Captain America: Brave New World is a quite satisfying MCU romp. Much of it has the political / conspiratorial tone of Captain America: Winter Soldier, though it also contains the obligatory 5th Act super-hero punch-out extravaganza.
But up until that point, and after it, and even a little during it, it’s a much more interesting and introspective film than the movie trailers make it out to be. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is still feeling doubts about taking on the shield and mantle of Captain America, and even more doubtful about doing so working for the US government — especially since Thadeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who once put Sam in the Raft during the whole Civil War business, is now the President of the United States.
Story
The film is about interlocking redemption arcs — Sam coming to feel himself worthy of the Cap name, and Ross trying to show the world, and his estranged daughter, that he’s not the fire-breathing pile of anger he used to be. How these arcs criss-cross and entangle amid a long-standing conspiracy makes up the substance of the film, and by and large I found it handled pretty well.
Interestingly enough, Ross isn’t out to use his new position to hobble super-heroes. In fact, initially, he and Wilson get along decently in a guarded way. His big push is for a treaty between competing nations as to how to handle the Celestial remains sticking up out of the Indian Ocean post-Eternals, especially because the teams that have explored there have found a nifty brand-new metal: adamantium, which provides an interesting entree for whatever the MCU wants to do with Wolverine and the other X-Men.
Having the focus be on a treaty for peaceful cooperation, with high stakes and even possible war looming in the background, makes some interesting scenes, especially since it’s “only” a high-tension backdrop for the actual plot unfolding.
Since most of the action in the film centers on public events, it’s able to make good use of newscasts to provide backstory and plot reminders.
Acting
Mackie has had plenty of time to build his Falcon role, and, with the under-appreciated Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series, his story works well, as he goes back and forth between quiet wise-cracking and calm seriousness.
Surprisingly, Harrison Ford turns in a strong performance, too, with his own varying degrees of calm, anger, urgency, and desperation. He does a solid job as a US President, as a man with his own demons to fight, and, ultimately, a man who is faced with decisions about doing the right thing.
The rest of the cast acts competently, with Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley (originally from Falcon & Winter Soldier) the best of the show. I found Danny Ramierez Joaquin Torres (Falcon) character annoying. Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Stens made for a nifty villain, as did Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder (even if that character was completely added in reshoot).
On the female side (caveat below notwithstanding), Xosha Roquemore does a decent job as Ross’ security detail head, Leila Taylor, though she doesn’t get a chance to do much other than take orders and look concerned. Shira Haas’ controversial role as security agent Ruth Bat-Seraph suffers a bit from how it was edited, but is still fun.
Production
So, not surprisingly, lots of flying, which by and large works well, as does the aerial combat. The shield-slinging is pretty good, too.
For some reason, I was less satisfied with the Red Hulk CG than I was with the Green Hulk’s a decade ago. It might have been because of the effort to make him look like Harrison Ford so much, but his movements (except for jumping) and actions just didn’t feel quite right to me.
Any other problems?
Sam Wilson keeps doubting himself for not taking the super-soldier serum that created Steve Rogers’ Cap as well as Bucky “Winter Soldier” Barnes. Even so, he is flawless in throwing the shield, an incredible hand-to-hand fighter, shrugs off multiple injuries until the very end, and wears a Wakandan-designed flight suit. Given that Tony Stark was nothing without the armor, it’s a character conflict that never quite seems real.
That flight suit also felt a bit jarring and not in keeping with the attempt to keep the film more reality-grounded. From force fields to super-sonic flight to deus-ex-machina Redwing drones, it makes Sam Wilson more than himan in his ability to affect events.
When we deal with the World Leaders that President Ross is trying to get involved in a mutual cooperation treaty, there some significant missing pieces (there are, after all, some other significant countries in the world besides the US, France, India, and Japan). As well, those World Leaders are all male, and much of their setting is all male as well, which seems like a missed opportunity.
Frankly, the Act 5 battle between Cap and Red Hulk is almost anticlimactic. It not only wildly and abruptly amps up the power levels in the film (with the obligatory destruction porn to go with it), but Thunderbolt Ross himself would be furious that his security detail even dreamed of taking on a Hulk with pistol fire, or even with helecopter drones. The battle’s resolution kind of makes sense (almost any other would have seemed unrealistic), but it just stays this side of being kind of hokey.
Net-Net
I liked it. I was happy to pay movie theater prices for it. I plan to watch it again when it streams and goes to Blu-Ray. It’s not the best MCU film, or even the best Captain America film, but it’s a strong lead for the three MCU flicks we get this year (with Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four arriving in coming months). Well done.
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