February 17, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
Now 35 films deep into its lore, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has dug itself so far into a corner that it's almost impossible to come back from.
As has been the case for several years now, every film in the MCU is unrightfully judged in comparison to the climatic ending of Marvel's Infinity Saga with “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” feeling the most blockbuster iteration of comic books come to life that cinema has seen outside of perhaps Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.”
As they attempt to rebuild the pieces of superheroes in a post-Avengers world, studio head Kevin Feige finds himself in the awkward position of creating new stars from less famous actors while attempting to keep continuity and extend fan service to those still loyal to his fledgling brand.
“Captain America: Brave New World,” the first film with the star-spangled hero not to feature Chris Evans, should be a banner project for Marvel setting the stage for what is to come in the MCU. However, it's clear that the hesitancy to develop a clear plan of where these stories are headed and overextending lesser films has shackled the new Captain America film into wrapping up old storylines rather than creating a world of its own.
“Brave New World” seeks to be a replication of the best Captain America solo film “The Winter Soldier,” leaning heavily into 1970s political espionage thriller to ground its comic book nature in more true to life world views. Though there is a Tom Clancy “Hunt for Red October” style to the film, “Brave New World” does not fully commit to this narrative opting to force unneeded ties to 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” and the much-maligned 2021 film “Eternals” in order to close the chapter on movies even ardent MCU fans don’t particularly care about.
Fully donning the stars and stripes for the first time cinematically, Anthony Mackie leans into the reluctant hero persona that his Sam Wilson, uh was ingrained with during the Disney+ TV show “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.” And while that show excellently handled racial identity politics, the film extension of this plot line isn't given the same weight and feels much more forced into the narrative as an entry point before all of the bombastic action begins.
It's easy for audiences to root for Mackie in the role, however, as the humanity that he imbues Sam with resonates off the screen and makes for the most compelling aspects of the film.
Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt as comic book stalwart Thunderbolt Ross, maintains the traditional gruff exterior throughout that one might come to expect from a classic Ford character and whatever gravitas he might normally bring to the part is easily destroyed by the outcome of his character.
Since it’s revealed in the film’s trailers, it’s not a spoiler to say that Ross’s transformation into the infamous Red Hulk. a CGI mega monster, doesn't really add much to Ford's character work here.
A smaller, tighter, better film probably would have focused more on the eccentricities of Tim Blake Nelson's return to the MCU as the villainous Samuel Stearns from “The Incredible Hulk” as the cerebral chess match that his character plays with Sam could have more naturally unfolded in less apocalyptic stakes.
Filmmaker Julius Onah feels a bit out of his depth carrying the weight of an expected blockbuster film for his only second directorial effort and while audiences can feel a little bit of his vision and style in the first act, it's clear that Marvel Studios and their computer graphic department take over the bulk of the heavy lifting by the end of the first hour or so.
As a result, the whole film becomes almost more of a two-part season finale to a Disney+ TV show rather than something that needed to be put on the big screen.
While ardent Marvel fans and completionists will likely watch “Captain America: Brave New World” within the first couple of weeks of its theatrical release, there's absolutely no reason to rush out to see the film before it will be largely forgotten in several months when Marvel's next project “Thunderbolts*” arrives on the big screen in May.
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