Captain America: Brave New World Review
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ hits theatres this week, and after much hype and anticipation the film has proven itself to be a crowd-pleasing addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with fun action set pieces and entertaining performances from Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie. While there are a few problems with how the reshoots have been integrated into the movie, odd CGI hiccups and rather blunt political messaging and dialogue, none of these are terminal and drag the movie down. It’s not a return to form for Marvel Studios, but it’s proof they’re heading in the right direction.
Initially concerned that Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson seemed like a hard sell to fill the huge shoes of Captain America, but ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ allows Mackie to soar in the role and carve out his own version of the character. He’s more vulnerable than Rogers, and not just because of the lack of any Super Soldier Serum. By the end of the film, he accepts his version the Captain, right alongside the over-enthusiastic new Falcon in Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres. The two bounce off each other throughout, with very clear chemistry and humor.
Harrison Ford has been brought in to replace the late William Hurt as the aging, now President, Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. It’s a softer take on the character, as the bravado from him seen in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and ‘Captain America: Civil War’ is replaced with attempts to be conciliatory contrasted by red hot flashes of anger. These moments are given more weight by Ford’s caliber as an actor, making them believable for a traditionally antagonistic character.
Of course, red hot flashes is very deliberate here, with Ross being turned into the Red Hulk as per the comics. While his transformation is slow during the film, it’s measured and earned. Audiences aren’t shortchanged by this slow burn, as several set pieces that are generally well editied and executed to keep them on the edge of their seat.The CGI thoughout them is generally convincing, let down by obvious reshoots, especially in the first half, and scenes with sloppy CGI.There is also an instance of the first actress played by AI, though it more likely reflects on poor delivery and cameo.
Tonally, the film strikes a balance between the political thriller esque story and traditional MCU humour. As the humour was precisely calibrated, and is restrained in its use, it was never poorly timed or deflated tension, instead introducing levity. That said, the film struggles not to lay all its cards out on the table, with its political themes and dialogue being more often than not about as subtle as being punched by Red Hulk. It’s a real shame, especially as previous entries in the Captain America subfranchise have handled controversial political issues with deft.
Giancarlo Esposito makes his MCU debut as villain Sidewinder, though he’s a victim of late reshoots and thus is rather incidental to the plot. While ‘Brave New World’ struggles to reconcile those with the rest of the film, the bits that remain uncompromised hang together well, and serve to wrap up dangling MCU plot threads from past movies like ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and ‘Eternals’, managing to be a quasi-sequel to them both. It harkens back to the days where the MCU felt like a coherent, interconnected world, and it’s a pleasant return. The main film brings some excitement for the MCU’s future, though dampened somewhat by a supposedly ominous but completely lackluster post credits sting.
New and returning characters like Shira Haas’ Ruth Bat-Seraph and Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley make their mark in the film even though their role is smaller. Haas in particular has a big impact despite her status as a newcomer, and as her controversial origins have now been retconned to something more palatable for modern political climate, she could go on to have a strong returning role. Samuel Sterns’ The Leader is the final major character, and while his motivations seem vague, he does exert some threat, especially with his intentionally gruesome redesign.
So, while ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ isn’t completely immune from some of the issues that have plagued the MCU as of late, it’s to a lesser degree than the prior films. Mackie’s and Ford are convincing in their roles, and the set pieces are suitably large and awesome in their scale and scope. Elements like the long and grueling production that still couldn’t cover all the VFX issues are thankfully nor enough to prevent the enjoyment that’s to be had with the film. The future for the MCU is looking up.
