Movie Review — ‘Captain America: Brave New World’

The last time we saw Sam Wilson of The Avengers, he was co-starring in a Disney+ action series with Bucky Barnes.

Finally, six years after Steve Rogers retired from the job, Wilson has gotten his first crack at a Captain America movie.

So, is Captain America 4 the Brave New World we’d been promised? Here’s my review.

About the Captain America Franchise

In 2011, Paramount Pictures faced the unenviable task of trying to sell the population on a superhero.

At the time, comic book fans knew who Captain America was, but his pop culture footprint was relatively low.

While covering the production of the film, the question I heard most often was, “Why are they making another superhero movie?”

While Paramount had convinced society that Iron Man was fun, the next Avengers, Thor and Steve Rogers, were a much harder sell.

That statement sounds ludicrous with the benefit of hindsight, but Hollywood scoffed at Paramount’s Avengers plan.

Then, the idea worked, and fans demanded more.

Enter the Russo Brothers. In March 2014, these two unleashed a Captain America sequel on an unsuspecting public. Captain America: The Winter Soldier dazzled with its combination of intense action scenes and political intrigue.

Here’s one of the moments that changed the MCU forever. 

That film elevated the perception of the Russos so much that Captain America: Civil War became a mini-Avengers film.

Still, The Winter Soldier is the film I’ve thought about the most after returning from the theater from Brave New World.

In a way, Captain America 4 wants to be another Winter Soldier, going so far as to mimic the casting shocker.

Robert Redford stunned everyone by agreeing to appear in the second Captain America movie.

Now, the same thing has happened with another screen legend, Harrison Ford.

Han Solo/Indiana Jones replaces the late William Hurt in the role of Thunderbolt Ross, who is somehow now POTUS.

But the purpose of this film is to elevate Anthony Mackie into a viable leading man in the MCU.

So, history is repeating itself, as Chris Evans was kind of a joke in 2011, having most recently starred in Push and The Losers.

About ‘Captain America: Brave New World’

Evans’ career was going nowhere…and then he became iconic.

Mackie’s career is actually in better shape, having starred in two wildly successful streaming programs recently.

Also, I should mention that Mackie started strong as the villain in 8 Mile, and I’ve been a superfan since I saw him in We Are Marshall.

I actually suspect the people behind Brave New World are as well, as they find a way to bring him back to West Virginia in the film.

Anyway, the point is that the MCU has trained audiences to love Chris Evans as Captain America.

When Evans retired from the role in 2019, Marvel had a plan to level up Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, who we already adored. Remember this?

Marvel loved it so much that the seminal moment in Avengers: Endgame paid tribute to it:

So, I find some of Marvel’s strategy here a bit insecure. It’s like Marvel doesn’t quite trust Mackie yet.

By casting Harrison Ford, the studio has stacked the deck while also giving Mackie a viable foil. But does it all work?

Yes and no. I’ve written 550 words now and haven’t mentioned the new film at all. As an apology, I’ll tell you my grade right now.

Captain America: Brave New World gets a solid B+ from me and my movie critic wife gives it a B-.

We were both listed on Rotten Tomatoes before there was even a Tomatometer, so we’ve been doing this for a while.

We used to write an article called He Said/She Said, and this would have been one of the rare instances where we disagreed.

She found the film ill-timed and rather pointless. I don’t typically mention her thoughts in these reviews, but they’re relevant here.

That’s the general critical consensus about Brave New World.

About the Plot of Brave New World

Here’s why I disagree. The production of this film was famously a mess, with multiple reshoots.

Since movie critics are more plugged in, we usually know these things. Also, we’ve seen enough films to tell editing issues.

Brave New World unmistakably has several of those.

When a camera cuts to someone’s face, but you don’t see their lips move, it’s an edit.

Similarly, when you hear the dialogue but no one’s lips move, that’s an edit. There are several of these moments in the film.

Here’s the thing, though. None of that should factor into someone’s enjoyment of a film.

For me, Brave New World starts well with an excellent action scene reinforcing the novelty of a flying Captain America.

We also get a taste of his Wakandan-enhanced new abilities, and those come into play throughout the film.

The action in this film is tight and well-considered. Nothing ever drags, and that goes for the story as well.

Yes, the plot is political and just brutally timed. I suspect everyone involved with the project wishes it’d come out before the election.

That’s not a political statement but rather a comment that it’s unintentionally hot-button at, like, THE worst possible time.

When we ignore that reality, the plot makes perfect sense. Thunderbolt Ross takes over the White House.

This former general had previously imprisoned Wilson, but now the President needs his help.

Ross promises that he’s trying to change, but he’s also a ticking time bomb. We all know from the commercials the secret he’s hiding.

Ford is terrific here and genuinely invested as the President with a Mr. Hyde lurking in his psyche.

Wilson and Ford are also excellent together, which enhances their scenes.

What I Loved about Brave New World

Still, the film hinges on Wilson and a pair of new characters, at least for Marvel movies.

We met Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he wasn’t super then. Now, he’s the new Falcon.

The film deftly uses Torres as the gung-ho new guy and tech savant.

Then, we have Ruth Bat-Seraph, an ally of Ross who becomes an antagonist of Captain America and The Falcon.

She’s like five feet of fury, and there’s a reason why she’s so formidable. I won’t spoil it here, though.

Then, we have other terrific actors like Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, and Giancarlo Esposito appearing in small but significant roles.

So, the film wins with casting in that somebody incredible appears in nearly every scene.

While some critics have suggested that the plot is convoluted and hard to follow, I didn’t have that problem.

I suspect the high-quality actors explain why the film worked for me.

In a lesser performer’s hands, Thunderbolt Ross may have failed, but as an Indiana Jones fanatic, I admired what Ford did here.

Also, the story utilizes a unique, largely forgotten piece of recent Marvel history in an interesting way…and it sets the table for something important in the MCU.

What I Didn’t Love About Brave New World

You have to turn off your brain about some elements of the plot, especially with regard to the President’s behavior.

Similarly, some of the international intrigue feels manufactured.

These are the moments where the film struggles, and its plot clearly falls well short of the mark established by Winter Soldier.

That’s really the underlying problem here. Captain America 2 and 3 were among Marvel’s best films.

Brave New World is better than Thor: Love & Thunder and probably Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Still, this film isn’t on the level of the other Captain America films.

It’s definitely the weakest of the bunch, but that’s because the first three are so wonderful.

I’d equate the situation to a superstar having a good season rather than the superstar season fans expect.

This film sets a path for the next MCU film, Thunderbolts*, and establishes that Sam Wilson is worthy of being Captain America.

I’m not sure that will be enough for fans who still aren’t sure whether the MCU is good enough right now.

For me, I laughed a lot and was thoroughly entertained. Anthony Mackie is VERY good in this role, which matters a lot.

But I suspect that most viewers will feel the same as my wife, wondering what is the point of Brave New World.

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!