At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rodgers famously handed the mantle of Captain America to his friend and fellow Avenger, Sam Wilson. Six years later, we finally get to see the fruits of that moment, and … let’s just say I wish they were a little more ripe.
I wasn’t expecting much from Captain America: Brave New World; I was just excited to finally have a new Captain America movie after nine long years. After watching the film, I was actually pleasantly surprised.
Despite every warning sign from significant reshoots, obvious last-minute changes, and bad CGI, this film is surprisingly competent. Is it the best? Absolutely not, but the film does what it needs to be a fun superhero romp.
Following the events of The Eternals, the world’s nations are rushing to capitalize on the abundance of resources left by a dead celestial in the Indian Ocean. Harrison Ford takes over the role of Thunderbolt Ross, who recently won the presidency, and is at the center of this modern-day gold rush. The nations of India, France, Japan, and the United States are all in talks of negotiating a treaty to share the resources gained from the celestial, specifically, a new metal called adamantium.
X-Men fans will know this as the metal that lines Wolverine’s claws and skeleton, so this is a major addition to this universe. This peace is compromised, however, when a suspicious attack breaks out at the White House, threatening to destabilize the treaty.
From the get-go, the movie establishes itself as a thriller, not unlike Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but focusing more on politics than espionage. The film is at its best when it leans into these elements and, at its worst, it’s a cliche superhero flick.
Anthony Mackie delivers a solid and compelling performance as Sam Wilson’s Captain America, which is especially important as this is the first Captain America film without the classic character, Steve Rodgers. While Steve will always be my favorite Captain America, I love how this movie differentiates the two characters.
He has a huge legacy to live up to, so his arc throughout the film centers around his struggle to hold himself to the example Steve set. It’s a compelling conflict that is only made better by the external pressures he faces from the public and the U.S. government.
Additionally, Harrison Ford delivers a surprisingly great performance as Thadeus Ross. I expected this to be somewhat phoned in, knowing his history with Star Wars, but he’s actually really good in this role. I won’t spoil anything, but Ford does a great job balancing Ross’ ruthless nature along with his more emotional side. He’s not a one-note general anymore, and this film is all the better for it.
After seeing early reactions to the film, I wasn’t expecting the action to be particularly great, but I was surprised to see that it’s actually pretty decent. Is it amazing? No, but there are a few scenes that are really fun and engaging. In particular, the two fights that are plastered all over the trailers (the ocean aerial battle and Red Hulk) are great.
The film has two fundamental flaws, however. The first is that the third act kind of falls apart. While the final fight with Red Hulk is exciting, it’s presented as this big shocking reveal, which leaves the moment feeling hollow because we all knew it was going to happen.
It’s plastered all over the marketing and is fairly obviously set up throughout the movie. Right from the opening scene, I figured out the entire film almost to a T, which is a serious problem for a thriller. The film shows its entire hand through the marketing, leaving all of the mystery and suspense feeling underwhelming.
The film feels like it has its climax in the second act, which leaves everything after feeling messy and clunky. Pardon the glazing but that airplane ocean battle seriously is awesome and is worth the price of admission alone.
The second major issue is that this movie lacks a powerful statement. Captain America is a character that is inherently political and his best stories reflect the contemporary moment and this just doesn’t. Winter Soldier and Civil War both reflected post-9/11 anxieties and fears over privacy with the Patriot Act, and Brave New World decisively feels neither brave nor new.
It’s a fun movie, but I can’t help but feel like there’s a missed opportunity to discuss the divided nation and world we currently live in. There are hints of that greatness there, but the film just falls short of it.
Captain America: Brave New World surpasses expectations, but still falls a little short of the star-spangled legacy of the original films. This is a decent debut for Sam Wilson’s Captain America and I hope that future installments will do him more justice.
Score: 5/10
