbolize during Sam Wilson's tenure?In addition to the political correctness, he's also making it sound like Steve Rogers is a real person. Again, somebody's not emphasizing reality, or arguing that, if the characterization for Steve in comics and movies wasn't good enough, improvements should be made, ditto the acting talent for the latter.
MACKIE: There were two words that kept coming up on set every day we shot this movie, and it was compassion. And it was empathy. I think when you look at, you know, with great power comes great responsibility. Right? And Sam Wilson has now taken on the mantle of Captain America. So there’s a huge amount of responsibility and understanding that comes along with that. There's a huge amount of empathy that him, as a counselor, brings to the table that Steve Rogers didn’t have. And so when you think of the shield, when you think of that moniker, I want you to, I want people to think of that: understanding, compassion, and empathy.
You've spoken before on what it means for a Black man to take up the mantle of Captain America. Do you think that that challenging of ideals is even more important now with the current state of the country?For heaven's sake, why is it such a big deal everybody, no matter their skin color, see a Black guy wearing the Cap outfit, but not see a Falcon? Or a Black Panther, Luke Cage, Storm, Vixen, Bumblebee, Cyborg? Or even Monica Rambeau, the 2nd character to take the title of Captain Marvel in 1982? Even she was introduced far more plausibly to the role vacated by Mar-Vell of the Kree. And John Stewart from Green Lantern never forcibly replaced Hal Jordan. In any event, the point is that it's long become laughable to shoehorn race-swapping into superhero roles originally taken by white protagonists, and today's examples aren't built on story merit. Seeing how Mackie doesn't put any emphasis on merit-based scriptwriting, it's clear he's only sticking to a PC position.
MACKIE: I think just anyone taking up the mantle of Captain America, there's a huge responsibility that comes along with that. And my responsibility is not just to Black kids. It's very important for Latino kids to look up and see a Black Captain America. It's very important for white kids to look up and see a Black Captain America. When I was a kid, one of my favorite superheroes was Superman. And I'd never been to the planet Superman was from. I never, you know, could be a white dude. But watching him, the integrity of the character made me want to put a sheet around my neck and fly around the house.
It's very sad how identity politics have long replaced talented storytelling, and maybe even sadder still that Marvel/DC didn't close down as publishers 2 decades ago, which might've saved them from being victimized by so much bad scriptwriting and artwork, political or otherwise. What Mackie tells here inspires no confidence the filmmakers are doing this right, and while Sabra's early stories in the Marvel universe weren't very good, this movie clearly looks like it'll water down even her costume design and Israeli origins. I noticed the news that anti-Israel protestors were picketing a screening of the film a short time ago, which just proves nothing will appease them, but in any case, the film looks like a dud anyway, and a writer for the Times of Israel who reviewed it certainly thought so:
Not even a well-trained Israeli security agent slash assassin can save this movie.Let's also ponder how no issues were made, by contrast, regarding the introduction of a politically created Muslim Ms. Marvel in the past decade by the same troglodytes. That's certainly telling too, and then the very new Muslim character was shoehorned into films like the disastrous The Marvels a few years ago. In this movie, again, the big deal seems to be making Harrison Ford's president into the Red Hulk. Which, if memory serves, is also a recent concoction in the Marvel universe, the product of artistic bankruptcy.
“Captain America: Brave New World” is the 35th (!) theatrically released feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it’s probably the worst. The story is clunky, the action is rote, the characters are bland and the special effects look cheap. There are only two attempts at a joke in this whole enterprise, and only one of them lands. Naturally, it was into this turkey that the only Israeli in Marvel’s array of characters, one Ruth Bat-Seraph, got stuffed. What a waste.
Ruth Bat-Seraph (pronounced by some of the other characters as “Bats Are Off”) is played by Shira Haas, star of “Unorthodox.” In the comics, the character, who has only made a few appearances over the years, is a Mossad agent with superpowers and the codename Sabra. One iteration has her with full, bushy hair and a spandex suit mirroring the Israeli flag. (See for yourself.) In the movie, she is a blazer-wearing security aide to the president of the United States. It is mentioned that she was born in Israel but trained in the “red rooms,” a reference to the Soviet-era Black Widow spy program in the Marvel universe. She has no connection to the Israeli government and, at first, the audience is meant to distrust her, but by the end she is revealed to be one of the good guys.
When Haas’s casting for the movie was announced, it caused a bit of a stir online, with many calling for a boycott. (People can accept space aliens and sorcerers, but not a Jewish state.) Watching the film, you can tell the character was probably in it a lot more originally. She just kinda disappears toward the end. If you follow Hollywood trade journals, you can see there were more than the average number of reshoots on the picture.
Funnily enough, when I interviewed former Marvel producer Avi Arad for The Times of Israel in 2012, I asked him if he ever would put Sabra in a movie. He chuckled and said, “We are now in a time when the name ‘Sabra,’ it does not… it is not so good for selling a film in international markets. When you have international, corporate interests… I do not think we could take a film to Dubai with Sabra right now, unfortunately.” Who knew then it wouldn’t be Dubai but rather Columbia University students freaking out?
Anyway, this doesn't sound like a movie that'll go down in history as a classic, and won't be talked about much by movie buffs going forward. It's just the sad result of PC dictating how movies and comics end up being made today.
Labels: Captain America, Europe and Asia, islam and jihad, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, msm propaganda, politics
