We went to see the first big MCU film of the year, Captain America: Brave New World, and we have thoughts about it.
*warning: minor plot spoilers below for Captain America: Brave New World
Things in the MCU haven’t exactly been smooth as of late, with more misses than hits depending on who you ask. However, Captain America: Brave New World looked like it had the potential to be at least a partial return to form for a cinematic universe that at one point could do very little wrong, or at least a step in the right direction.
Captain America: Brave New World
Director: Julius Onah
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Captain America: Brave New World is set after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and sees General Thaddeus Ross (now portrayed by Harrison Ford) assume the presidency of the United States. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is firmly entrenched as the new Captain America with Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as his new wingman and would-be Falcon. Despite the reservations of many about someone of Ross’s temperament being in charge, things seem to be going well as a treaty about the ownership of Celestial Island (that big Celestial from Eternals) about to be signed.
But this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe; it’s never that easy.
First, let’s discuss the positives of this film, of which I found more than a few. The political thriller element of this story is well one. A large part of what makes this work is Harrison Ford’s performance as an older Ross who is trying desperately hard to bury his past missteps and move forward as a changed man. It could almost be argued that Ross has the makings of a tragic figure, as he is initially so blind to the consequences of his own actions that it nearly costs him everything. Ford’s acting helps sell the high stakes of what is going on, I’m not sure this part would’ve worked nearly so well without him.
Then there’s Celestial Island. I am happy beyond words that the MCU is finally acknowledging that a giant Celestial head and arm is now sticking up out of the Earth. It genuinely bothered me that none of the other MCU films were doing anything with this and I was afraid that this meant the events of the film were being swept under the rug. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case as not only does this new island take center stage in the film’s plot, it also introduces into MCU canon the very important element of adamantium. This is an addition to canon that was a long time coming and will surely come into play whenever the X-Men properly enter into the MCU as a whole (or at least that’s what I hope).
Another detail I enjoyed very much was the fight sequences with Sam as Captain America. Of course it was always awesome to see the vibranium shield used to great effect, but seeing how Sam combines the shield with his wings and his own fighting skills is just incredible. As much as Sam frets about not being a super soldier like Steve Rodgers was, I think this film more than proves that Sam is selling himself short and is more than up to the task.
Then there are the parts of the film that didn’t connect so well. These aren’t necessarily deal breakers, as hardly any films can be called “perfect,” but these things could certainly have been done better.
The biggest issue with I have with Captain America: Brave New World is how the last act is structured. Well, it might be better to say what initially feels like the last act. Because at one point everything comes together and it feels like an event teased for the entire film is finally about to happen and bring the plot to a head. And then it just….stops. Were it not for the teasers making it absolutely clear that the Red Hulk makes an appearance, I would’ve thought the film was ending. And maybe that was the intention of the filmmakers, but in that case they shouldn’t have marketed the Red Hulk so heavily and saved that moment as a total surprise.
Because of how it actually plays out, the actual final act comes across as somewhat uneven and not quite as impactful as it could’ve been. The fight scene that results is still impressive, but it could’ve been better.
Then there’s the film’s connections to The Incredible Hulk. Technically I know there’s nothing wrong in tying back to this film as it is also part of the MCU. That being said, the film also came out seventeen years ago and I think this unintentionally creates a problem as if you haven’t seen that film at all, or haven’t seen it recently, then some of this film’s reveals aren’t going to land particularly well. Maybe that’s a danger of having a sprawling story as long running as the MCU, it starts to become impossible to keep track of all the characters that might show up.
Despite these flaws, I found Captain America: Brave New World to be completely enjoyable. Some of the political elements are a bit too on the nose given current real-life circumstances, but the rest of the story makes up for that. Sometimes it’s nice to have a Marvel film that just focuses on investigation and straight out fighting the bad guys. If you go in with an open mind, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this story.
