Celine Song’s latest project Materialists stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans as three unlucky singletons who find themselves caught in an unlikely love triangle. Much like Song’s previous movie, Past Lives, the film explores the importance of authentic human connection and asks bold questions about what brings people’s spirits together. Materialists will be available to watch in theaters, and it’s already opened to strong reviews from critics.
While Johnson and Pascal have done their fair share of romantic comedies in recent years, the concept of Evans returning to the adult rom-com after so many years in the MCU is extremely exciting. Materialists is reminiscent of many classic romance films, with strong emotions and vulnerable characters who are drawn together despite the complexities of life. It’s a very different kind of role for Chris Evans, but the film’s earliest reactions seem to indicate that it could be the beginning of a new direction for the actor’s career.
Chris Evans’ Post-MCU Career Has Been Underwhelming
The Actor Hasn’t Starred In A Great Movie Since Knives Out
Although Evans has been involved in some great movies throughout his career, there’s no denying that his post-MCU filmography has been pretty disappointing in comparison to his earlier works. His first major appearance after Avengers: Endgame was in Rian Johnson’s acclaimed murder mystery Knives Out, which was admittedly a great start, but things quickly went downhill from there for the actor. Lightyear was a commercial disappointment and didn’t resonate too strongly with audiences, and both The Gray Man and Ghosted made good numbers on streaming but were critically panned.
There were a handful of great performances from Evans throughout these years, but it often felt like he wasn’t choosing projects that fully resonated with his public image. The Captain America movies were successful because of their grounded character work, not just because of their visual effects and blockbuster filmmaking. Projects like Red One, conversely, were strongly criticized for the opposite due to the underwhelming writing and flimsy character work.
The first hint of brilliance in Evans’ post-Endgame filmography didn’t come until his cameo appearance in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and Wolverine, where he reprised his role as Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four movies. The reason this felt like such a monumental role for Evans is because of the personality and humor that he channeled into the character, and that’s exactly what’s being praised about his work in Materialists. They’re both much more complex and less stoic than Evans’ superhero roles, but that’s exactly what makes them so engaging.
Early Reactions To Materialists Are Praising Chris Evans’ Performance
The Actor Seems To Be The Star Of The Movie
Thankfully, this trend seems to be continuing into Materialists. The film will be released by A24 on June 13, but the few critics who’ve already seen the movie have unanimously rallied around Evans’ performance as one of the film’s highlights. There’s been strong praise for his co-stars Johnson and Pascal, but many reviews for Materialists have singled Evans out due to his ability to play against type and completely disappear into a new, unseen archetype for the actor.
Most audiences will know Evans as the brave, heroic superhero from the Captain America movies, or the charismatic comedian from films such as Ghosted and Losers. But Song’s sophomore feature brings out a completely new side to the actor; in Materialists, Evans plays the ex-boyfriend of Johnson’s protagonist, Lucy, and his personality is much more three-dimensional. He’s a very complex, morally ambiguous figure who has both strengths and weaknesses, and Materialists really leans into this concept of human nature having countless sides.
There’s a familiar touch of comedy to his Materialists role, but it’s simultaneously a lot more vulnerable than Evans’ performances have been recently.
It’s been a while since Evans has been allowed to really flex his acting muscles, but Materialists works with a thematically dense script that touches on themes of human connection and loneliness in equal measure, and the result is exactly what he needed. It’s much more reminiscent of his work in Snowpiercer or Defending Jacob than his MCU performances, and that’s proven to be the bold step forward that the actor needed. There’s a familiar touch of comedy to his Materialists role, but it’s simultaneously a lot more vulnerable than Evans’ performances have been recently.
Chris Evans Doesn’t Need To Return In Avengers: Doomsday To Overcome His MCU Slump
The Reunion Project Doesn’t Seem Like The Right Direction For His Career
One of the biggest talking points in recent months has been the possibility of Evans returning in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The movie has already acquired a staggering cast of actors, with notable figures from Fox’s X-Men universe finally coming back, and Robert Downey Jr also making his long-awaited MCU return. Evans has been hounded with questions over the past few months about whether he’ll be involved with the project, and while he’s outright denied the possibility on several occasions, audiences are still convinced that he’ll be coming back to the MCU.
But following the praise that he’s received for Materialists, the real excitement lies in the possibility of Evans taking on more dramatic, vulnerable roles instead of merely returning to what he’s already done so well.
Previously, this seemed like a brilliant idea. Evans hadn’t found the same success outside of Marvel, so it made sense that he’d want to get involved with the MCU again and hopefully slip back into the shoes that he’s worn so well since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. But following the praise that he’s received for Materialists, the real excitement lies in the possibility of Evans taking on more dramatic, vulnerable roles instead of merely returning to what he’s already done so well.
There’s no denying that Evans’ return in Avengers: Doomsday would be a huge moment for existing MCU fans, but it no longer seems necessary to keep the actor’s career moving in the right direction. The reviews for Song’s latest movie prove that he’s capable of turning in rich, fine-tuned performances when the material is right, and it would be a shame to watch the MCU distract audiences from that potential. Evans’ role in Materialists is exactly what he needs to cultivate a new phase of his career, focusing on the dramatic roles that critics have responded so positively to in the past.
