Post Endgame Breaks

A look at life after success in the MCU, some of the former “caped“ stars have now dipped their toes into the waters of other genres and further grown their stars, lets talk about them!

Writing this on the 28th of May 2020, around 13 months since the release of the groundbreaking Avengers: Endgame (d. The Russo Brothers, 2019) the careers of the MCU’s biggest stars have been severely altered following the results of the universes 22nd film and now, over a year passing in between the world has seen some of the first steps outside of Marvel for the first time in years, with The careers of Chadwick Boseman and Chris Hemsworth going from strength to strength, and the following will examine their latest works. (*May also include discussion on a few other major Marvel stars)

With the zeitgeist of recent times being comic book adaptations and superhero films, this genre of film has become its own, ever changing entity with the possibility for a million different interpretations of characters, stories etc. and judging by their financial success and clear popularity, they’re here to stay for some time. With a cell of creatives breaking away from the Disney owned Marvel in recent times, the Russo brother lead group has since created 21 Bridges (d. Bryan Kirk, 2019) and Extraction (d. Sam Hargrave, 2020).

Upfront firstly, it’s not like these actors have lost these ties to the MCU altogether, Hemsworth’s Thor is the first solo character that has their own fourth solo film with Love and Thunder scheduled for 2022 release, where Boseman’s Black Panther is in a similar boat, he could quite easily become the face of the MCU after the leave of Captain America and with at least a second film in line for the latter actor, the men’s ties to Disney and Marvel aren’t disappearing anytime soon.

In light of that, let’s start with Hemsworth. Starting as Thor, his films until the intervention of Taika Waititi were less than average to say the least but on top of that, he hasn’t really been tied by his Marvel contract. Typecast? Perhaps, but free to work on a large number of other side projects. With the world now more open to Comic Book Movies (CBM’s) and being part of one practically offered infinite job security, the roles Hemsworth took outside the MCU are an array of cameos to stars notably: Blackhat (d. Michael Mann, 2015), 12 Strong (d. Nicolai Fuglsig, 2018) and In the Heart of the Sea (d. Ron Howard, 2015) being the only notable leads for the star till the last 18 month period. Collaborating with Drew Goddard to play the villain of Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and then a large part in Men in Black: International (d. F. Gary Gray, 2019) Hemsworth never quite broke free of the franchise world with International being the newest instalment to the Men in Black franchise and now Extraction looking as if it’ll get a sequel (at least) his brand is clearly trusted and sellable even if these films fail to match Endgame in stature and quality.

Now onto the film: Extraction. Sam Hargrave’s first major directing credit and it’s both ambitious but well executed. As Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) is kidnapped by competitors of his drug lord father, Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) is enlisted to return the child safely from the clutches of danger and reunite him with Saju (Randeep Hooda) it becomes very clear, very fast this won’t be as straightforward as first seemed. As betrayals occur, fights take place and no one can be trusted, it’s on Rake to survive the night with Ovi and complete his task which may just well be his final.

Hemsworth‘s performance is easily the best aspect of the film without a shadow of a doubt. As shown in spurts during his Thor career, he’s a very capable lead actor and hardened action star, as shown often during this film, as well as channeling a more emotional performance. Yes it’s beyond generic having a lead who feels constant guilt following the death of his family, but as the John Wick films will testify, you can play on that trope and still give it a bit of a fresh look and feel to a modern audience. His guilt about being absent for the passing of his son feels genuine and the character is one that comes over as ‘alive’, a credit I believe should fall on the shoulders of Screenwriter Joe Russo who adapted from Ande Parks’ Ciudad graphic novel. The film puts forward a few stereotypes, I’ll admit, playing an Australian, Hemsworth’s introduction sees him downing alcohol and relaxing with a few foul-mouthed mates. That said, the film is very considerate of ethnicities and depictions, using indigenous stars and native languages, demonstrating a level of tact.

Action, Action, Action. This is perhaps the hottest and most divisive subject when concerning this film and I personally can’t quite understand much of the criticism. It opts to go with long, unbroken takes that can be traced back to the original Oldboy and possibly further back. Now I can see how the ‘gimmick’ criticism could labelled at something like this but I’d vouch that the film is capable and holds its own. Where a lesser film would fall short with poor choreography I can’t say that problem plagues this film though I’m fully aware it is a matter of personal taste.

Coming full circle to a final action set-piece on a bridge, the finale is the ultimate pay off. Having teased it for the films entire length, the climax puts on full display all we’ve seen beforehand, a fantastically well shot and chaotic action sequence that fulfils the wish of Rake as he is Killed in Action. A poignant ending, or so it would’ve been.

With a sequel already planned, that ambiguous, possible return of Hemsworth struck me as a little cheap, especially as the film didn’t really feature any conventions of the comic book film beforehand, cheapening all that came beforehand. An enjoyable film that is sadly a little lessened by its wish for a sequel, Extraction is a brisk action romp I’d recommend.

Now to 21 Bridges. This time produced by the Russo’s opposes to them being in a more creative role. Directed by Brian Kirk, one of the lost prolific and successful TV directors with episodes in: Penny Dreadful, Game of Thrones and Luther, Kirk‘s talents translate well to the big screen in what’s his first major feature since 2006. Telling the tale of Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman), an NYLD officer who’s built a reputation of ‘stopping’ cop killers with his own special type of justice. Over the process of a night, a botched cocaine heist leads to the murder of a number of hostages, Davis and his new partner Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller) spend the night in a locked down Manhattan island to stop the two fugitives in what ends up being a tale of mass corruption and deceit though not quite on the level of Martin Scorsese for instance.

Having already name dropped Scorsese, you never quite get the level of character seen in say The Departed and such the film feels a little flat as Davis is really the only sympathetic character, the big names in the supporting cast: J.K. Simmons to Miller don’t really provide much in terms of character. With that one in mind, it also can be said about the villains too. The films ‘bad guys’ do have a good dynamic and play off of each other rather well but are rather forgettable. Narrative - by the second act once Davis is more aware of some of the suspect actions his peers have taken, the twist reveal regarding the identity of the corrupt officers are clear as day and it feels as though the film doesn’t account for that being a possibility which was a major oversight.

With those points in mind though, the visuals of the piece were incredible. Tense and often prolonged, well-choreographed sequences throughout and Boseman, like Hemsworth really gets his shot at being an action star. With strong directing and good action sequences, Prime Video original 21 Bridges is an entertaining enough watch and one I’d recommend but don't expect anything on the ilk of a classic.

With a cell of Marvel creatives breaking free and exploring other works and avenues, the future for these heroes is one that’s interweaves with mainstream franchises and allows for more risks and genre diversity in their projects that aren’t contractually obliges by major powerhouse studios. With the actors getting a chance to flex their capabilities in a different role on top of that, it’ll be interesting to see where these stars and others go from here, be that a full on revival of action schlock or something else, the future of film of all kinds whether or not you’re a fan of the superhero/comic genre is interesting to say the least.