I have, but at the same time I was able to overlook them because of his on screen presence. Now, could I see him going full Les Grossman, playing the villain? Who knows.
@@GeneralBulldog54 you know its bad when tom cruise has more range than you and takes greater risks. To be fair tho, he did do born on the 4th of July, a film where he really stepped outside of himself, not to mentiom tropic thunder lol
@ensayofr Jamie is a really good actor and also a charismatic figure, its dumb that he's getting all this flack just because of Electro (who was 50/50 in the role)
There's a clip floating around of two little girls approaching Will Smith at an Aladdin red carpet event. They ask him where is his magic, and Smith responds wholesomely with how he has to hide his magic from everyone, but it's just their little secret that he's the genie. This made me realize the impact Will Smith has had on pop culture. I saw Will Smith as the Fresh Prince. Another generation may have saw him as a Men in Black agent or Muhammad Ali. But there's a whole new generation, right now, that see's him as the Genie of the lamp. I love the guy.
Did you see Will Smith speak on Jimmy Kimmel saying exactly what you asked for? Its about him being older now so no longer wanting to be limited by his 'Will Smith persona' so hopefully your prayers will be answered.
Not many are willing to take a look at any of the Jimmies from late night talk shows because they are slowly creeping and taking priority here on RUclips over the old cast or new comers. Because they all seem fake, unfunny, and ruining YT in one or more ways depending on who you ask.
@@stanhenderson9928 And the old man you'd be afraid to mess with. He remains badass. But seriously, he didn't become famous until he was in his forties. I've seen old movies when he was in his 30s.
Will Smith is on the record as saying that as early as the mid90s that he wanted to be "the biggest movie star in the world." He arguably pulled it off from the mid 90s through to the late 2000s. But once you reach the top it is hard to stay there, especially once you no longer have a goal.
@@africanlogic757 Brad Pitt and DiCaprio were bigger stars dude. Especially after 1997 with Titanic and Will Smith made a lifetime career out of that incredible run he had of Fresh Prince, then Bad Boys, Independence Day, and MiB back to back to back. But it was pretty rocky after that. Lets not forget Wild Wild West and other major flops like Legend of Bagger Vance. This coincided with the release of bigtime movies like Matrix, Spider-Man, and Gladiator. Will Smith started to become an afterthought real quick.
As a kid I remembered Will Smith mostly not because of Fresh Prince, but with the movies Bad Boys and Independence Day. To me those movies put him on the map. He had a few fumbles (Wild Wild West) but this guy did pretty well
He's also literally on record in an interview talking about how he calculated his box office success. But ever since 2013, he's said he's going to take more artistic risks, which is why most of his recent movies haven't been hitting as hard prior to 2013.
And now they're destroying the franchise with Thor and Valkyrie... seriously, I like them as THOSE characters, but this new iteration looks so boring. Hollywood continues to milk franchises.
@@nahor88 i actually like when they get an interesting universe and expand it, instead of walking in circles with the same characters, mib is more than one pair of agents
There is an alternative ending where the vampires rescue the captured vampires and then leave. It's on RUclips if you want to watch it and j prefer it to the ending they went with.
I Am Legend originally had an ending very similar to the book, Will Smith even shot it but ultimately the studio wanted a more Hollywood ending. Will Smith took the role expecting the movie to end with that twist.
Never forget that the movie plot didn't suit the books ending, there was no evolving society of the creatures, they can't let him die when there's no hope for humanity, so they should've stuck with the book in general.
I think his acting choice to never play truly evil or creepy characters stem from the fact that for a long time Will Smith was the only black leading man that execs were willing to give top billing. There used to be a saying in Hollywood that said that black leads don't make money except Will Smith.
+ denzel .....even though hancock made a lot of money audiences testing showed they didnt like how will smith was portrayed ...audiences like will a certain way i think although he was amazing in pursuit of happiness
I wouldn’t say he was the only one, Eddie Murphy in the 80s and Denzel around that same time in the 90s and 00s were big stars. But I would say Will was like the only black actor who was a sure bet in a massive blockbuster both domestically and overseas. He would also get roles that were written with white stars in mind with love interests of multiple different races, which wasn’t a luxury given to Eddie and Denzel
I really feel like you glossed over the work he did in movies like Pursuit if Happiness, Ali, and Seven Pounds. I get that a lot of movies fit with his persona but we saw a lot of range from him in those roles
Jscottmoody Not even slightly. Try fail cycles are integral to main characters, but the best main characters (watch the video we are commenting on) are do-Wellers 100% of the time.
Kyler Cook ya I really feel that is most characters in film. And I think the fact that they are the main characters make us like them even if they are vile. I would be interested in more examples of actors engaging in the roles you think he is referring to though. I know he brought up Tom Cruise doing something of that sort but that is all I remember. My takeaway was more that Will is always the charismatic action star/ funny man and those movies I listed were breaks from that. Even in Hancock I feel like the character was vile but he had a redemptive arc which feels like somewhat of a break but I am open to hearing other perspectives
To be fair, for 'I am Legend' I am curious about how much of the change was actually done by Will Smith. I mean, there was a deleted scene with him actually apologizing and accepting the new world. So it seems that change wasn't cause of Will Smith. I think the thing is, Will Smith won't play a bad guy. But he doesn't mind playing a man who did something wrong. Also, here is the thing... Will Smith is someone that even kids could watch. He's a family friendly actor. He's a role model. He plays someone who people can look up to. Be an example for.
Quick point. You mentioned that Will Smith "used" to be one of Hollywood's biggest actors. At an income of 42.5 million dollars, Will Smith was the sixth highest paid actor of 2018.
