Caption America: Brave New World is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth in the Captain series. So going into the movie, it’s pretty reasonable to feel a bit cautious and maybe not that excited. The MCU has been hurting these past years and a lot of the new characters have failed to drum up the same level of excitement as …
Caption America: Brave New World is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth in the Captain series. So going into the movie, it’s pretty reasonable to feel a bit cautious and maybe not that excited. The MCU has been hurting these past years and a lot of the new characters have failed to drum up the same level of excitement as the original three-phase heroes did. So, does this movie turn things around or is it another unremarkable entry in the MCU? Let’s find out.
Brave New World is the first MCU movie in quite some time that feels like you needed to do some homework before coming in to watch it and, likewise, also feels like a film that will have some level of impact on the greater MCU going forward, perhaps just not to the extent you would expect considering the title. So with that in mind, you should 100% be caught up on Falcon and the Winter Soldier, be aware of events from Eternals, and surprisingly, be very caught up on 2009’s The Incredible Hulk.
In this movie, Sam Wilson aka Captain America, is working for the US government under the newly elected President Ross, now played by Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt. Ross invites Wilson, his wingman Joaquim Torres (Danny Ramirez) aka the new Falcon, and Isaiah Bradley to the White House. Bradley, you’ll remember, is the post-war super soldier the US government created and then imprisoned for 30 years who played a role in Falcon and Winter Soldier. But of course, a conspiracy is unleashed at the White House and Wilson is forced to find out the truth before it’s too late.
Despite its title, Brave New World is a political thriller without much in the way of politics. Gone are the heavy-handed political issues that were a focal point of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sam’s race is never brought up once. Which is wise, as we’ve had that story told already on Disney+ and the movie doesn’t have to retread old ground. Instead, his main inner struggle comes from his doubts at being Captain America due to him being a regular man who is not powered by a super soldier serum, considering there’s a perfectly capable WWII supersoldier on his speed dial.
The movie, perhaps out of fear of online backlash, scrubbed out modern political rhetoric from the film, but considering the conspiracy around the US government in the film, I think a bit of political intrigue, much in the way Winter Soldier handled its ethical and moral dilemmas, would have been warranted. This movie was subject to extensive reshoots and delays, so I wonder if earlier drafts were more overt and Marvel, seeing which way the wind was blowing, opted to water the film down to avoid any online discourse.
Those reshoots did result in an inconsistent experience though. I noticed a lot of heavy-handed exposition in the beginning of the film, with odd editing choices, and the film’s VFX are all over the place. Marvel is known for rushing its effects artists, but the results here are very inconsistent, in that some shots will have different key lighting than others, despite being shot on a green screen. The green screen stuff as well felt very flat and unconvincing. It’s wild it feels so incomplete in this regard considering the extra time the film was afforded.
On a stronger note, the cast did a pretty solid job. Harrison Ford was great as “Thunderbolt” Ross, a president with something of a mean streak. I wish they kept the Red Hulk thing a secret but it was plastered all over the marketing! That would’ve been wild to see going in blank. Anthony Mackie is also solid here as Wilson, but the highlight is Carl Lumley as Isaiah Bradley. Not only is he crucial to the plot, but he gives a performance tinged with grief, fear, and regret and dominates every scene he’s in. Ramirez’s Torres is stuck with most of the comedic relief and it, unfortunately, rarely works, but his character does come around in the end as likeable, but not per se remarkable. Rounding out the cast is Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph, Ross’ security advisor who is also investigating the conspiracy, and Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker, a mercenary whose involvement in the film kickstarted the greater conspiracy. There is a second villain in the film (technically the main villain), but since the marketing kept that one a secret, I’ll refrain from mentioning who they are and simply say solid work, slightly distracting appearance.
Despite my criticisms, I did enjoy Brave New World more than I thought I would. It’s not the slam dunk I think Marvel needs, but it’s not a failure either. It’s one of the better offerings in phases four and five, but it feels like it’s being held down to avoid offending anyone, especially considering the current climate geopolitically. Some cringe humor and a rough start made me worried about the end result, but the movie course correct and delivers a decent, if flawed entry in the long-running MCU.
And in case you were wondering, there’s one post-credit scene.
