If fans didn't like Captain America: Brave New World, one of the film's writers wants them to back up their opinion and personally explain to him what they didn't like.
The Chris Evans-led Captain America trilogy was one of the best-received sets of movies in the MCU, so Brave New World, the first movie in which Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson led as Cap, had its work cut out for it. Unfortunately, after its release, it received fairly poor reviews from critics and lukewarm thoughts from fans.
Captain America: Brave New World Writer Has This Request for Critical Fans
In a recent interview with WHO LET US OUT (shared via YouTube), Captain America: Brave New World writer Rob Edwards (who was one of six total writers credited for Brave New World) was asked about how the film was criticized by so many and how he dealt with those comments.
Edwards made a brushing-off-the-shoulder motion as he explained that he has dealt with this same treatment in past projects that he has worked on.
The writer also mentioned that it "kind of cracked [him] up" that "so many comments were not about the movie" itself, but instead about other elements:
"I think it's like (brushes off shoulder). Because it was the same with 'Princess and the Frog.' It was the same with 'In Living Color.' A lot of people are like, 'Well, why do you need a black "Saturday Night Live?" We have one.' And that was the thing that kind of cracked me up, is that so many comments were not about the movie. Like, 'Okay, wait a minute. Did you like the movie or not?'"
He also stated that "as a writer, you can only control making an enjoyable film," and that other elements are out of the writer's control:
"Sometimes it's just about, 'Do you want to go in the movie, get some popcorn, sit in the dark, have a good time, leave, tell your friends?' End of story. Let everything else be about what it is. And, as a writer, you can only control making an enjoyable film. Then you're done."
Edwards also theorized that many people bring baggage into the movie theater with them and, if they are having a bad day, may let that factor into the way they feel about the movie:
"Sometimes you're like, 'Oh, it was raining and I had a terrible ham sandwich.' Then you see the movie and you write about the rain and the ham sandwich and its like, 'No, nobody cares.' Just enjoy the film or don't enjoy the film."
However, Edwards had one request for viewers who genuinely did not like Brave New World. If someone did not like it, he wants them to approach him and genuinely explain what it was about the movie they did not like:
"If you don't enjoy the film, tell me why. I want to know that as much as anything else."
So, it seems as though Edwards is just as willing to hear genuine opinions from people who didn't like Brave New World as opinions from those who did like it. It also seems as though he would be willing to listen and take into consideration what someone had to say about it.
Some writers, filmmakers, and actors wouldn't give the same opportunity to fans, and would continue to argue that their choices were the correct ones, but Edwards' comments paint the picture that he wants to hear true criticism about the final product.
Edwards was then asked about the delays Brave New World suffered, and offered a bit of insight into what happened during the film's development and production.
According to the writer, some reports claiming that it went through multiple overhauls were a bit exaggerated:
"There's a lot of, kind of, mythology about how the movie got made. The fact that there was people saying, 'Oh, wholesale changes,' and stuff like that, that's not necessarily true."
Edwards explained that "movies take time to make," and then cited the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the actors' and writers' strikes that took place in Hollywood as reasons for Brave New World going through some of its changes.
However, he also stated that, no matter what the movie is, "you're always going to reshoot stuff:"
"Movies take time to make. During the production of this movie there was quarantine. I started my work in 2020 and that was during quarantine. We came out of that for a stretch and then there was the strike, and then the strike on top of the strike. Those lasted longer than people remember. It was almost a year. And then there was production. And no matter what movie you're making, you're always going to reshoot stuff, so there's a natural progression of filmmaking and its easy to misinterpret that."
The writer also theorized that Brave New World "suffered from" people "[getting] on the internet" and making things up about it:
"And it's easy if somebody gets on the internet and starts blowing it up, and then, what is it? 'A lie makes its way halfway around the world before the truth puts its boots on.' And so, I think it suffered from a little bit of that."
Was Captain America 4 That Much of a Flop?
As of writing, Captain America: Brave New World has a 48% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 79% audience score. That means only 48% of critics gave the film a positive review while 79% of general Rotten Tomatoes users rated it 3.5 stars or higher.
Those two numbers are fairly far apart from one another, and it is clear that general moviegoers enjoyed the movie.
However, Brave New World was not a smash hit at the box office. Reports stated that the movie had a $180 million budget. It ended up grossing $413 million at the end of its theatrical run, but after cinemas take cuts and other expenses are taken into consideration, it is safe to assume that Brave New World came out somewhere around even.
So, based on its theatrical performance, Brave New World was not a great movie, but it also wasn't bad.
Another factor that will indicate just how well it has been received will come when the film releases on Disney+, as analytics will be able to show just how in-demand it is when compared to other projects on the streaming service.
Captain America: Brave New World is expected to begin streaming sometime in May.
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