Review: 'Captain America: Brave New World'
The latest MCU installment delivers action and thrills but struggles to soar to pre-Endgame heights.
Captain America is back in Marvel’s latest blockbuster, Captain America: Brave New World. Take a quick glance at today’s news headlines, then look at the title of this film. Back to the news. Now, back to the title.
With the U.S. pounding its chest and making not-too-flattering headlines on the world stage, this film feels like it couldn’t have arrived at a more relevant moment. If you know your Huxley, the reference in the title won’t be lost on you.
The first Captain America film was released in 2011, as the fifth entry in the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, the story of the scrawny Steve Rogers, who became the super-soldier Captain America, has evolved through two fantastic sequels — Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) — as well as the outstanding team-up films Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), where Captain America finally lifted the mythical hammer Mjolnir in the battle against Thanos, marking the end of Steve Rogers’ journey.
But Captain America is a legend, a piece of American mythology. Among all the Marvel heroes, he is perhaps the strongest pillar of this superhero universe. Sure, Hulk might be physically stronger, Iron Man might be smarter, and Thor might be… well, whatever Thor actually is, he’s probably better at it. But the greatest hero among them is Captain America. He is the leader who holds them together, and now that Steve Rogers (brilliantly portrayed by Chris Evans) has stepped down, it’s up to someone else to fill these massive shoes.
Captain America: Brave New World is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also told on the small screen through a series of mostly good shows on Disney+. For many who are discovering this universe, it can seem overwhelming, as the stories are often told through many films, fragments, post-credit scenes, and references.
Whenever I review a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, I usually provide a brief overview of what one should watch beforehand, but as this universe continues to grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to give a good overview. However, in this case, one should have seen the Captain America films, the Avengers films, and the series Falcon and the Winter Soldier to be up to date and get the most out of the new film. Additionally, you might want to check out The Eternals (2021) and The Incredible Hulk (2008) to be fully updated.
If not, you might wonder why it is suddenly Sam Wilson, formerly the superhero Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie), who now carries the Captain America shield — an iconic symbol of the Marvel universe — along with a whole lot of other things.
Now, onto the plot. When we meet Sam Wilson in Captain America: Brave New World, he has taken on the role of Captain America but is weighed down by massive impostor syndrome due to the big shoes he has to fill after his good friend Steve Rogers.
But he does his best, alongside his new companion, the young Joaquin Torres, who has become the new Falcon. Well, Falcon-in-training is probably more accurate.
When a party at the White House is attacked by brainwashed assassins, he begins the hunt for a villain from Marvel’s past who lurks in the shadows, manipulating the president with life-saving medication that gradually transforms him into The Red Hulk.
And from there, the chaos ensues — explosions, betrayals, and last-minute rescues all tumbling together in a way that only a Marvel movie can deliver. There are plenty of action scenes, and the world must be saved from a war between the U.S. and Japan over a massive resource in the Indian Ocean (those who have seen The Eternals might know what I’m referring to).
There is also the expected fight between Captain America and The Red Hulk, which many Marvel fans will thoroughly enjoy.
Captain America: Brave New World is a fun and action-filled Marvel film, but story-wise, it has a problem: The plot is not big enough to feel truly epic, but also not small enough to create the cozy atmosphere we see in several of the more “street-level” stories from Disney+. So even though the actors deliver well and the action scenes are solid, the story feels a bit like “just another Tuesday in the Marvel universe.”
Reviewing a superhero film can be tricky because, for many viewers, enjoyment depends more on their favorite heroes than on the film’s overall quality. Say what you will about Disney and Marvel, but they know how to make good films, and they have the money to hire the best both in front of and behind the camera. There are exceptions, of course, but generally, how much one enjoys a superhero film is dictated by which superheroes one likes-or if you even like superhero films at all. For example, where I love Captain America and Doctor Strange and enjoy watching them on screen, it is usually a test of patience for me to sit through films or series about Ant-Man or Captain Marvel.