@@JasperJanssen to be the sixth biggest actor in Hollywood I would say that he deserves to be recognized as one of the top. To me saying he used to be one of the top actors in the world in inferring that he kind of fell off all together probably not even in the top 40 or 50. I mention him being in the top six because he is still even to this day extremely relevant. For perspective. I would say that the six richest person in the world is still one of the richest people in the world.
Incredible rundown of Will Smith's career and the choices he's made to further it. Acting to Will Smith certainly seems like it's more of a hobby for him and giving people what they want and that makes him happy. You've made it pretty clear he doesn't have the artistic passion for filmmaking of say, Leonardo DiCaprio, but he does his thing and he does it well, and tons of people love it. He's on top with the greatest when it comes to character acting.
I think this is one of your best analysis videos. Watching this, Ali was my only counter-argument and you even brought that up and your points still stand. I don't think you're harsh on him, just properly critical. I'm sure he has exceptional range in acting. Hopefully he takes more risks in the future.
I just watched King Richard and it was very interesting comparing this with his performance there. For the first time in a long time, Smith stretched himself as an actor and was willing to do things I didn’t think Smith would have normally been comfortable doing (break down emotionally, get beat up, be called out for bad sometimes even abusive behavior, etc). It’s still a sports biopic, not too dissimilar to Ali, but it was a welcome, refreshing change of pace for him and I hope it continues!
Will Smith is a very highly calculated movie star. It's the reason he's a movie star, if you watch his interviews he explains that. He has the talent to take bigger risks, but ultimately being cool has gotten the job done.
Nah, it likely would've been very good, but vastly different from the movie we got. And it wouldn't be a Tarantino film, anymore. And we wouldn't have known the difference...
If you watch more interviews the REAL reason he wouldn’t do the film is because he demanded that he had to be the one to kill the villain. He had to be the one and ultimate hero of the film. His words not mine.
His point was that the role was safe, from a success standpoint Will is doing amazing but as an actor he has not had a movie that did good in over 5 years
Napoleon Highbrou and by that you mean he plays himself in any movie he’s ever been in with absolutely no variation except that one time he was the rock but also the tooth fairy
I love when creators go outside of their usual subject matter. I think it’s interesting that while he was talking about Will Smith not really going outside of his brand, this video IS a outside of Captain Midnight’s normal coverage points.
Aye Cap. Can you do one on Dwayne Johnson and how his fame and legacy have developed overtime from professional wrestling to a movie star to a motivational speaker?
Could start even before that with his family life living around wrestlers, to his college football career, failed pro career to nearly being homeless to finally pursuing wrestler. He's had quite a fascinating life.
Anthony Anderson he really has. It’s even surprising that he used to live in my hometown of Memphis. At a time when he was one step closer to getting that call from the WWF to make his television debut at Survivor Series. Whenever I talk about Dwayne wrestling in Memphis people always have a story to tell about him. He really is an inspiration just like my favorite actor Will Smith with his vibe, charisma, and personality.
He makes about a video per week. If he did any more than that then the videos would suffer in quality. I think it's pretty impressive he manages a video per week, honestly.
You did rather elide over one major, major thing-- that Will Smith is black. (Yeah, who knew?) And he has to be-- or, perhaps more accurately-- feels he needs to be always basically decent in some way, for many reasons, and not least of which is that he sees himself as a role model (and, of course, he indeed is one for many people). His image-- his persona-- his brand, if you really want to go that far-- runs into big problems if he seriously tests the limits of what both black and white audiences will tolerate, or what he imagines they will tolerate. How much of that is his perception of things and how much of that is a realistic assessment of audience limits and expectations is a very trick question. I don't think he wants to test that-- and I'm not sure it's fair to insist he have to. I suspect that, in many ways, he sees himself not that differently than Sidney Poitier saw himself (and had to, given the time period). And I think that's a pretty reasonable standard of a self, in terms of a public image/persona/brand, to set for oneself. But he can't quite play around with his image as much as, say, Tom Cruise could. Nobody really looked to Tom Cruise as a model for a community figure. Smith's had to play if safer, to some extent understandable. Because he's a bona-fide STAR, he also hasn't had quite the license as a Sam Jackson or a Laurence Fishburne or even a Jamie Foxx have to play around with their images. It's when you think about these things that you realize how much Smith hews closer to a Sidney Poitier sort of model of, well, being a role-model for a black movie star.
That is a *fantastic* point and also reflected in his music -- he's famously the rapper who doesn't curse. He was very conscious of setting a good example and avoiding negative racial stereotypes.
Sidney Poitier kinda pushed back against that in his later career, though, lamenting the fact that he always had to play THE Perfect Black Man™ roles, which in a way was still kinda racist that he was being treated as "one of the good ones" compared to the rest of his people. We've made a lot of strides on that front, allowing us to play just as many complex roles as our white counterparts. Maybe not on the female side of things, but that's another story... But at this point of his career and life, I just think that he's simply content now. Or at least has ambitions *outside* of acting. He's done it all as a leading man, he's an older guy with kids that he wants to give the spotlight to succeed, so he's venturing out into new venues like the vlogging he's doing, and he'll probably be more active in a producer role like he is for Corba Kai.
To say that Smith wanting to avoid violent roles in order to serve his brand is disengenious. If anything, I respect him more for his choices. He doesn't let his job effect his morals. That's commendable.
It's more that he has an issue with Smith's brand scrubbing away the thematic depth or intended ending to movies like I am Legend, making those movies less interesting.
