My guess is her pillaging of tech is what will lead into the Armor Wars Disney+ series that they announced.


There's also some speculation that since the movie showed Sharon was dusted during the blip and her set up as the Power Broker was so elaborate just 6 months later that this isn't the real Sharon, but possibly a Skrull who took her identity during the blip and this might be a lead in to the Secret Invasion series. I am more doubtful of that then the tech to Armor Wars angle, but it is one idea out there that puts the move into a larger context.

-M

Hey, if we can keep getting B+ superhero shows as default TV content, this aging nerd will remain happy.

Agreed that a tight movie could probably have been a little better format for this story, but I enjoyed it.

The only thing I really wanted more of was Bucky’s conversation at the end. The amount of it they showed made it kinda awkward. They should have shown more or left it all to the imagination I think.

I mean, from a pure action stand point this probably has the best fight scenes around and it gives you some really cinematic big action set pieces that I've never seen rivaled. 

I finally watched episodes 5 and 6. I thought they were definitely better than 3 and 4, but still not great. I liked how episode 5 brought the Sam and Bucky dynamic that's a strength of the series back to the forefront. Episode 6 had some really nice action sequences.

But a lot of the flaws remained. The GRC meeting was really stupid.

I agree that the Flagsmashers's beliefs were muddled. It didn't help that most of them came across as model/actors with know-it-all lectures. I grew sick of everyone calling Karli Morganthau by her first name, like she was their pal. And they bent over backward to understand her. She was so tremendously annoying. Karli and Pacino's character from Insomnia are probably the two fictional characters I most wanted to see killed off in hideous fashion just because they annoyed me.

Regarding Sharon Carter

Interesting. I always saw it as being Wanda's show. She certainly had more scenes and more lines.

I finished watching the whole thing, last night. I'm fairly ambivalent about the whole MCU, as I find the bulk of it entertaining enough while I watch it, but not especially deep. The Captain America stuff has been probably the strongest, in my estimation and that translated well here. I liked how they used John Walker, more or less taking it straight from the Gruenwald comics, minus Steve Rogers as The Captain, both with a costume that has no logical rationale and a name that just sound silly. I liked the stuff with Sam and his family and his attempts to keep his ideals against everyone telling him he is wrong. I liked Bucky's attempts at redemption. I liked the complexity of Zemo. The action was exciting and not too ridiculous or CGI fantasy. The way they have Sam integrate his wings and jets in combat is very good, from a tactical standpoint.

I did not feel that the world situation was established clearly enough to really give the Flag Smashers gravitas. It didn't seem that different from the anarchists of the original comic storyline. I think they had too many super-soldier versions, but only developed Karli to any degree, which devalued the rest.

Sharon's character arc doesn't work for me. That is something that needed a hell of a lot more set-up. That just came across as plot twists for the sake of having them, rather than something rising organically, within the story.

The biggest problem I have is conceptual, but it is a factor in a lot of Hollywood productions, especially now. One, actors don't realistically portray soldiers, unless they go through Dale Dye's training camps. The 60s generation had mostly served in the Army, for at least a couple of years and could play soldiers. Modern actors never get near the military and play a writer's conception of what it is like. They substitute jargon for research and slap a uniform on an actor and that is supposed to work. That also translates into how soldiers fight in combat; and, specifically, super-soldiers. Steve went through elaborate training before and after his transformation. The serum improved his body; it didn't give him tactical skills and hand-to-hand combat training. Bucky was also a trained and experienced combat vet. Sam is a trained veteran. Karli and the other Flag Smashers? Nope. Sure, they are stronger and can move quicker; but, boxing and MMA have long shown that skill trumps size, until both skill levels are equal. Then, it's down to who can make the other fight their game. Karli and the others should be getting finessed by Walker and Bucky and even Sam, as he has enough gear to compensate for his strength level. The Dora Milage demonstrate that skill outclasses serum, in the fight at Zemo's, when Walker gets his butt handed to him (foreshadowing the ending).

The other problem is in the same realm, as I am so tired of Hollywood thinking that someone armed with a pistol can hold off multiple enemies with automatic weapons. It's an exercise in numbers. A pistol is a close-range weapon, with a more limited amount of ammunition. In a firefight, you lay down a heavy rate of fire to keep your enemies from being able to fire back, until they are neutralized (killed, wounded or captured). You can't just pop up and fire off 2 rounds from a 9mm if you have 30-50 rounds coming at you from more than one angle. And yet, our heroes do just that in Madripoor and elsewhere. It's the same Hollywood attention to detail that has Colt Peacemakers firing 8 rounds out of 6 cylinders, automatic weapons firing 85 rounds without changing magazines and .22 cal weapons knocking people against walls. It's a personal pet peeve, probably not shared by the majority of the audience, but it tends to take me out of things. You can really tell the difference when you get a director who pays attention, like Michael Mann (check out the bank heist fight in Heat) and anyone who works with Dale Dye's group for authenticity.

For the most part, the good outweighed the bad and the bad was mostly nit-picking and pacing. Honest Trailers (as usual) sums up my feelings pretty well....



Goldie's Spawn is pretty good.

I could have done without Valentina Allegra De Fontaine as the moment they gave her a comedic line it undercut anything mysterious. I hate what Marvel has done to that character, who was a hell of a lot coller under Steranko and even through the 70s. Ever since Nick Fury vs SHIELD she has been destroyed.