For Valentine’s Day, Marvel fans got a new MCU installment, Captain America: Brave New World. In this film, a new Captain America investigates a plot to assassinate the now President Ross. But does it successfully pass the shield to Sam Wilson, or does it feel like something else entirely?
SPOILER WARNING
This article will open with spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.
In Captain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah, Anthony Mackie returns as Sam Wilson who has taken on the mantle of Captain America. Joining him are Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, training to be a new Falcon, and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, the forgotten and first Captain America. General Thaddeus Ross also returns as a newly elected president, this time played by Harrison Ford, as well as Tim Blake Nelson playing Samuel Sterns.
Among the newer characters we have Shira Haas playing the mysterious Ruth Bat-Seraph, an agent working under Ross’s command, and Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder, leader of the Serpent Society. We also get a couple of cameos from Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, and Live Tyler as Betty Ross.
It’s a film packed with characters old and new and is, at times, exciting to watch. But the film seems to lack focus, especially on Captain America himself, who feels like a secondary character in his debut movie.
The story begins with Captain America and Torres on a mission to retrieve stolen technology from Sidewinder. After a successful mission, President Ross invites him to the White House. He brings Torres along, as well as Isaiah Bradley. During the visit, Ross makes his motive for the invitation clear: he wants Sam Wilson to help him rebuild the Avengers.
Out of nowhere Bradley, alongside some other agents, attempt to assassinate the president, leading to Captain America investigating exactly why and how it happened. It’s up to him to both save the president and prove the innocence of his friend.
While this is a Captain America movie, the story truly revolves around Ross. He wants to atone for his past hunting down the Hulk and tearing apart the Avengers. He wants to prove to himself he can be a good person and to rebuild his relationship with his daughter.
The action sequences in this movie are fantastically well put together. We get to see Sam Wilson’s new and unique fighting style; combining his falcon suit, vibranium shield, and redwing drone. He also has energy absorbing wings courtesy of Wakanda, that can absorb energy to blast out later, much like Black Panther’s suit.
The cast works well together, especially the chemistry between Wilson, Torres, and Bradley. Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross is jarring at first, but he quickly fills the role and you start to accept him as an aged military man trying to do the right thing. Shira Haas and Giancarlo Esposito are fine when they are on screen, but they don’t have as much to do as side characters.
Sebastian Stan’s cameo feels unnecessary. Even if it is great to see them together again, the conversation they have about whether or not Wilson should have take the supersoldier serum was already explored in-depth in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and falls flat when they both turn the whole conversation into a joke.
The action sequences showcase Wilson’s unique take on the Captain America mantle, but the story doesn’t serve him nearly as well as his combat skills do. It’s workable and has some interesting interactions between different characters. But it’s so simple and straightforward that there are times when it tries to create tension and fails. The slow reveal of Samuel Sterns as Leader, for example, is dragged out a little too much. By the time the film reveals it as a grand twist, it’s old news.
The movie seems to be trying to say something, but generally doesn’t. Near the end of the movie (Spoilers!), Thaddeus Ross sits imprisoned in the Raft and Wilson tells him that he respects him for owning up to his crimes and atoning for them. This could be a statement on a certain president that managed to avoid prison, but it lacks the drive behind it to nail the point down.
As another example, Wilson’s speech about never failing is meant to be a defining moment, but it feels like the end of a character arc that was never actually built up.
The film has some impressive action sequences that show off what this Captain America can do. The opening sequence where he fights the Serpent Society brings you right into the film and shows off his new skills and technology. Later, we see him and Torres pushed to the edge as they try to avert a war with Japan over the body of the Celestial rising from the sea.
These are great setups that make the final fight against Red Hulk believable. While he is outmatched on pure strength alone, his energy absorbing wings and more advanced Redwing drone(s) are critical in him holding his own. And, of course, Wilson wins by doing what he does best. He manages to talk Ross down and get him to revert back to human form.
However, for a movie that is introducing Wilson as the new Captain America, he feels like a secondary character in his own movie. Thaddeus Ross is the focal point of the story, and when the antagonist is revealed to be Samuel Sterns (a.k.a. The Leader), it starts to feel more like a continuation of The Incredible Hulk.
Wilson, Torres, and Bradley are woven into the story, but the story isn’t about them. Take them out and insert a few different characters instead, and the story doesn’t change much. Only the action sequences do. I wouldn’t have a problem if this was Wilson’s second movie as Captain America, it’s just a shame this first outing doesn’t focus on Wilson himself.
Captain America: Brave New World is passable, but it lacks the emotional core that made past Captain America films stand out. The characters are fine. The story works. The action sequences are fun. It’s not the worst MCU film, but it’s far from the best. Sam Wilson deserves a stronger debut.
If you’re a casual fan or not an MCU fan at all, then this movie probably isn’t for you. While it has some fun action sequences, it fails to stand out as anything too spectacular. On the other hand, if you’re an MCU completionist you’ll get a film to watch, one that isn’t the worst thing to come out of the MCU so far.
