Film Review: Captain America: Brave New World

It is fair to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been what it used to be as of recently. Ever since the climatic events of Avengers: Endgame the narrative each sequel and new film has introduced has been messy and incoherent when it comes to next grand event - the Multiverse. The imminent arrival of another Avengers film within the next year should mean we should start seeing the pieces put in place in the lead up to it which brings us to the latest film in the ongoing series, Captain America: Brave New World.

This new Captain America film, the fourth in total now, centres on Anthony Mackie’s character Sam Wilson taking up the mantle of the famed solider from Chris Evans’ retired Steve Rogers. Unfortunately you do need to do your homework before watching this film. Films and shows such as The Incredible Hulk, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and even the Eternals all tie into the plot of this film. We are now at a point in the franchise where the stories can be more broad with some abstract and lesser known comic book storylines being adapted alongside more quirkier heroes and villains. Captain America: Brave New World dives into comic book history to adapt a story that feels more Hulk and less Cap.

Anthony Mackie delivers a standout performance as a man with a super-suit and no superpowers. Sam Wilson is almost like a combination of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. He is smart, tactical and has a moral compass that guides him to the best outcome of any situation. One of the villains that I can talk about is a more angrier, red-coloured version of the Hulk. Harrison Ford steps into the late William Hurt’s shoes as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross who is now President of the United States and wants Sam to lead a new group of Avengers. Unfortunately he does become a Red Hulk, with the reasons how and why being a closely kept secret. How it unfolds is entertaining but it contains a lot of elements more related to the Hulk character than with the Captain America character. Due to this the character of Captain America gets lost to all of the Hulk-ness going on around him.

Another plot point is Celestial Island which contains a rare material which competing nations across the world are after which in turn kick-starts the action of the film. Captain America gets embroiled in the ongoing events as he attempts to diffuse any sticky situation with his wings and his shield. The action is very much akin to The Winter Soldier and Civil War films. The film has a political conspiracy feel throughout which suits the tone and the characters pretty well. The plot does get a little messy with the focus getting lost at certain moments, but it is great to see Marvel adapt a storyline such as this one for the big screen but in their own Marvel way. The excitement for the next Avengers film continues as the mantle Captain America is in safe hands.

★★★☆☆

3/5

Final Verdict:

Captain America: Brave New World does its best at carrying the Marvel franchise forward on a more grounded level. Introducing Sam Wilson as the next Captain America is a smart move as he clearly has the leadership qualities you’d expect from the character. Sadly he is surrounded by supervillains that don’t match his abilities and instead usurp him with his more human strength. Harrison Ford is the biggest highlight and his character gets a lot more depth in this film and it will be great to see more of his incarnation of General Ross in future films. You do get excited for the future of the Marvel franchise but you do get lost in terms of just how it will all come together in a few films time.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions