Captain America: Brave New World Review

Sam Wilson has had a hell of a decade. In the last 10 years, we’ve seen the veteran counsellor marked as a fugitive, imprisoned on The Raft, snapped out of existence, passed over as the new Captain America (despite Steve Rogers’ wishes) and, worst of all, bested by Ant-Man in single combat. That he’s still willing to put it all on the line after all that is what makes Sam such a compelling, solid hero, and what makes Captain America: Brave New World feel disappointingly afraid to venture out into the unknown.

Brave New World has an incredibly difficult task right out of the gate: Getting us up to speed on a franchise that now encompasses more than 40 movies and TV shows. The law of diminishing returns suggests that it’s never been less likely that the average audience member will be able to recall, say, the events of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk – let alone 2021’s Eternals – at a moment’s notice. A title like “Brave New World” suggests that maybe, maybe Anthony Mackie’s first headlining gig behind the shield could forge ahead into unexplored territory. But almost immediately, newscasts and archival video resurface largely unconnected MCU events with a “Previously on…” level of subtlety. You can almost see the Marvel brass crossing their fingers in the hopes that this recap is enough to substitute for the affection we may or may not have for movies that are 10-plus years old at this point.

Building a new story out of mostly old parts is nothing new in Hollywood, and certainly not for Marvel Studios, but Brave New World feels especially craven in how it pecks around the events of the Sacred Timeline for structure. With its “political thriller” pitch, Brave New World nakedly evokes 2014’s The Winter Soldier with a mess of ulterior motives, double-agents, brainwashing, and of course, a secret military outpost with a villain’s lair in the basement. Take that home, throw in a dead Celestial in the Indian Ocean and a potato… baby, you’ve got a stew going! But like with Carl Weathers’ recipe, you shouldn’t be expecting anything too flavorful from those leftovers.

With familiar drama driving Brave New World forward – and fewer comedic aspirations than your Guardians or Deadpool and Wolverine – the predictably-conceived action is even more of a letdown. Sam knows his way around a pair of jet wings, and we’ve seen that Vibranium shield ricochet off of countless tactical helmets – most of Brave New World’s action feels hesitant to push too far outside of that comfort zone, with no real sense of novelty in either concept or execution. Even Sam’s only tech upgrade of note is taken directly from Black Panther’s kit. Like many Marvel Studios directors before him, Julius Onah doesn’t find much footing with the blockbuster material. And that’s before we get to the film’s frustratingly cloying “Can’t we all just get along?” political message, which begs us to remember to see the good in each other while doing relatively little to call out what the inverse actually looks like.

The perspective and power that Brave New World scrounges up is more rooted in the actors’ performances than anything on the page, a dynamic well-represented by Anthony Mackie’s performance as Sam Wilson. Befitting a Captain of America, Sam’s true power is his ability to bring out the best in others, and to counsel them when they’re at their lowest. It’s one of the things that sets Sam’s approach to from Steve Rogers’: He’s a people person, which isn’t a bad place to start for a lower-case “L” leader. Mackie holds that passion for community at the center of everything Sam does, and the strong foundation he’s built up with the character gives the rest of Brave New World a great sparring partner. Sam’s taken young Air Force pilot Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) under his wing(s) as a fledgling Falcon, and his mentorship of the exuberant soldier does more to underline Sam’s heroism than any missile he downs or bullet he deflects. Mackie and Torres have a great big-brother/little-brother dynamic, and even though the new Falcon is mostly just here for a ride-along, Ramirez makes a charismatic first impression.

Sam’s weightier loyalties play out most significantly in how Brave New World deploys Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), the “Forgotten Cap” who reminds Sam gravely that his horrifying history could repeat itself if he puts too much trust in President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) and his administration. In a relatively small amount of screentime, Lumbly shines, imbuing Bradley with bravado that becomes heartbreaking vulnerability as he’s again scapegoated by political forces, especially during a prison visitation in which he can’t even look Sam in the eye. Like in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bradley proves to be a very strong character with which to ground the story’s human stakes, but it’s here that Brave New World trips over all the old material lying around. Going into Brave New World, you either watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or you didn’t. If you did, Brave New World’s handling of Bradley is functionally identical, and so may not land with as much gravity. If you didn’t, the movie introduces him in a pretty glib way, making a joke out of his decades-long jailtime seconds after he walks onscreen. Neither story handles the character with the grace Lumbly approaches him, but both are much better for his being a part of it.

Lumbly’s performance may be the most powerful, but Harrison Ford’s is Brave New World’s biggest surprise, though maybe not for the big, red reason you may expect. The majority of “Thunderbolt” Ross’ time in the MCU (as played by the late William Hurt) has been spent on the fringes, but Ford brings his Indiana Jones/Han Solo charisma to the newly-minted politician. And while yes, he does Hulk out eventually, Ford’s far more interesting contribution is how fun it is to watch him try not to Hulk out. Whatever reputation for being grumpy he’s acquired over the years, the actor takes it here and turns the dial way up, and the question of what’s finally going to push him over the edge – and when – results in Brave New World’s most reliable thrills.

The other big surprise? This is no glorified cameo, Harrison Ford’s all over this thing! Ross takes center stage in the film’s opening moments, winning the Presidency on a unity platform powered in part by the ongoing geopolitical crisis caused by the emergence of the Celestial Tiamut in international waters. That mammoth corpse is chock-full of resources the worlds’ governments are licking their lips over, but after some of those resources are targeted by mercenaries, Ross seems intent on brokering a diplomatic solution which is enough for Sam to put their tumultuous past aside in the name of progress.

Mackie and Ford do well maintaining a strong sense of tension just under the surface of Sam and Ross’ interactions, a mingling of their crackling onscreen personas that Brave New World gets a lot of its best moments from, even and especially as the plot escalates into a series of skirmishes between opposing factions without much definition. Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder barely registers (no small feat when casting the former Gus Fring) President Ross’ security adviser Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) serves as a go-between for he and Cap, but outside of one brief fight sequence, she’s pushed into a functionary role with very little to contribute. As for Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, Bruce Banner’s former ally hints at much stronger, more personal detours Brave New World could’ve made, but his relation to the conflict has an air of the tail wagging the dog, and his gamma-powered perception of probability doesn’t ever bear enough fruit to pose a recognizable threat. That said, there’s some infectious joy to be had as Nelson moves Stearns into more Leader-like territory on the strength of his detached, steely monologuing and a pretty excellent design. His bulging green noggin looks like what happens in Invader Zim when Zim gets hit in the head and one of his fake eyes falls out. It’s good and more villains should have gross, green heads.