Few recent films have faced a production cycle as troubled as Captain America: Brave New World. Beyond the filming being delayed by strikes, it also underwent extensive rewrites and reshoots. There were also controversies regarding the film’s adaptation of an Israeli superhero from the comics and the film’s original title.
Throw in the recasting of a major role and the movie has a lot working against it. Despite this, it manages to overcome all of these issues and more. Unfortunately, while not the catastrophe many predicted, neither is it the home run Marvel Studios needs to shakeup the MCU.
Captain America: Brave New World opens with General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) being elected President of the USA. He ran on a platform of togetherness, which is at odds with his career as a warmonger. An expository news report helpfully reminds those who forgot about 2008’s The Incredible Hulk that Ross was responsible for burning down Harlem trying to kill Bruce Banner. He was also responsible for breaking up The Avengers but is trying to prove that he’s changed.
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is skeptical but willing to hear Ross out when he proposes reforming The Avengers with US government aid. This comes as Ross is negotiating an international treaty for the Adamantium mineral rights on Celestial Island. (Remember that giant land mass from The Eternals? So did the Captain America: Brave New World screenwriters.) However, both deals are imperiled after multiple assassins attack President Ross, including former super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). Determined to prove his friend’s innocence, Sam starts investigating, despite Ross’ sudden objections.
Brave New World covers little new territory
For a political thriller, Captain America: Brave New World is oddly apolitical. Despite this, many of the story elements have been done before by earlier Captain America movies. Chief among these is the idea of mind-controlled assassins, which Sam notes reminds him of a friend in reference to The Winter Soldier. The overall plot mimics Civil War, with Captain America fighting to prove a friend’s innocence.
This goes hand in hand with the piecemeal plot of Captain America: Brave New World. The seams are clearly visible and the story flow between the major action sequences choppy. This is most apparent in how randomly various characters dip in and out of the narrative as needed.
Perhaps the greatest offender is Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) who was reportedly added into the movie during the reshoots. The movie also doesn’t have much to offer Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph, a former Black Widow turned President Ross’ Security Chief. Liv Tyler‘s much ballyhooed return as Betty Ross is literally phoned-in apart from one scene with three lines. And Tim Blake Nelson‘s emergence as The Leader wasn’t really worth the wait.
Brave New World does more right than wrong
With those notes, director Julius Onah does a fantastic job on most of the film’s action sequences. The blocking and pacing in the first two acts is great. Of particular note is the sequence in which the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), and Captain America have to safely take down two rogue pilots while evading the Japanese Navy. This scene invites a favorable comparison to the dogfights in the Top Gun franchise.
Praise must also be paid to Anthony Mackie. HIs performance single-handedly enables Captain America: Brave New World to work as well as it does. Beyond his natural charisma, Mackie brings the best out of every actor with whom he shares a scene.
The only place where Mackie falters is in the long-teased battle with Red Hulk. This is no fault of his acting, however, but script issues and rushed CGI. The Red Hulk looks fine, but the scenery around him seem to shatter in slow motion while he moves at a normal pace. And the ending, in which Captain America challenges Ross to prove that he’s changed, doesn’t feel earned given the events of the movie prove he hasn’t.
Ultimately, Captain America: Brave New World is a serviceable action movie. However, it might have been better paced had the cut material been kept and this released as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Season 2. It also does a fair job of setting the stage for Phase Six of the MCU. There is one post-credit scene, one surprise cameo, and an explanation for how Cap’s new costume lets him survive fighting a Hulk without Super Soldier Serum (Wakandan armor for the win).
Grade: 6/10
Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in movie theaters everywhere.