Great video and no this wasn't harsh at all. I think it's a legit overview of Will's career, the better role choices vs the safe not so great ones. This oddly made me appreciate Will a little more than what I have in recent years.
such a thorough, well-documented analysis on the subject! watching this was super captivating and you definitely brought up some points I would have never thought of. thanks so much for making quality content :)
This reminds me of Kevin Hart. Kevin has one character he plays in all movies and it’s the exact same every time, he’s never really a character, he’s just the standard Kevin Hart
I never thought about it that way. Explains why most of his roles feel too safe. I hope he finds a project that challenges his charismatic persona. It would be interesting for you to do a video like this for Ryan Gosling. As I think he's really versatile in the projects he chooses.
i don't think will smith has that kind of range, he cannot help but be the good guy, and the guy who makes the happy ending happen- which is why we love him as audiences. both actors have incredible charisma, but denzel is the only actor i know that can make a simmer feel like a full on boil just by his body language and facial expression (and maybe daniel day-lewis is the one other actor in that category imo). intense doesn't even begin to describe denzel, and i just don't see will doing anything close to that. funnily enough, denzel actually has sort of a brand and range problem, but inverse to will's brand problem.
i disagree, Smith was clearly willing to forgo his persona in After Earth, instead of being charismatic, likeable, and quick witted, he's a piece of wood with no personality in that movie.
Grumar S yeah but I wouldn't say that was a "subversion" of his persona. The type of role he's talking about would have to be the opposite of the character archetype we know him as
7:20 I heard that Will Smith's initial rejection of the role of Django was due to the fact that he felt Christoph Waltz's character was the real star of the film, and that he would overshadow Django as a character. So to me, it sounded like it was more of an ego thing for Smith at first, and then he later came out talking about the relationship aspect of the role so it reflected better on his persona. I grew up with Will Smith, and I really like him as an actor, even when he doesn't do a good job because he just wants to play himself, but I think sometimes he gets too big for his britches. That being said, I definitely agree that Will Smith being in an ultra-violent film like Django would have been different and nothing like he'd done before, but he should've viewed that as an opportunity to break out rather continue on the path of Will Smith roles (imo). He's not the biggest fish in Hollywood anymore, and I think he really NEEDS to change things up if he wants to continue his career.
How could you not talk about his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness?! I thought he was amazing in that movie, and he didn’t seem very Will Smith in that role.
I think he's talking about will Smith playing it safe in movies. The movie is based on a true story and if any dark moments happened, it probably wasn't included In The movie because of will. Say for example if the man did drugs....can u imagine Will snorting drugs in a movie?? Nah
I am so glad you mentionned the book. I love "I am Legend" but I was one of the few kids among my peers to have read it when the movie was released and I was disappointed by the modified ending.
How crazy is it that just this morning I was reminiscing about the awesome test scene from the first Men in Black movie. You made some very interesting points in this video, I will say
As a matter of fun fact, he said in an interview on Graham Norton (if I remember) that it was his grandmother that convince him not to curse with his music, saying that it would have made him look like a fool, and that he was a lot smarter than that
In 2013, he's said he wanted to take more artistic risks and you can kinda see that in the last 5 years of his career, because his recent movies are big budget action films that come out in the summer or the even the winter. And those recent roles aren't really Will Smith type of roles on paper. It's obvious that he has a that positive and motivational brand and I know he's really trying to take more different roles in different genres, but his problem is that he genuinely has a hard time being a villain in a film (although he is a douchebag in Hancock). His "mission statement" is literally to spread light and positivity, and honestly, I don't see him taking on any hardcore villainous role anytime soon. And he doesn't even really need to play a villain like a serial killer or psychopath, as much as I would like to see that, but he should take on roles where he's an alcoholic, corrupt lawyer, or hell, go the Denzel route and actually be a corrupt cop or something. And I do agree with the part about letting a director take full control and subvert his persona. I think the director of 'Happyness' and 'Seven Pounds' handled Will Smith the best, because of how well Will acted in those movie. Besides him wanting to maintain his brand, I think it's also a little bit of ego that's getting in his way, too. I'll still watch anything he's in though lol
The struggle between doing something that use to work and not boxing yourself into a corner as we currently see with will, Denzel said something interesting about actors, he said your value is determined by the role and your performance not by how much we see you in the public
Funny thing about I Am Legend - the original ending was a bit more in line with the book. While Smith's character does still manage to synthesize a cure, he realizes that the reason the infected are after him is because he has the lead infected's wife. There's a tense standoff where he revives her snd gives her back. Neville (Smith's character) looks thoroughly defeated and honestly disgusted with himself the whole scene. The lead infected and his wife share a moment before they all leave without harming anyone. The rest of the ending is pretty standard Hollywood - Smith, the woman and her daughter leave New York and it ends with a voice over from Neville talking about the future (and I think he even gets to leave with a cure), but the twist that the infected have been evolving and that Neville has actually been the antagonist is still there. There are shades of this in the final film - the infected start setting up traps for him and they mainly ramp up their aggression after Neville captures one of their own - but unfortunately the payoff isn't there. All this to say, in that instance, I don't know if it was Smith making a decision to not play a certain kind of character so much as it was executive medeling.
Still think 'Born on the 4th of July' is Cruise's best performance, and I LOVE his magnolia performance to no end. But 4th of july is absolutely incredible!
What's your favorite Will Smith movie?
Try Dashlane here: www.dashlane.com/midnight
Plus here's the promo code: "Midnight".
Aladdin obvs
Snakes on a Plane
RUclips rewind
The pursuit of happyness.
Men in Black
I had seriously never noticed how "safe" most of his acting choices tend to be.
same
Really? He always plays the cool, badass guy who knows what he's doing.
I have, but at the same time I was able to overlook them because of his on screen presence. Now, could I see him going full Les Grossman, playing the villain? Who knows.
@@GeneralBulldog54 you know its bad when tom cruise has more range than you and takes greater risks. To be fair tho, he did do born on the 4th of July, a film where he really stepped outside of himself, not to mentiom tropic thunder lol
he is a rapper down the same street with his pocket protector ways
Glad smith didn't do Django. I can't see him bring the character in the way Jamie Foxx did.
