CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is directed by Julius Onah. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford.
Having inherited the shield of Steve Rogers, who was the first Captain America, Sam Wilson continues to fight on behalf of his nation, alongside his new Falcon sidekick, Joaquin Torres. General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross, once the overzealous General who pursued the Incredible Hulk, has been elected President, much to the chagrin of many he wronged in the past. Following an assassination attempt on the President, and disputes between nations over the ownership of a new element even stronger than vibranium, tensions are higher than ever around the globe. But who’s pulling the strings?
I won’t lie. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a hit-and-miss affair ever since Tony Stark snapped his fingers and disintegrated Thanos. For every SHANG-CHI, NO WAY HOME, or MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, there’s a QUANTUMANIA, THE MARVELS, or ETERNALS to drag things back down. I was once giddy with excitement every time a new MCU movie was announced. That just isn’t me anymore, and with superhero fatigue setting in, these opinions aren’t limited to me. 2023 gave us a bunch of duds. Last year only gave us DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, which thankfully was an entertaining breath of fresh air. Now we’ve arrived at the release of CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. But is the former Falcon Sam Wilson, portrayed by Anthony Mackie, capable of carrying a CAP move on his own, in a post-Steve Rogers MCU?
BRAVE NEW WORLD is no masterpiece; I don’t see anyone putting this near the top of the heap when it comes to the House that Marvel Built. The movie is undeniably uneven, with way too many plot points; some of these were born in non-CAPTAIN AMERICA films and feel very out of place here. But the movie does take a slightly lower key conspiracy thriller-type approach which at least somewhat works to its advantage. An all-star cast doesn’t hurt either. It’s no DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, but it’s far better than anything the MCU released in 2023.
Where BRAVE NEW WORLD shines brightest is its cast. Anthony Mackie, formerly the Falcon, has been in the MCU for over a decade now, and has always done a fantastic job with whatever he’s given. Despite some outcry to Steve Rogers’ departing the MCU, Mackie proves himself to be a charismatic actor who brings the character to life and shows a surprising amount of range when the film calls for it. Seeing his relationship with his new Falcon sidekick, portrayed by Danny Ramirez, gives us some of the best moments in the movie, as well as his friendship with aging super soldier Isaiah Bradley, a man once wronged by his nation.
But the thing that had this Marvel fan most excited about BRAVE NEW WORLD was the arrival of a certain legendary actor in to the MCU – Harrison Ford! While I’m certainly saddened by William Hurt’s passing, who’d previously portrayed the character of Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross, Marvel could not have found a better actor to inherit this role, who makes the jump from General to President of the United States (Ford had previously portrayed the American President in the film AIR FORCE ONE). This is a man in the world’s most difficult job, one where he’ll be loathed and hated no matter what, and one where he’s constantly under scrutiny for his past actions. We definitely see him haunted by his estranged relationship with his daughter, yet striving to do the right thing. And of course, anyone who’s seen promotional materials for the film will know what Ross is turned into by the end of the film. I won’t go into spoiler territory here, but you need only watch a trailer or commercial to see. Harrison Ford is great in any film. His role here is no exception.
I do appreciate BRAVE NEW WORLD’s running time, which is thankfully under two hours, making it better paced than a lot of more recent MCU entries. Unfortunately, it still manages to cram too much content into its running time. There are far too many tertiary characters to keep track of here, some of which the film simply doesn’t do enough with. Will someone who hasn’t seen previous MCU films or THE FALCON AND WINTER SOLIDER Disney+ series be able to keep up? Hell, I have seen them, and I still struggled to keep up at times. The movie, strangely, feels like a dumping ground for unresolved plot points from 2008’s THE INCREDIBLE HULK. I’m glad to see formerly abandoned plot points revisited, but is a CAPTAIN AMERICA movie the right place for it? Tim Blake Nelson reprises his role from that film, but again, he feels out of place in a CAP film. At times, it feels like the movie is trying to recapture the “conspiracy theory” vibe of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, but that was lightning in a bottle that’s impossible to recapture.
There are certainly things to love about BRAVE NEW WORLD. These include its pacing, the performances of Ford and Mackie, the smaller-scale storytelling, and an intriguing plot with some elements that could be integral to the MCU’s future. But the narrative is inconsistent and overstuffed, and even the movie’s obligatory post-credits scene feels frustratingly ambiguous and vague. BRAVE NEW WORLD is middle-of-the-road MCU. It won’t top anyone’s list of the best films in this series, but it’s certainly not the total misfire you may believe it is from the reviews. Moderately recommended.