Captain America - Brave New World ~ Review

In the years since Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has been in a tricky spot. As far as definitive send-offs go, you couldn’t ask for a better one. The problem is that in our current blockbuster landscape stories can never end and must continue as the franchise machine grinds itself to unprofitability. 

So, Marvel had to make a couple of moves to allow the MCU to continue to be fresh. This approach was the right track because it keeps the MCU going and injects new faces and energy into the stories. However, that also comes with its own problems, in that the stories also have to feel fresh and new. With a few exceptions, the MCU has been very timid in expanding its narrative horizons post Endgame. Instead the MCU has been relying on the storytelling formulas that worked before to diminishing returns. And while the movies haven’t been outright bad…they have been a little samey. Can Captain America: Brave New World recapture the old magic? Well, yes and no. 

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) formerly The Falcon, has taken up the Captain America mantle and now adventures around the world fighting the good fight. He has acquired his own Falcon in Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and generally goes into situations that others will not. However, tensions are fraught between Wilson and the new American President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford stepping in for the late William Hurt from previous MCU entries). You see, because of all that stuff during 2016’s Captain America: Civil War – Wilson does not trust Ross. The feeling seems to be mutual, except Ross is trying to turn over a new leaf and become a better man, and he wants Captain America to create a new Avengers team. Of course, this being a Captain America movie, so global tensions are exasperated and heading towards war because a rare metal was discovered in the giant Celestial body (that showed up in 2021’s The Eternals). Could it be the new president’s fault? Or are more sinister forces at play? What do the villainous Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) and the new Black Widow -- Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) have to do with all of this?

Captain America: Brave New World is…a lot. Part of the problem with these later-day MCU projects is that they are too beholden to continuity. I mean, you don’t necessarily have to have watched: The Incredible Hulk (2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Endgame (2019), The Eternals (2021), and the TV series Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), to enjoy Brave New World, but it does help. A good portion of Sam Wilson's emotional story is predicated on understanding his prior character arcs across five movies and a TV show. Look, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool comic book fan, all this stuff is like catnip to me, but even I have to admit this is just too much. 

That all being said, when the film isn’t mired in its own continuity and plot mechanics, and once the story starts moving – it’s pretty fun. It’s mostly inconsequential and oftentimes feels like a lesser Jack Ryan film from the nineties, but there could be worse ways to spend two hours. And the stuff that works REALLY works. Anthony Mackie steps into the spotlight nicely, taking on the Captain America mantle with aplomb. It’s fun to see him lead the movie too, in that while he has Chris Evans’ extreme good guy energy down – he brings his own spin to the role. Danny Ramirez is a lot of fun as the new Falcon, and he and Mackie have great chemistry together, and I think they’ll be a good pair in future installments. 
Giancarlo Esposito is having a blast as the villainous Sidewinder. And Shira Haas is pretty cool as a new twist on Black Widow. However, I am tired of the waify girls becoming trained assassins’ trope.

The real MVP of the project, however is Harrison Ford. Thaddeus Ross is a tough role to play, as Ford has to toe the line between scene chewing villain, and honest to God pathos. Shockingly, Ford manages to do it. He anchors the whole movie, and without him, the film would truly spin into plotty nonsense. 

Director Julius Onah steps into the MCU house style well and gives the many action sequences a lot of punch. I  appreciated his use of wide angles to shoot the action – showing off some really cool choreography. Onah especially has fun playing with Wilson’s ability to fly.

All in all, Brave New World gets a golf clap. It mostly plays the hits, but the things it does differently stand out enough to give it a pass. Here’s hoping the MCU starts taking some narrative risks and stops relying on the emotional investment of past movies. That’d be a nice change of pace.

Two and a half out of four stars