Christian Slack He was also almost Neo, that would have been bad lol
Yea Jamie killed it
@ensayofr Jamie is a really good actor and also a charismatic figure, its dumb that he's getting all this flack just because of Electro (who was 50/50 in the role)
@ensayofr Jamie is not a better actor than will
I agree. I think Jamie played the character in a way will would not be able to and still keep his brand. His performance was outstanding, I thought
There's a clip floating around of two little girls approaching Will Smith at an Aladdin red carpet event. They ask him where is his magic, and Smith responds wholesomely with how he has to hide his magic from everyone, but it's just their little secret that he's the genie.
This made me realize the impact Will Smith has had on pop culture. I saw Will Smith as the Fresh Prince. Another generation may have saw him as a Men in Black agent or Muhammad Ali. But there's a whole new generation, right now, that see's him as the Genie of the lamp. I love the guy.
nice one.
This whole comment is wholesome.akes me feel warm inside. ^_^
Reedime I forgot he even was in Muhammad Ali, but I do remember seeing it in theaters with my dad and brother and sister
Wholesome
Yeah I remember him as the guy from men in black and from fresh prince of bel air but I never really watched that
Did you see Will Smith speak on Jimmy Kimmel saying exactly what you asked for? Its about him being older now so no longer wanting to be limited by his 'Will Smith persona' so hopefully your prayers will be answered.
Not many are willing to take a look at any of the Jimmies from late night talk shows because they are slowly creeping and taking priority here on RUclips over the old cast or new comers. Because they all seem fake, unfunny, and ruining YT in one or more ways depending on who you ask.
But if there is clipping from another RUclipsr... Then I would what that one. X,D
@@ScottE-2 Love Conan though.
Well he is the answer to all your mid-day prayers
Im not sure when he got to this realization, but from what I heard and saw of him on Aladdin it looks like hes doing his regular will smittiness.
He has the ability to not age.
Black don't crack man lol, it's not that unique
@@Susanoo7108 Samuel L Jackson is 70 years old so I guess lol
If you want to see something trippy. Watch SMJ in Captain Marvel "de-aged" then watch "Do The Right Thing" which was filmed and set at the same time.
@Tim TheAutist Jackson always looked old, he just the same looking old man.
@@stanhenderson9928 And the old man you'd be afraid to mess with. He remains badass. But seriously, he didn't become famous until he was in his forties. I've seen old movies when he was in his 30s.
Will Smith video but no Hancock?
You're slipping, Cap.
9.9/10
i love that movie
I appreciate this comment
Ikr
Hancock is underrated.
the most dissapointing ending of a movie, 4/5 of the movie is good then again, it turns into a love story
Will Smith is on the record as saying that as early as the mid90s that he wanted to be "the biggest movie star in the world." He arguably pulled it off from the mid 90s through to the late 2000s. But once you reach the top it is hard to stay there, especially once you no longer have a goal.
he didnt arguably pulled it off. he did
@@africanlogic757 Brad Pitt and DiCaprio were bigger stars dude. Especially after 1997 with Titanic and
Will Smith made a lifetime career out of that incredible run he had of Fresh Prince, then Bad Boys, Independence Day, and MiB back to back to back. But it was pretty rocky after that. Lets not forget Wild Wild West and other major flops like Legend of Bagger Vance.
This coincided with the release of bigtime movies like Matrix, Spider-Man, and Gladiator. Will Smith started to become an afterthought real quick.
As a kid I remembered Will Smith mostly not because of Fresh Prince, but with the movies Bad Boys and Independence Day. To me those movies put him on the map. He had a few fumbles (Wild Wild West) but this guy did pretty well
He's also literally on record in an interview talking about how he calculated his box office success. But ever since 2013, he's said he's going to take more artistic risks, which is why most of his recent movies haven't been hitting as hard prior to 2013.
Tom Cruise never really left the top, ever since the late 80s
Imagine if he was Doctor Strange.
"Dormammu, it's rewind time."
lol
Dormmamu: "What is this?"
Will Smith: "Ahhh, it's rewind time"
*sees notification*
“Ah that’s hot.”
Almost 666 likes
I'm not doing that gtfo outta here
OH LOOK 666 LIKES UR CURSED LIKE TO UNDO
I'm jokinf
MIB as agent J will always be my favorite Will Smith role next to Fresh Prince
And now they're destroying the franchise with Thor and Valkyrie... seriously, I like them as THOSE characters, but this new iteration looks so boring. Hollywood continues to milk franchises.
@@nahor88 i actually like when they get an interesting universe and expand it, instead of walking in circles with the same characters, mib is more than one pair of agents
@@tiagodarkpeasant We have 3 MIB movies already, and the 3rd was a good finale. This new one reeks of the same stink of the new Star Wars movies.
"Man, that was on jeopardy last week!" Still use that line on my kids to this day...
MTWENTY NYPD means I will knock your punk ass down.
Never knew about the original ending of I Am Legend. Actually sounds a lot better than the movie's strange third act.
If I remember right, I heard they actually shot the original ending but then changed it to appeal to a wider audience.
They definitely need to make another movie/miniseries more faithful to the books.
There is an alternative ending where the vampires rescue the captured vampires and then leave. It's on RUclips if you want to watch it and j prefer it to the ending they went with.
The book's ending was perfect, they should really make another adaptation more faithful to it. A TV show would have been great.
@@markwedzielewski8186 you can watch both in the Blu-Ray
Thanks for this. It's like you organized a bunch of thoughts that have been bouncing around my head for the last ten years or so.
I Am Legend originally had an ending very similar to the book, Will Smith even shot it but ultimately the studio wanted a more Hollywood ending. Will Smith took the role expecting the movie to end with that twist.
The test audiences like the "Hero ending" more
You can find both cuts of the movie online. It's pretty interesting to compare the two
Never forget that the movie plot didn't suit the books ending, there was no evolving society of the creatures, they can't let him die when there's no hope for humanity, so they should've stuck with the book in general.
