Captain America: Brave New World
Anthony Mackie's first big-screen outting as the patriotic hero plays it too safe where not even a shirtless red-skinned Harrison Ford can save it.
It’s not controversial to say that after years of consistently delivering excellent movie after excellent movie, the MCU is on a bit of a downswing, especially post-” Avengers: Endgame.” There’s still been some solid films here and there, including “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Yet for every film like that, we’ll get something like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania” or a lousy Disney+ miniseries like “Secret Invasion.”
I’m not going to sit here and go on about the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s nothing new to say. Ironically, that’s exactly what “Captain America: Brave New World” feels like — it’s a movie with absolutely nothing new to say.
“Brave New World” is less a sequel to the previous three Captain America movies and more like a spiritual successor to “The Incredible Hulk.” Heck, you probably don’t even need to watch “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” before checking out this new flick.
The film begins with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) now fully embracing his identity as the new Captain America. After successfully thwarting the Serpent Society from stealing a valuable new asset known as Adamantium, Wilson receives an invitation to the White House from President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford).
While Ross’ presidential campaign was successful in overcoming the media coverage of his hot temper, and his involvement in the creation of the Abomination in “The Incredible Hulk.” His personal life has been messy, especially since he has become estranged from his daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).
Sam’s protege Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and exonerated super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) join him on his White House visit. However, things take a critical turn when Isaiah begins acting out of character and attempts to assassinate Ross.
Sam knows that Isaiah is innocent, however, the US government surely doesn’t think so. Especially not Ross’ Chief of Security Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas). Sam sets out to prove his friend’s innocence, while Ross has even bigger fish to fry, as the country is now on the brink of war with Japan because of a failed deal involving Adamantium. All of this leads to a climatic showdown that sees Ross transforming into the gargantuan Red Hulk.
The various reported production issues that plagued “Brave New World” over a year before its release seemed to hint at the movie being a trainwreck. It is not. That doesn’t mean the movie is particularly interesting, either.
The action itself is entertaining, most of the visual effects don’t feel as dodgy as other recent films in the franchise. Mackie proves that he is a worthy successor to Chris Evans in the titular role, exerting a great amount of charisma.
The casting of Ford seemed promising, who took over the role of Ross from the late William Hurt, and while he does a respectable job, the material he’s given is tedious. A large chunk of Ford’s screentime in “Brave New World” is spent with his character negotiating deals over Adamantium, and none of it is that exciting.
Despite America being in the franchise’s title, none of the previous three Captain America movies remotely felt like a propaganda puff piece for the government. “Brave New World” on the other hand, is full of political jargon you would probably hear from a presidential candidate. There are several scenes in the movie where Sam and President Ross disagree, which always end with Sam saying something along the lines of “We may not agree, but we can compromise.”
The poor timing of it isn’t necessarily the movie’s fault. Although, even if the current state of politics were different, it’d still come across as disingenuous. You have to wonder if director Julius Onah and the four other screenwriters behind the film wanted to make the movie have more of a bite, but were told to tone it down. It’s too bad because it would have made for a more interesting movie.
“Brave New World” still is watchable enough. The movie never reaches the low lows of a movie like “Quantumania,” where nearly every VFX shot made my head hurt. It’s no “Black Panther” either, where the movie feels like an event and finds poignant ways to express itself. Ultimately, the film feels more like an episode of a mediocre episode of TV show rather than a full-fledged cinematic event.
I didn’t walk out of the movie feeling as angry as the Red Hulk, instead, I mainly felt apathy. The Marvel formula has run stale at this point. While I was certainly not a fan of “The Marvels,” at least that movie was willing to take some swings. “Brave New World” isn’t brave enough to take any risks.