Cindy Prascik's Reviews of John Wick Chapter 4 & Captain America Brave New World

 My dear readers: This past week I caught up with a pair of action flicks from franchises in which I was once invested.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First on my agenda, John Wick: Chapter 4.

Hoping to finally earn his freedom, our hero John Wick is on the run again.

The John Wick franchise seems to blow up its universe pretty much every movie, only to find a way of repeating the same formula with the next outing. JW4 is no real exception, and if the schtick is wearing a bit thin, there's still a lot to like here. Keanu Reeves was born for this role, and there will always be some joy in seeing him play it. Ian McShane elevates any project lucky enough to have him. The cinematography, set design, and fight choreography remain head-and-shoulders above average for the genre, but...maybe there's something to be said for franchises that quit while they're ahead. Chapter 4 is overlong, and the fight scenes, well-done as they are, drag on and on. The movie doesn't manage to hold any real suspense, so ultimately its aesthetic virtues can't save it from being uninspiring.

John Wick: Chapter 4 runs 169 minutes (I'm not kidding) and is rated R for, "pervasive strong violence and some language."

John Wick: Chapter 4 retains some of the assets that make the franchise great, but it might be time to put this one to bed. Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick: Chapter 4 gets six.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now streaming on Peacock.

Next on the docket was Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World.

Sam Wilson officially takes the shield and must foil a nefarious international plot.

In my house, we stan Anthony Mackie, so I was very much looking forward to him taking the top(ish) spot in the Marvel hierarchy. Brave New World gives him a serviceable film with a strong supporting cast and a decent storyline. The movie is almost entirely without the forced humor and convoluted timeline/universe jumping that plague most Marvel output. If the movie is a bit longer than it needs to be, it's not nearly as bloated as most Marvel pictures, and it's well paced enough to (mostly) get away with it.

Captain America: Brave New World clocks in at a pretty reasonable 118 minutes and is rated PG13 for, "intense sequences of violence and action and some strong language."

Captain America: Brave New World is a solid beginning for an iconic hero's new chapter. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Captain America: Brave New World gets seven and a half.

Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

 

Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

Director: Julius Onah

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some strong language.

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Captain America: Brave New World tries its best to be bring a level of intrigue to its comic story but there's something decidedly bland about the whole thing that never connects the way it should.  Julius Onah does a serviceable job in delivering a glossy but exposition heavy, political thriller.  There are plenty of characters and moving parts at play from the start to keep the action rolling.  It should make for an engrossing mystery, but it never engages the audience the way it should with the reveals coming off as more perfunctory than revelatory.  The main issue is that the central mystery isn't all that interesting or shocking, especially since the previews gave away the biggest reveal in the film.  The action sequences are decent but slightly uninspired with none of them giving the film the sort of pop that would liven up most of these films.  Anthony Mackie takes up the Captain America mantle with an earnest air that fits the role, but he struggles to find the real meat of his character.  He does his best with the script he's given as he's clearly searching for an emotional center to this new iteration of the character throughout.  A few quick moments in the final act do touch upon the weight of his new mantle, something the story would have been wise to use to greater effect.  Instead, he almost feels lost in his own film that should have served as his big spotlight.  Harrison Ford joins the fray here, taking over for the late William Hurt, as Thaddeus Ross who has just been elected president.  Ford brings some of the old school Air Force One energy to the role, but he suffers a similar fate to Mackie with an underwhelming script that paints his character in the most generic terms possible.  There's supposed to be an air of antagonism between the two that never comes through the screen the way it should, which kills a lot of conflict that's written on the page.  It doesn't help that the main reveal was given away months ago thanks to the film's advertising which kills most of his character's story arch.   The supporting players are all serviceable even if they don't leave much of an impression with Danny Ramirez and Shira Haas making the most of their limited screentime.  Carl Lumbly brings some gravitas to the screen, but the film never takes full advantage of his presence or his character, especially in relation to Mackie's Sam Wilson.  Giancarlo Esposito shows up for a cup of coffee as a hired mercenary that there mostly to connect the plot to Tim Blake Nelson's Leader from 2008's The Incredible Hulk.  It's a strange choice to connect so much of this film that, mostly forgotten Marvel entry and 2021's Eternals but ultimately Captain America: Brave New World main purpose seems to bring a certain element to the universe and everything that entails.  

C