I think his acting choice to never play truly evil or creepy characters stem from the fact that for a long time Will Smith was the only black leading man that execs were willing to give top billing.
There used to be a saying in Hollywood that said that black leads don't make money except Will Smith.
+ denzel .....even though hancock made a lot of money audiences testing showed they didnt like how will smith was portrayed ...audiences like will a certain way i think although he was amazing in pursuit of happiness
Denzel.
I wouldn’t say he was the only one, Eddie Murphy in the 80s and Denzel around that same time in the 90s and 00s were big stars. But I would say Will was like the only black actor who was a sure bet in a massive blockbuster both domestically and overseas. He would also get roles that were written with white stars in mind with love interests of multiple different races, which wasn’t a luxury given to Eddie and Denzel
you should do more of these non comic book related topics. they're pretty engaging.
Agreed!
Agreed! Loving these
Shark Tale is a masterpiece of all cinema, its is a great spiritual successor to The Godfather
The Fat Piranha Plant it’s the Citizen Kane of our time.
samanjj it’s better than Citizen Kane in every way
The Fat Piranha Plant I don’t know what I was thinking! All of Pixar and Studio Ghibli look like a child’s first drawing compared to this
samanjj the character designs are beautiful as well
Well said. It's just brand. Pity because the man can actually act. Cruise pushed a little. I think the blockbuster angle is still holding strong
Pity
Pity pity pity pity
I really feel like you glossed over the work he did in movies like Pursuit if Happiness, Ali, and Seven Pounds. I get that a lot of movies fit with his persona but we saw a lot of range from him in those roles
Range that all encompasses a generally loveable guy doing his best. These support the claims hes making.
Jscottmoody Not even slightly. Try fail cycles are integral to main characters, but the best main characters (watch the video we are commenting on) are do-Wellers 100% of the time.
@Jscottmoody You're actually right for the most part. Only villains really only have different goals.
Kyler Cook ya I really feel that is most characters in film. And I think the fact that they are the main characters make us like them even if they are vile. I would be interested in more examples of actors engaging in the roles you think he is referring to though. I know he brought up Tom Cruise doing something of that sort but that is all I remember.
My takeaway was more that Will is always the charismatic action star/ funny man and those movies I listed were breaks from that. Even in Hancock I feel like the character was vile but he had a redemptive arc which feels like somewhat of a break but I am open to hearing other perspectives
Finally a comment mentioning seven pounds! Man it sucks that not a lot of ppl enjoy that movie but I personally enjoyed it a lot
To be fair, for 'I am Legend' I am curious about how much of the change was actually done by Will Smith. I mean, there was a deleted scene with him actually apologizing and accepting the new world. So it seems that change wasn't cause of Will Smith.
I think the thing is, Will Smith won't play a bad guy. But he doesn't mind playing a man who did something wrong.
Also, here is the thing... Will Smith is someone that even kids could watch. He's a family friendly actor. He's a role model. He plays someone who people can look up to. Be an example for.
Quick point. You mentioned that Will Smith "used" to be one of Hollywood's biggest actors. At an income of 42.5 million dollars, Will Smith was the sixth highest paid actor of 2018.
Is outside the top 5 really “one of the biggest”, though? I mean, it’s not like he’s a penniless beggar, but it’s not like he’s top 3.
@@JasperJanssen to be the sixth biggest actor in Hollywood I would say that he deserves to be recognized as one of the top. To me saying he used to be one of the top actors in the world in inferring that he kind of fell off all together probably not even in the top 40 or 50. I mention him being in the top six because he is still even to this day extremely relevant. For perspective. I would say that the six richest person in the world is still one of the richest people in the world.
RUclips rewind is my favorite Will Smith movie.
“Ahhh ha haha” is the only thing I remember him saying in that movie
@@GavinWandersee you forgot about the very first line
Yoooo
Just imagine a movie with RDJ, Will Smith, and The Rock, that's charisma overload
FOH
I would enjoy that movie
@@mateogonzalez5678 So would I.. Mainly for RDJ and Will.. But maybe the Rock can bring somethin too..
The universe would explode and have an aneurysm for the coolness.
They wouldn’t even need to promote such a film. those names would sell the tickets alone
Incredible rundown of Will Smith's career and the choices he's made to further it. Acting to Will Smith certainly seems like it's more of a hobby for him and giving people what they want and that makes him happy. You've made it pretty clear he doesn't have the artistic passion for filmmaking of say, Leonardo DiCaprio, but he does his thing and he does it well, and tons of people love it. He's on top with the greatest when it comes to character acting.
Irobot is so slept on. My favorite will Smith movie for sure!
I think this is one of your best analysis videos. Watching this, Ali was my only counter-argument and you even brought that up and your points still stand. I don't think you're harsh on him, just properly critical. I'm sure he has exceptional range in acting. Hopefully he takes more risks in the future.
@Black Ninja I'm very optimistic about Gemini Man and even the recently announced Richard Williams biopic
I just watched King Richard and it was very interesting comparing this with his performance there. For the first time in a long time, Smith stretched himself as an actor and was willing to do things I didn’t think Smith would have normally been comfortable doing (break down emotionally, get beat up, be called out for bad sometimes even abusive behavior, etc). It’s still a sports biopic, not too dissimilar to Ali, but it was a welcome, refreshing change of pace for him and I hope it continues!
I'll never forget watching "I am legend", at the time "I was around 12" it was my favorite movie and the dog scene will always stay with me 😭😭😭😭
Never thought about it really, very interesting video
Will Smith is a very highly calculated movie star. It's the reason he's a movie star, if you watch his interviews he explains that. He has the talent to take bigger risks, but ultimately being cool has gotten the job done.
