Matthew Lomas
Matthew LomasWhen Captain America: Brave New World was announced, I was rather excited. Having Anthony Mackie’s Sam take the mantle of Captain America following the events of Avengers: Endgame and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, seemed like the logical next step. As the years have gone on post-Endgame, a lot of people have begun to question how good the Marvel Cinematic Universe is and if it can stand the test of time. Much of this seems to be due to the horrible mismanagement of Bob Chapek wanting quantity over quality when it came to Disney projects.
While this is the last of the Marvel projects that has his presence looming over it, I believe that Kevin Feige has taken this movie to what it needs to be: the first movie to show us a brave and new Captain America. For those who haven’t watched the trailer, let me break the plot down in a non-spoiler way. After getting caught in the middle of an international incident, Captain America must navigate a game of cat and mouse with an enemy hiding in the shadows. Where is this mysterious foe? What is the enemy’s end goal? Who is playing who? These questions must be answered as quickly as possible by the new Captain America and Falcon before too many people get hurt.
Let’s start with the big question in the room: How is Sam (Anthony Mackie) as the new Captain America? He soars with flying colors. Specifically, red, white, and blue. There will probably be a lot of people who feel a bit thrown off by some of the action sequences or quips that Cap has. However, that goes away once you realize that Sam is still Sam.
He has been given this new responsibility but has not lost himself in the mantle of Captain America. He has remained the good man that Steve saw in him when he handed the shield over at the end of Endgame. The writers didn’t try to make him sound like Steve Rogers’ Captain America, and that is a great thing because it would’ve been easy to fall into those pits of imitation.
The overall story is rather nice but it isn’t nearly as compelling as the advertisements would lead you to believe. The writers seem to be trying to tap into elements of both Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This causes a bit of dancing between themes that at times work and sometimes falls flat. Most of the themes and plot points that work feel similar to The First Avenger which is why I am putting it on equal footing with that film.
Another important thing to look at is where this film takes us in terms of the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe and the development of Sam as Captain America. With the former, I am more confident in Captain America being a leader of the Avengers heading into Doomsday. As for the latter, there is one loose string that exists at the end that sets up a character who could be for Sam who Zola was to Steve.
As for the supporting cast, I think there were a few too many new characters to juggle around. Some played pivotal parts that did what needed to be done, while others felt as useful as Captain Marvel was in Avengers: Endgame. Harrison Ford did a phenomenal job picking up the role of President Thadeus Ross after the late William Hurt. There was one goofy scene with him and a few set pieces that felt off, but that was the only downside to his character.
Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres and Shira Haas’ Sabra need more time to grow as characters. Their development was on the verge of being similar to Sam’s character development in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While Joaquin Torres seems to have a way forward within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it remains to be seen where they could take the character of Sabra where she is left off.
Overall, Captain America: Brave New World is not the greatest MCU film and certainly not the worst. In terms of Captain America films, this movie is tied with Captain America: The First Avenger in overall quality. While many people find this worrying since the MCU is now comprised of 35 films, I don’t think that is the way to look at it. It makes more sense to compare Captain America: Brave New World to the other Captain America films. At the end of the day, I believe that this film is worth the price of admission! If you are looking for more blockbuster action, check out my review for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 right here.
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39 Captain America: Brave New World
Pros
- Good First Outing for our new Captain
- Outstanding Visuals
- Great Action Scenes
- Positive Direction for MCU
Cons
- Some Pacing Issues
- Lack of Care for Villain
