Captain America: Brave New World Is a Mixed Bag
Highlighted by great individual performances, the newest Captain America film struggles to tell an interesting story.
Captain America: Brave New World succeeds when Harrison Ford and Carl Lumbly are on screen and disappoints when they’re not. Ford’s performance is so strong that it almost feels out of place with the rest of the film.
While there are small moments that are reminiscent of the truly fantastic Captain America movies from the MCU’s phase 1, the majority of this film suffers from a lackluster plot and underwhelming action sequences.
The most exciting moments from Brave New World are the world-building elements that set up the direction of the next few Marvel films coming later in 2025 and 2026. Adamantium and the multiverse will likely be a big player for this new era of stories and I imagine the backstory we get in this film will be very important moving forward.
Anthony Mackie put great care into his role as Sam Wilson. He didn't try and be a Steve Rogers 2.0 and instead made it his own with good depth and personalty.
Thank you for reading Blitz’s Backlot! A newsletter for movie and tv junkies featuring discussions, reviews, and recommendations about the latest in entertainment.
Great Performances
Harrison Ford definitely steals the show with his usual brilliance, but Carl Lumbly and Anthony Mackie also deserve their flowers.
Ford is powerful, emotional, and compelling. Whenever he is on screen, he commands your attention. This is a trait that works very well in blockbusters like this. We saw it in Star Wars and Indiana Jones; when a story relies on the struggle between good versus evil and the action sequences that follows, a strong on-screen presence is essential to furthering the plot.
Lumbly was also great and added a really important layer of depth and meaning to his character. When it was all said and done, his character was the one I resonated the most with. Given his limited screen-time throughout most of the second and third acts, that is an impressive achievement.
Last but certainly not least, Mackie did a great job not trying to live up to the incredibly lofty standards set by Chris Evans and his iconic portrayal of Steve Rogers. Instead, he made Sam Wilson his own. And that is okay. I can only imagine the pressure Anthony felt to follow such an iconic character that has become engrained in pop culture forever, but I think he did a good job.
Rather than try and emulate Evans’ Steve Rogers, Mackie brought to life new and unique struggles, strengths, and conflicts to Cap. He still embodied that classic Captain America spirit, but did a great job differentiating the two people. He made sure that we, as an audience, understand this is not going to be a basic reincarnation of Steve Rogers. Keeping things fresh and uncertain is how you rebuild interest in the MCU, especially given their recent struggles in the box office.
Lackluster Story and Underwhelming Dialogue
Unfortunately, the film’s talent cannot overcome what is simply a mundane plot. Frankly, there is not much to this story and I feel like it was at least in part due to Marvel’s marketing strategy for this movie.
I get that seeing Harrison Ford turn into Red Hulk in the trailers puts butts in seats, but I can’t stop thinking about how electric the theatergoing experience would have been had they kept that a secret. Imagine the shock. Imagine the genuine excitement. I feel like Marvel has been in desperate need of a moment like that and this was a missed opportunity. It was yet another decision to prioritize money over trusting your lead actors and pushing good, unsuspecting storytelling in the marketing department.
At the end of the day, revealing big twists like this beforehand hurts the film no matter how you try and shape it.
Additionally, there were a few moments throughout the story where I genuinely could not believe certain characters and their decision making. Superhero films tend to make it slightly easier to overlook plot holes and corny tropes than other genres, but even Mackie and Ford couldn’t make some of the writing easier to digest.
Marvel’s Multiverse Saga Has Great Potential
As I mentioned at the start, Brave New World’s world-building was the film’s biggest positive. I think fans who are excited for Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic 4, and the upcoming Avengers movies will leave with even more anticipation. I am not sure if that is a good thing for people who really wanted to love this Captain America movie, but it does bode well for Marvel as a whole.
That is a testament to the writers room for making sure to provide important details about the element Adamantium and including purposeful cameos that actually drive forward interesting stories that will be present in future films.
Part of the appeal of the MCU is this interconnected feeling fans leave with every time they watch a new release. Brave New World doesn’t shy away from rewarding hardcore fans in that way. While that doesn’t necessary make for a great individual movie, it is definitely something that should be celebrated in this particular genre.
Final Thoughts
Wonderful performances from Anthony Mackie, Carl Lumbly, and especially Harrison Ford do not hide Captain America: Brave New World’s obvious plot holes and underwhelming story. That said, its interesting world-building leaves much to be excited about in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years to come.
Additional Reading
What I am watching, listening, reading, and playing this week.
Philadelphia
An incredibly moving story with two generational performances. The pre-trial scene when the entire Beckett family is gathered around to show support for Andrew is beyond powerful. It is a moment that everyone in the world could use a rewatch of in today’s climate.
Severance (Season 2)
The best show on television right now is back for season 2! If you are not watching Severance, you are missing out on a generational story that will go down in history as one of the best all-time. Get refining!
GNX
Since his Super Bowl halftime performance, I haven’t been able to get enough of Kendrick Lamar’s GNX. It is an album that listens like a story with a tremendous amount of symbolism and meaning.
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Brandon Sanderson is one of the best fantasy/sci-fi writers today and you will absolutely adore his writing in Tress of the Emerald Sea. I was new to his work and this book will open up a massive range of series, standalone novels, and novellas to enjoy in the same universe.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The best Indiana Jones story of the last few decades comes in video game form. The Great Circle features a captivating story full of the same emotion and action the original Indiana Jones films executed so well. I have been loving this single-player experience!
Thank you for reading Blitz’s Backlot! If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing the publication to other film and tv lovers. I greatly appreciate your support.