Yup, once you get there there's no point in trying to be the biggest by taking risks. Just play it intelligently and secure your next 10+ generations.
I never noticed how safe the roles Will chooses, that was a very brilliant assessment. great job captainmidnight
I absolutely LOVED Pursuit of Happyness, Irobot and Hitch. I can watch them million times.
Hitch is my favorite, that was his charisma at his best, and I, Robot was the shit at the time I was growing up, I really need to see it again
Damn, that version of django would have sucked.
Nah, it likely would've been very good, but vastly different from the movie we got. And it wouldn't be a Tarantino film, anymore. And we wouldn't have known the difference...
If you watch more interviews the REAL reason he wouldn’t do the film is because he demanded that he had to be the one to kill the villain. He had to be the one and ultimate hero of the film. His words not mine.
Dont discredit his Muhammed Ali performance! That movie was both good and he acted superbly well in a dramatic biopic.
His point was that the role was safe, from a success standpoint Will is doing amazing but as an actor he has not had a movie that did good in over 5 years
It's a pretty respectable film. I really enjoyed it, definitely one of his career best in terms of acting, although Men in Black is iconic.
Everything you've said here applies to the rock
Nut Neutrality
What does he have to do with anything tho 😂
Yeah the rock can only play the rock
he doesn't have that much acting range
Napoleon Highbrou and by that you mean he plays himself in any movie he’s ever been in with absolutely no variation except that one time he was the rock but also the tooth fairy
@@redherring74 Exactly!!! 😂😂 you are correct
Enemy of the State.. Never comes up. Seriously his best movie.
YEEESSSSS
I love when creators go outside of their usual subject matter. I think it’s interesting that while he was talking about Will Smith not really going outside of his brand, this video IS a outside of Captain Midnight’s normal coverage points.
This is probably one of the most insightful videos you guys have done. Fantastic job
Aye Cap. Can you do one on Dwayne Johnson and how his fame and legacy have developed overtime from professional wrestling to a movie star to a motivational speaker?
Could start even before that with his family life living around wrestlers, to his college football career, failed pro career to nearly being homeless to finally pursuing wrestler. He's had quite a fascinating life.
Anthony Anderson he really has. It’s even surprising that he used to live in my hometown of Memphis. At a time when he was one step closer to getting that call from the WWF to make his television debut at Survivor Series. Whenever I talk about Dwayne wrestling in Memphis people always have a story to tell about him. He really is an inspiration just like my favorite actor Will Smith with his vibe, charisma, and personality.
@@RalphJr-xp3hp yea thats right back when he was flex kavana with the pineapple hair lol
Anthony Anderson yeah lol.
It's nothing frustrating about his career. The guys been a mega star since the early 90s
Great video. I was intrigued by what you meant by 'frustrating' in the title, but having seen it, it does bother me.
I think that this is probably the closest CaptainMidnight has ever gotten to that “clickbait but still inarguably accurate”-type of video title.
I just binged a shit ton of your videos and dude your videos are insanely well written and I really enjoy the toy commercial element.
People say Johnny Depp always plays the same character in every movie.
Will Smith literally plays Will Smith in every movie.
It's not a bad thing, us simple folk like to know what we are signing up for when we buy a ticket.
@@TheJreesing it gets boring
Lol luckily for him will smith is a cool, likable guy but you're right
there is actually an alternate ending of I am Legend that is more similar to the Book
I love I am legend but whenever I watch it I need to watch the alternate ending.
Same here! I was hoping Captain Midnight would discuss the alternate ending but I guess he hasn't seen it
They also made some animated short films that are closer to the book in tone.
@@biazacha FOR REAL, WHERE
@@biazacha those freak me out on the dvd
I mean this in the most complementary way possible.. I wish you posted more often....I literally wait for your videos 👍🏿
He makes about a video per week. If he did any more than that then the videos would suffer in quality. I think it's pretty impressive he manages a video per week, honestly.
The Pursuit of Happiness is his best work and a really great movie.
That movie made me cry as a kid
Shit that movie made me cry as an adult, honestly underrated
Then you know that 90% of the movie isn't true and the real guy was a terrible husband and father.
@@polb.9201 that has nothing to do with the way the film was written
It makes for a good learning class at schools, I remember when my teacher showed it to us in our Entrepreneurship class, and I learned a lot from it
the alternative ending of "i am legend" is closer to the book (actualy is the same in theme)
Yeah i noticed this as well. The alternate ending was actually the one i saw first
Smith has played it safe to appease. He wants to reach the wider audience so he keep this persona in order to seem non threatening. Cosby did it too.
Smith played it safe because it was guaranteed money. Appeasing was likely his last thought.
You did rather elide over one major, major thing-- that Will Smith is black. (Yeah, who knew?) And he has to be-- or, perhaps more accurately-- feels he needs to be always basically decent in some way, for many reasons, and not least of which is that he sees himself as a role model (and, of course, he indeed is one for many people). His image-- his persona-- his brand, if you really want to go that far-- runs into big problems if he seriously tests the limits of what both black and white audiences will tolerate, or what he imagines they will tolerate.
How much of that is his perception of things and how much of that is a realistic assessment of audience limits and expectations is a very trick question. I don't think he wants to test that-- and I'm not sure it's fair to insist he have to. I suspect that, in many ways, he sees himself not that differently than Sidney Poitier saw himself (and had to, given the time period). And I think that's a pretty reasonable standard of a self, in terms of a public image/persona/brand, to set for oneself.
But he can't quite play around with his image as much as, say, Tom Cruise could. Nobody really looked to Tom Cruise as a model for a community figure. Smith's had to play if safer, to some extent understandable. Because he's a bona-fide STAR, he also hasn't had quite the license as a Sam Jackson or a Laurence Fishburne or even a Jamie Foxx have to play around with their images. It's when you think about these things that you realize how much Smith hews closer to a Sidney Poitier sort of model of, well, being a role-model for a black movie star.
