Captain America: The Winter Soldier is counted among the best movies made in the MCU. This film also marked the beginning of the Russo brothers era in the MCU, eventually propelling them to the top of the charts with films like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. While Captain America: The Winter Soldier paved the way that MCU followed for Phase Three and beyond, it came with its fair share of problems.
While speaking to Collider, Joe Russo admitted that he admired ScreenJunkies’ Honest Trailers on YouTube. He said that while making the film, the team wanted that it shouldn’t be a subject for an Honest Trailer. They focused on making sure that the film had solid logic, leaving no room for picking any plotholes. And their efforts did not go in vain as the film was intact from nitpicking.
Honest Trailers Found It Hard To Pick Any Loopholes
While ScreenJunkies did make an Honest Trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they jokingly complained about the film’s strong script that made their jobs difficult. This success for Joe Russo and his brother eventually led them to run the show for MCU’s third phase.
However, using this “Honest Trailer-proof” strategy in film production did not always work. Initially a small concern, it later became a big challenge for the MCU. While the approach might have worked for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it did not prove optimal for the MCU films that followed.
One major hurdle that MCU faced was that it became too predictable. Marvel saw filmmaking as akin to solving a school problem rather than making art, which ultimately led their films to look and feel similar. They played safe and avoided trying new things so that their movies wouldn’t get teased in parody trailers.
As a result, MCU’s current movies are struggling to stand their own ground. Instead, fans mostly think about how the film will fit into MCU’s bigger picture. This has put the studio in a tough spot.
Honest Trailer-proof Strategy Not Good For Standalone Films
Movies that try to push artistic limits, such as Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, polarize viewers on really liking or really disliking them. While it’s good to see MCU take creative risks, it doesn’t always translate into success. For instance, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which emphasized characters’ emotions, was liked more by the fans than the action-packed Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, even though both films came out around the same time.
The “Honest Trailer-proof” films usually make more money and are mostly received well by the fans. Yet, it’s unfortunate because films that give up on logic to provide fans with memorable moments are the ones that leave a lasting impact. That said, the MCU should make films that aren’t just “Honest Trailer-proof” but also resonate with the emotions of the fans.
