Captain America: Brave New World - Not Really Brave, Not Really New, But It'll Do
By Jim Slotek
Rating: B-minus
The people who really care about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – ie. fanboys and Disney shareholders – have had much to worry about lately as regards the future. They still do.
After the reset that was Avengers: Endgame, with iconic characters being written out and new franchises failing to launch (The Marvels, anyone? The Eternals?), only a hardy few breakouts like Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy, and evergreen characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine/Deadpool still hold public interest.
Anthony Mackie as you-know-who
The latest big-budget reinvention attempt, Captain America: Brave New World, catches us up with the new “Cap,” the winged former Falcon Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and his new Falcon sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez). As Brave New World opens, the duo are invited to the White House, where new President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, also new to the character) makes him an offer.
In between announcing a mining deal with Japan for adamantium (you know, the stuff Wolverine’s claws are made from), and publicly congratulating Cap and Joaquin on preventing terrorists from scotching the deal, President Ross asks Sam to form a new Avengers.
Oh, if only it were that easy. Captain America: Brave New World dangles the promise of super-hero crossovers and reunions, but it’s all just name-dropping. In fact, but for a few cameos, dialogue references, and a certain sunburned Hulk who appears in the last act (and appears on the poster, so no spoiler there), Brave New World is a straight ahead, technobabbly-action film that might pass as mid-level Tom Clancy if you removed all the Marvel references.
As such, it moves quickly, features lots of aerial warfare, and clocks in at a civilized two hours (much less if you don’t bother waiting for the inevitable post-credit Easter Egg).
There’s a genius super-villain (Tim Blake Nelson), mind-control, an out-of-character assassination attempt by a long-imprisoned good-guy super-soldier (Carl Lumbly and a president with a secret. And the various Deep State machinations result in what looks like war with Japan (in real life, one of the few countries the current president hasn’t tried to pick a fight with).
For all its CGI adrenaline, there’s not much to Captain America: Brave New World as far as the character dives go. Apart from lending gravitas, President Harrison Ford does what he does to try to reconcile with his long estranged daughter (Liv Tyler). We know, because he says so a couple of times.
Same with Sam, who doubts his ability to be the new Captain America and wield the vibranium shield. We know because there’s a scene where he stares morosely at the original Cap’s uniform in a closet, and a pep talk from a certain character from the previous Captain America movies.
As a turn-your-brain-off, tech-heavy action movie, Captain America: Brave New World succeeds well enough. As a Marvel movie that connects with other Marvel movies in any meaningful way, or charts a new direction (other than that vague suggestion of a “New Avengers”), it’s little more than a space-filler.
Captain America: Brave New World. Directed by Julius Onah. Starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford and Danny Ramirez.