CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD -- Tries to Roar, but Manages a Whimper

Review by Jonathan Berk

2024 was the first year that there wasn’t a proper MCU film, with just Deadpool & Wolverine being the sole release coming from Marvel Studios. The big question left to answer now was this: could the MCU find its footing once again after many felt the films, post-Avengers: End Game, had dropped off in quality? Director Julius Onah returns audiences to the MCU with his film, Captain America: Brave New World. 

Captain America makes his cinematic return but with Sam (Anthony Mackie) wielding the iconic shield. After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam once again finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must now discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
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While Falcon and the Winter Soldier didn’t quite convince everyone that Mackie could fill in as the lead, he won enough people over to get his first solo movie. Mackie is the clear highlight of the film. He is able to uphold the mantle while bringing something new to the iconic character. The new suit also looks very cool, as it preserves his origins as Falcon while effectively melding it with the red, white, and blue of Captain America. That concept plays into the themes of the story through patriotism, being true to oneself, and American values. 

Also returning from the show is Danny Ramirez. Ramirez is the unexpected joy of the film. The chemistry between him and Mackie is stellar  — when the two share scenes where they are working together, those scenes truly pop in a satisfying way.

The big casting change was adding Ford to replace the now-deceased William Hurt, who had played Ross in a few other MCU films. Ford is a tremendous talent and inherently presidential. It's been a while since Air Force One or Clear and Present Danger, but Ford still has it. However, his star power and screen presence aren't enough to save the film from what will have you really seeing red…the script.

There is no better way to describe the story of Captain America: Brave New World than clunky. Unfortunately, there are far too many scenes of exposition. What makes those scenes even worse is that a majority of the exposition is either uninteresting or downright a little dumb. In many ways, this movie feels the most “comic book” in the derogatory sense of the word. It felt silly and over-the-top, which could be a direction the MCU is looking to move to…but it could push away its already waning fanbase. 

It’s not totally surprising that this film gets saddled with tying up some loose ends in the MCU. For fans of all of the content, they will likely take some pleasure in spotting all the well-placed easter eggs. For people coming to this 35th entry without all of the passion for the obscure pieces left in prior entries — they may find the experience daunting. 
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While there is plenty about this film to complain about, Captain America: Brave New World delivers enough to spark that familiar enjoyment these films tend to bring.  In many ways, the MCU seems to be making this a midpoint movie that will lead audiences to the next phase. Will we ever get back to the highest highs of the Marvel Avengers: End Game? It seems less and less likely. However, maybe we can get to the point when the movies stop trying to connect them all and focus on making one good one.

Captain America: Brave New World will be in theaters on February 14.

Rating: 3/5