Captain America: Brave New World Movie Review – Same Mid Marvel

Anthony Mackie steps out as Cap in his own solo film, Captain America: Brave New World. It’s a hopeful title symbolizing change or the beginning of something new – it’s even teased with talk of a new Avengers team. Despite the bluster, it’s nothing more than a fart in the grand context of things, because it’s another Marvel movie for the sake of it.

What is Captain America: Brave New World about?

The present reality sees Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) ascend to become President of the United States of America, while Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) serves as Captain America and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) takes up the Falcon mantle. There’s still simmering tension between Sam and Ross from what happened previously, but they commit to work together for a better tomorrow. However, this all changes after Sam’s friend and super soldier, Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), gets imprisoned after shooting at Ross. Isaiah claims to remember nothing of the attack, and Sam commits to help his friend clear his name and uncover what’s actually happening.

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The MCU drops another mid movie

Did Marvel Studios cut and paste every past MCU script and run it through AI for the final draft? That’s the only thing running through my mind while watching Captain America: Brave New World, because it feels all too familiar. It’s a riff repeated, a retread of roads once travelled, and as sanitized as any corporate document. This is the MCU at its most risk-averse, and it’s insulting to the fans who have given it so much leeway after all the trash served up post-Avengers: Endgame.

The MCU’s goodwill is officially running on fumes now. While everyone thought Deadpool & Wolverine was a turning point to get the beloved universe back on track, Captain America: Brave New World says nothing and does nothing besides throw a bunch of characters on screen and say, “Look. It’s a Marvel movie. You must cheer for the big CGI sequences and give us money! Oh, and don’t forget about the post-credits scene advertising the next project.”

The fourth Captain America lacks soul and substance

You can’t even blame director Julius Onah for this middle-of-the-road nothing burger, because it’s crystal clear that the radical reshoots didn’t improve the movie and he lost control of this a long time ago à la Josstice League. People above his pay grade ripped out the heart and soul of the story in the edit, as the film lumbers along like a soulless zombie looking for the next comic book movie fan to sucker and sink their teeth into. 

Pay close and particular attention to the jagged transitions and pacing within and between scenes, because the scissors ran wild here and it would be interesting to see the movie lying on the cutting room floor. The fact there are five people – Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah, and Peter Glanz – credited as screenwriters proves that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, and some were making lasagna while others added vinegar to the ice cream.

Considering how the common theme about Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War is superheroes getting mixed up in government and politics, it’s disappointing how this film tiptoes around the elephant in the room and adds nothing to the conversation. One has to wonder how different this film might have been had there been another candidate in the highest office in America, but it’s ironic how the symbol of freedom and justice is obviously silenced because of fear of reprisal. Humorously, Captain America: Brave New World presents itself as a political thriller, but it’s more like a fencesitting James Patterson novel.

Both Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford deserve better than this

The most disappointing part about this movie is that the actors try to make chicken salad out of chicken… Yeah, you know the rest. Anthony Mackie is a highly underrated and fantastic actor, who deserves so much more than this. You can feel his pride and passion beaming when he plays Captain America, but he’s let down by a movie that’s frankly underneath his talents. Similarly, Harrison Ford doesn’t miss as Thaddeus Ross. He commands the screen through his powerful presence and gravitas, while it’s heartwarming to see him have fun raging up to become the Red Hulk. Again, though, this is a case where he’s better than the film he’s in.

Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder? Oh, boy. What a missed opportunity. Recently, Julius Onah claimed WWE’s Seth Rollins’ scenes were cut to make room for Esposito. Well, Rollins has reason to feel aggrieved since Sidewinder has three short scenes in the movie that could have belonged to any other character. Marvel Studios wasted Esposito, who should have been cast as a bigger character like Professor Charles Xavier down the line. 

Also, how did Marvel mess up the villain so badly? Without getting into spoilers about who they are, let’s say they look like a cheap knockoff of a Power Rangers rogue.

For everyone else, they find themselves stuck in a Frankenstein of a movie as Captain America: Brave New World tries to cram in as many characters and subplots as possible. It’s a reminder that not every MCU film needs to turn into the Avengers or an episode of Full House where everyone is invited. Sometimes, less is more – and that’s something this movie knows nothing about.

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Why you should wait for Captain America: Brave New World to hit Disney+

Let’s not sugarcoat it, folks, Captain America: Brave New World is a Disney+ movie dressed up to look like a theatrical event. It isn’t, nor is it worth giving money to Marvel Studios to continue being average and spitting out mediocrity. If this type of movie is what fans can expect from Marvel moving forward, it’s over. The MCU is dead. Bury it.