By: Oli Phillips
Captain America: Brave New World is the fourth Captain America entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The film is directed by Julius Onah and stars Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon/Captain America) and Harrison Ford (President Ross). With a troubled production and a story that does not feature the return of series star Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), does Brave New World stick the landing, or does it crumble under the weight of its star-spangled shield?
Let’s discuss…
Brave New World’s primary strength as a political superhero thriller lies in its performances. Anthony Mackie continues to be a likable and charismatic presence, sharing a surprising amount of screen time with Harrison Ford’s President Ross, who serves as the film’s central point of tension. Harrison Ford, having taken over the role from the late William Hurt, lends the character a surprisingly sympathetic and believable depth, turning Ross into a more three-dimensional foil for Sam Wilson.
The film is also at its best when it focuses on Sam’s capabilities as Falcon rather than as Captain America, with the more Falcon-esque sequences being among the film’s highlights.
Understandably, Brave New World really wants you to accept Sam as Captain America, but in all honesty, the film would have been better packaged as a Falcon film. Falcon’s abilities are so far removed from Steve Rogers’ that they draw attention to some of the film’s weaker elements.
Unlike the previous two films, which presented sleek, believable hand-to-hand action choreography, Brave New World’s action feels a bit inconsistent. In some scenes, it’s perfectly fine, but in others, it’s clumsy, and you really do miss the refined action of the past films. This only serves to highlight the awkward implausibility of Sam & his allies being able to fight his way out of certain sequences in the film.
It is also no secret that this film had a very troubled production, resulting in four well-documented major reshoots, some of which are quite obvious throughout. Giancarlo Esposito (Sidewinder) features prominently in the film’s marketing, but he only appears in a few isolated sequences battling Sam Wilson. There are also a couple of glaringly obvious reshoot green screen sequences that won’t bother most moviegoers but may momentarily pull some viewers out of the experience.
On a more positive note, the film clearly aims to bring things back to basics, keeping the tone light while toning down both the humor and the excessive cameos present in many recent MCU films. It contains no real-world political leanings, and if you’ve been perturbed by the lack of morality in more recent Marvel offerings, I’m happy to report that this film carries an overall positive message that will leave many satisfied.
While it’s unfortunate to give away what could have been an incredible surprise, Marvel has already let the cat out of the bag by teasing the showdown between Sam and the Red Hulk. Ultimately, Red Hulk doesn’t get much screen time, but his build-up and fight with Sam is solid. The action sequence is fun and doesn’t overdo the plausibility of Falcon being able to beat Red Hulk, although after each punch, it’s a miracle Falcon’s bones aren’t shattered. Guess he drinks a lot of milk!
Overall, Captain America Brave New World is an inconsistent, clumsy, but enjoyable time. Its not something you should rush out to see and is certainly a big step back from the previous Captain America films.
In many ways, the film feels like a missed opportunity and lacks the thrills of the past trilogy. However, if you’re going to the cinema anyway and want to scratch the Marvel itch, you might want to check it out. Hopefully, this is the start of something new and a sign that things will only get better from here for Marvel.
I give Captain America Brave New World, 3 Star Spangled Shields out of 5
Article supplied with thanks to Life FM in Adelaide.
Feature image: Movie publicity image – used with permission
