Cobra Kai Finale and Captain America: Brave New World

My wife and I watched the last episodes of the Cobra Kai series on Netflix, and it ended really good. The story arcs for John Kreese, Johnny Lawrence, Miguel, Tori, Daniel and others really went full circle. I remember watching this when it was still on YouTube Red, and now, six seasons later, it finally ended. There are rumors that the creators are working on a spin-off, and considering that we have grown with the non-legacy characters, I can see stories being made featuring Miguel, Robbie, Zara of the Iron Dragons, or other characters. The only thing that did not happen was a cameo from Julie Pierce of The Next Karate Kid. After everything is said and done, Cobra Kai was Johnny Lawrence’s story with him battling through personal demons and professional setbacks to finally get a happy ending, essentially being the Karate Kid by the end of it. While the show got campy and convoluted at times, the creators did a great job of being loyal to the source material but making a product that was modern, funny, exciting, and enjoyable.

We also watched the new Captain America: Brave New World movie this week. Admittedly, coming in, I was expecting it to be really bad, as the reviews were not great, and Marvel not having the best track record as of late. I did enjoy it more than I thought that I would, and considering that we have a Regal Movie Pass, it’s no big deal if it was really bad. The good was that I liked some of the characters like Sam Wilson and the new Falcon, and it at least acknowledged this huge plot hole from the Eternals. There were a lot of negatives to it though. There were apparently a bunch of re-shoots, and that showed itself. There was a lot of use of green screen, which was noticeable. Some side characters were just kind of there but did not play a huge role by the end. Sam Wilson’s suit was too buffed with various technology and abilities, so his powers did not feel earned but given to him. For him to be able to survive against Red Hulk is a bit of a stretch. Some reviewers call this movie a Frankenstein’s monster, in that it was trying to be so many things at once along with Sam Wilson having Captain America’s shield, Ant Man’s helmet, the Falcon’s wings, Wakandan technology and more, and that is a valid criticism.

We watched the end of a series in Cobra Kai, that may very well continue if spin-offs, and a movie that was the beginning of a new Captain America. Some endings finish very well, while some beginnings can be very rough.