The Marvel Cinematic Universe has no momentum. Part of this is due to a self-imposed break from theatrical releases over the past year, which was prompted after the catastrophic failures of “The Marvels” on the silver screen and “Secret Invasion” on the small screen.
However, a teaser trailer recently dropped for “Captain America: Brave New World,” and I admit I’m impressed. Sure, some CGI shots don’t look as good as they can be and the film does have an uphill battle to earn back its budget, which is rumored to be over $350 million. But this trailer gets the tone exactly right for a “Captain America” reboot film — echoing “Winter Soldier’s” spy espionage — its action looks superb so far and it couldn’t ask for a better cast.
Still, with this film allegedly having gone through production hell, we could get anything come February when it’s set to release.
Here’s what the movie needs to do to not only break even, but relaunch the flailing MCU:
Reintroduce necessary information from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
Probably the biggest mistake Marvel made with Sam Wilson’s Captain America (Anthony Mackey) is relegating his first adventures as Cap to a six-episode TV show.
To put it bluntly, general audiences are not going to watch this, so “Brave New World” will need to retread over any and all relevant characters, while reintroducing Wilson’s version of Cap. It’s best to pretend like that show never happened.
I did enjoy many aspects of this show. But the MCU cannot require moviegoers to have to watch an entire TV show in order to understand their wide-release movie. It’s gotten away with people needing to watch a handful of films in order to understand each “Avengers” installment, but those were successful blockbusters (except for “The Incredible Hulk”). The MCU now needs to start from square one.
Focus on telling a good tale and not promoting 50 other projects
Marvel needs to get back to basics and make a good movie. This is not the time to promote a dozen of other projects — including “Thunderbolts,” whom antagonist Thaddeus Ross/Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) will play a central role in.
Marvel has lost the public’s trust — every film it’s producing needs the same level of care and oversight its Phase 1 films got.
Marvel can do this because it’s done it before. It just needs some self restraint.
Don’t squander this great cast
Ford, Mackie, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley (a previous Captain America) and Giancarlo Esposito as the primary antagonist are all proven entities perfect for their roles. The film just needs to not squander them.
Like I wrote in the previous point, good filmmaking and storytelling comes first and foremost. This film cannot be derailed like the final episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” which ended in an embarrassing climax. Give this cast something to work with and they will deliver.
Keep the fight choreography tight and let us see it
Director Julius Onah has big shoes to fill, with the previous two “Captain America” films being directed by some of the greatest working action directors (the Russo brothers). Onah’s portfolio is nowhere near as extensive as theirs, and so far the look of the film is being rightfully criticized as it appears Onah has squandered his large budget.
Great directors are able to deliver gorgeous films with relatively limited resources. Novice directors thrust into their first blockbuster often don’t know how to manage a budget this large, leading to costly reshoots, bad integration of CGI, amateur action and an overall bland and terrible-looking film.
I like this trend of giving relatively unknown directors their big break. But it’s also important to note that there is significant risk in doing so, as we have many examples of these projects going over budget and failing to meet expectations.
Specifically for Onah, he’s going to have to follow up some of the best action films in the MCU, and so the expectation is that Cap 4 will have great action that we can see — no shaky cam or bad angles or lighting to obscure it.
That’s a tall order, one I’m skeptical that Onah can fulfill, though the trailer so far looks promising in this regard. Wilson, being able to fly, has so much more possibilities than his predecessor. Hopefully Onah taps into that.
Give us a reason to come back to theaters
The MCU can no longer rest on its laurels. Its movie formula is stale and audiences want something new and exciting.
Superhero films still have a lot to offer in terms of human drama and inventive action, but filmgoers will not turn out for something that’s cookie-cutter.
The MCU needs to excite people again, it needs to build confidence in its brand and it needs to produce films worth going to the movie theater to see.
InReview 
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