That is a *fantastic* point and also reflected in his music -- he's famously the rapper who doesn't curse. He was very conscious of setting a good example and avoiding negative racial stereotypes.
@@gokinsmen I find the reason of his music declining a bit stupid because you don't need to curse to make good music
That didn’t stop Denzel, or Richard Pryor
Sidney Poitier kinda pushed back against that in his later career, though, lamenting the fact that he always had to play THE Perfect Black Man™ roles, which in a way was still kinda racist that he was being treated as "one of the good ones" compared to the rest of his people. We've made a lot of strides on that front, allowing us to play just as many complex roles as our white counterparts. Maybe not on the female side of things, but that's another story...
But at this point of his career and life, I just think that he's simply content now. Or at least has ambitions *outside* of acting. He's done it all as a leading man, he's an older guy with kids that he wants to give the spotlight to succeed, so he's venturing out into new venues like the vlogging he's doing, and he'll probably be more active in a producer role like he is for Corba Kai.
Will Smith in After Earth: I sleep
Will Smith in Gemini:
*! Ö___________Ø*
tbf in After Earth he didn't have to fight himself now did he
i don't think he needed to fight at all
The moment when hulk and Mace windu blank stared on will Smith thoughts on what Django unchained should be about XD
To say that Smith wanting to avoid violent roles in order to serve his brand is disengenious. If anything, I respect him more for his choices. He doesn't let his job effect his morals. That's commendable.
I completely agree!!
Exactly. People will only see it differently because they want to live vicariously through him.
Definitely can't say that about Leo DiCaprio
It's more that he has an issue with Smith's brand scrubbing away the thematic depth or intended ending to movies like I am Legend, making those movies less interesting.
Dude great video you should do these videos on famous actors like pacino, de niro, streep etc
Streep? What happened to her?
@@Gemnist98 TDS killed her.
Great video and no this wasn't harsh at all. I think it's a legit overview of Will's career, the better role choices vs the safe not so great ones. This oddly made me appreciate Will a little more than what I have in recent years.
such a thorough, well-documented analysis on the subject! watching this was super captivating and you definitely brought up some points I would have never thought of. thanks so much for making quality content :)
This reminds me of Kevin Hart. Kevin has one character he plays in all movies and it’s the exact same every time, he’s never really a character, he’s just the standard Kevin Hart
I never thought about it that way. Explains why most of his roles feel too safe. I hope he finds a project that challenges his charismatic persona.
It would be interesting for you to do a video like this for Ryan Gosling. As I think he's really versatile in the projects he chooses.
Will Smith needs to play a villain like Denzel Washington did in Training Day.
Yeah I literally hated him
@@Lyttitslol
Imagine Will Smith and Denzel in a movie together that would be awesome.Hey what happened to his Uptown Saturday Night remake and it's sequels
i don't think will smith has that kind of range, he cannot help but be the good guy, and the guy who makes the happy ending happen- which is why we love him as audiences. both actors have incredible charisma, but denzel is the only actor i know that can make a simmer feel like a full on boil just by his body language and facial expression (and maybe daniel day-lewis is the one other actor in that category imo). intense doesn't even begin to describe denzel, and i just don't see will doing anything close to that. funnily enough, denzel actually has sort of a brand and range problem, but inverse to will's brand problem.
For me, Tom Cruise is at his best in Born On The Fourth Of July. Seriously harrowing performance.
dont forget vanilla sky!! One of my favorite movies!
@@anonymoushiphopper For sure dude. Mindblowing performance, intensely emotional.
What I got from this video:
"HE'S FIFTY YEARS OLD?!?!"
He's 50 but he still looks like his younger self in fresh prince in bel air.
The Will Smith of today is a far cry from the coolest person in the world, he once was. And that's the real slap in the face...
Yooo that sponsorship you slid it in so damn smooth like butter man god damn that was so good!!!
The Pursuit of Happiness and I am Legend still makes me cry to this day.
He did great on them
MIB and Independance Day are absolute classics
i disagree, Smith was clearly willing to forgo his persona in After Earth, instead of being charismatic, likeable, and quick witted, he's a piece of wood with no personality in that movie.
Grumar S yeah but I wouldn't say that was a "subversion" of his persona. The type of role he's talking about would have to be the opposite of the character archetype we know him as
Being "a peice of wood" doesn't exactly showcase how amazing his acting skills are though.
Well, it was all work of M. Night Shyamalan, what would you have expect?, not even Will Smith could have overcome him
@@Merdicano "M. Night Shyamalan"
ah fuck
well that explains everything
Can we get a 2022 update on him now 😁
Please rant about I, Robot.... and more book/movie comparisons in general. Your I Am Legend discussion was really neat
7:20 I heard that Will Smith's initial rejection of the role of Django was due to the fact that he felt Christoph Waltz's character was the real star of the film, and that he would overshadow Django as a character. So to me, it sounded like it was more of an ego thing for Smith at first, and then he later came out talking about the relationship aspect of the role so it reflected better on his persona. I grew up with Will Smith, and I really like him as an actor, even when he doesn't do a good job because he just wants to play himself, but I think sometimes he gets too big for his britches. That being said, I definitely agree that Will Smith being in an ultra-violent film like Django would have been different and nothing like he'd done before, but he should've viewed that as an opportunity to break out rather continue on the path of Will Smith roles (imo). He's not the biggest fish in Hollywood anymore, and I think he really NEEDS to change things up if he wants to continue his career.
How could you not talk about his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness?! I thought he was amazing in that movie, and he didn’t seem very Will Smith in that role.