So how is Captain America: Brave New World? Despite the absence of Chris Evans, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. But did I like it as much as the first three Captain America films? No, not at all. But that might be because I think Chris Evans was the perfect Captain America, and it will take some time before I get used to seeing Anthony Mackie in the role. That said, this was still a good Marvel film, with some intense, if not particularly original, action scenes.
Anthony Mackie also does a brilliant job as the new Captain America and has great chemistry with Danny Ramirez, who plays Joaquin Torres/Falcon, even though the humor tends to fall a bit flat sometimes. But perhaps the best part here is none other than Harrison Ford, who, at over 80 years old, thought, “Hey, it looks like those kids are having fun with those Marvel movies. I want me some of that!” He truly looks like he’s having a blast in the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.
There are also some new faces, and it must be said that some of these smaller roles feel a bit dull and flat for this reviewer. But one who absolutely steals every scene he is in is Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker/Sidewinder. This is an actor who truly knows what he’s doing and has been in a number of major series, including The Mandalorian, The Boys, and Breaking Bad. He clearly enjoys himself in the role, though I wish he had been in the film even more.
Ever since Steve Rogers handed over the Captain America shield to his good friend Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame, there has been discontent, outrage, and vitriol in certain toxic corners of the Marvel fandom. For many, the film is already controversial. “How can a Black man be Captain America??” angry nerds shout from dark corners of social media.
It didn’t help their mood when Anthony Mackie stated at a press conference that Captain America is a symbol for the whole world, not just the U.S. “But his name is Captain America!” they furiously type on keyboards in remote Reddit rooms, conveniently forgetting that Chris Evans said exactly the same thing a few years ago when he carried the shield.
It should also be noted that Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers stopped using the Captain America name in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) because he saw how corrupt his country had become. At that time, it was the neo-Nazi villainous organization Hydra that had infiltrated the American government and created chaos. Is it fair to throw in a little “truth can be stranger than fiction” here?
This time, the conflict involves Harrison Ford’s newly elected President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who reportedly has enough similarities with the current U.S. president that the film has already been criticized for it even before its premiere. However, I have to say that some of these supposed similarities must have gone over my head as Harrison Ford’s character didn’t particularly remind me of Trump. Maybe it’s something from the comics?
The film also doesn’t shy away from criticizing the United States in terms of politics, conflicts, and its society’s capacity to care and show empathy to its people, which is a recipe for even more nerd-rage.
There is also a certain sense of “things were better before” and “we can do better” atmosphere here. It’s sharp at times—unsubtle and on the nose, so to speak—to a point that it might provoke certain moviegoers in the U.S. There’s that Huxley again.
Controversies aside, Captain America: Brave New World is a worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though it doesn’t reach high enough to touch the greats of Phase 3. The film was originally set to premiere in 2024 but was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. But perhaps that was for the best; for this reviewer, it feels like a film arriving at just the right time.
Check out my coverage of the Zoom press conference with the cast and filmmakers of Captain America: Brave New World here:
Taking Up the Shield
In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson returns as the new Captain America, having inherited the iconic vibranium shield after Steve Rogers passed it down and chose to retire to a well-earned life of peace in the past.
I’m still digesting, having only watched it today. Some of it felt a little dull to me, somehow missing the pop of some other marvel films. I’m not talking about the biggies but somehow, something was missing. What was great was/is Anthony Mackie. I was a big fan of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I think this did a wonderful job of bringing the new Captain America to the screen.
I agree that Esposito was under-utilised. He has such a great screen presence that was somehow lacking in the peripheral characters. His fight with Anthony Mackie had something special that some others didn’t. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him, though!
It wasn’t great but it was definitely well timed 😁 and I think it did a good job of setting up the future of The Avengers and Captain America.
One big gripe; stop shooting a hulk!!! It will only make him more angry. 😂 You’d think they’d learned that lesson by now.
Good review Eirik. Thank you 😊
I just haven't felt the same magic from the MCU since Endgame. Some of that comes down to the movies. Some, I'm sure, comes down to me. My appetite for CGI spectacle is fading.