I think he's talking about will Smith playing it safe in movies. The movie is based on a true story and if any dark moments happened, it probably wasn't included In The movie because of will. Say for example if the man did drugs....can u imagine Will snorting drugs in a movie?? Nah
THIS. I came to say this. How could he ignore that one??!?
Now that I think about it, even his a**hole character Hancock becomes redemptive at the end.
I’ve been trying to put my finger on this for years! Thank you for making sense of it all!
He probably continues to take "safe" roles because he feels no one would take him seriously in a role like "Django"
no
African Logic no...what?
I mean if it works for him why change up he still getting the bag 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
I am so glad you mentionned the book. I love "I am Legend" but I was one of the few kids among my peers to have read it when the movie was released and I was disappointed by the modified ending.
Enemy Of The State was pretty amazing.
Yes yes yes , how did he forget that incredible movie ?? Reminds me of watch dogs .
How crazy is it that just this morning I was reminiscing about the awesome test scene from the first Men in Black movie. You made some very interesting points in this video, I will say
No mention of Enemy of the State. Great movie.
Excessive love inevitably turns to hate 🤷🏾♂️
His music is also extremely wholesome. He just wants to use his fame to send out a positiv message.
I agree, you don't need to curse to make good music, even hard rock can be uplifting and be good music at the same time
As a matter of fun fact, he said in an interview on Graham Norton (if I remember) that it was his grandmother that convince him not to curse with his music, saying that it would have made him look like a fool, and that he was a lot smarter than that
Comparing the original Fresh Prince with the fan made trailer fits perfectly into your analysis too. Great job.
showing the hitch poster while talking about brutal, remorseless murder is beautiful
I waited 8mins for you to talk about the iconic "I am a legend" one of my favourites of will smith
In 2013, he's said he wanted to take more artistic risks and you can kinda see that in the last 5 years of his career, because his recent movies are big budget action films that come out in the summer or the even the winter. And those recent roles aren't really Will Smith type of roles on paper. It's obvious that he has a that positive and motivational brand and I know he's really trying to take more different roles in different genres, but his problem is that he genuinely has a hard time being a villain in a film (although he is a douchebag in Hancock). His "mission statement" is literally to spread light and positivity, and honestly, I don't see him taking on any hardcore villainous role anytime soon. And he doesn't even really need to play a villain like a serial killer or psychopath, as much as I would like to see that, but he should take on roles where he's an alcoholic, corrupt lawyer, or hell, go the Denzel route and actually be a corrupt cop or something. And I do agree with the part about letting a director take full control and subvert his persona. I think the director of 'Happyness' and 'Seven Pounds' handled Will Smith the best, because of how well Will acted in those movie. Besides him wanting to maintain his brand, I think it's also a little bit of ego that's getting in his way, too. I'll still watch anything he's in though lol
Thank you so much for this video. I’ve been saying this for years and it’s something I’ve wanted of him for a very very long time
Somewhere theres an alternate universe with Will Smith as Neo and Django.
How more big he would have been in that universe?
The struggle between doing something that use to work and not boxing yourself into a corner as we currently see with will, Denzel said something interesting about actors, he said your value is determined by the role and your performance not by how much we see you in the public
The pursuit of happiness is one of the greatest films I've ever seen. Edit: but I also really love I am legend
Funny thing about I Am Legend - the original ending was a bit more in line with the book. While Smith's character does still manage to synthesize a cure, he realizes that the reason the infected are after him is because he has the lead infected's wife.
There's a tense standoff where he revives her snd gives her back. Neville (Smith's character) looks thoroughly defeated and honestly disgusted with himself the whole scene. The lead infected and his wife share a moment before they all leave without harming anyone.
The rest of the ending is pretty standard Hollywood - Smith, the woman and her daughter leave New York and it ends with a voice over from Neville talking about the future (and I think he even gets to leave with a cure), but the twist that the infected have been evolving and that Neville has actually been the antagonist is still there. There are shades of this in the final film - the infected start setting up traps for him and they mainly ramp up their aggression after Neville captures one of their own - but unfortunately the payoff isn't there. All this to say, in that instance, I don't know if it was Smith making a decision to not play a certain kind of character so much as it was executive medeling.
Anyone here hyped for Gemini Man, or just me?
I'm hype.
After alladin. yes
R H I really got a John Wick and Winter Soldier type of vibe from the fight scenes in the trailer. Even the trailer itself.
I'm actually interested in that movie as well. There's a great idea with the premise, and the CGI on young Will Smith looks good so far.
It looks ok, but looper already did this premise.
This was very well done Captain Midnight. I couldn't agree more, I am doubtful Smith will change after so many years.
0:02, CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT, love that intro!
"Hollywood's most charismatic actor" didn't age so well lmao
I've been watching some of your videos and I have to say you're a very articulated man. I like your stuff, ergo I subscribed. Good job!
This guy hit the nail on the head...I’ve been feeling like this for years. Wow
Django Unchained: It's not me
Aladdin: Why do I have to be me
I really didnt think this video essay would be as interesting as it was. Great job
I’m most likely in the minority but Hancock was and is my favorite Will Smith movie.
Mine and my gf's too, we watch it evrrytime is on tv
Hancock had its moments but it's not my favorite. But to each their own. I still find the infamous prison scene hilarious for what it's worth.
u know hancock would make a decent marvel film, its better than captain marvel 4 sure
I just didn't like the third act. Hancock had the potential of putting a cool spin on the usual buddy crime movie, which it did in the first 2 acts
7 pounds is my fav 1
I watched Fresh Prince when it was still running. When I was a kid, the shows on Nick at Night were I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Happy Days, etc.
Hello from 2023....It got much weirder.
Still think 'Born on the 4th of July' is Cruise's best performance, and I LOVE his magnolia performance to no end.
But 4th of july is absolutely incredible!
Will is better in the pursuit of happiness.
Would you do one on Tom Hanks? Loved this!