“Captain America: Brave New World” marks the start of a new era for the MCU. The film is a high-stakes political thriller that keeps us guessing while setting up for the next cinematic event using plot devices and fan-favorite characters from previous films. Breaking it all down would spoil the fun; even if I could, it would be incredibly complicated to map it out in this review. That said, those following the MCU since the beginning will be excited to see how Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) long-awaited standalone film shapes the character’s story and the Multiverse saga in bold new directions.
While the camera cuts are distracting and take away from how exciting the action sequences can be, the story is entertaining and has enough intrigue to keep audiences fully engaged with what’s happening on screen. Moreover, “Captain America: Brave New World” is a film where Sam can step out of Steve’s shadow. It is a chance for the character to crave a path that will define his legacy within the MCU. Notice how director Julius Onah frames Sam’s identity as a hero. There aren’t any statues in his honor nor are there high tech gizmos and gadgets. He’s an everyman who happens to live in a world of demigods, mutants, and enhanced human beings. And the film spotlights Sam’s heroism and strong sense of duty, while also revealing his vulnerabilities and humanity.
Following the events of “The Eternals” and “The Incredible Hulk,” “Captain America: Brave New World” revolves around a pivotal moment in the life of Captain America, Sam Wilson, as he navigates a complex web of political intrigue, personal loss, and global security threats.
Operating as the new Captain America, the film opens with Sam and Joaquin Torres, aka the Falcon (Danny Rameriez), infiltrating stronghold in Mexico to stop an exchange between Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) – the leader of a dangerous terrorist organization called The Serpent Society – and a mysterious buyer. Though Sam and Joaquin are successful in retrieving a canister of Adamantium, they never meet the buyer. Still, its mission is accomplished, and they return as celebrated heroes for their efforts.
When Thaddeus “Thunderbolt’ Ross extends an invitation for them to join him and other world leaders at a Celestial Island Summit in the White House, Sam agrees to go, but only if he can bring Isiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), African-American Korean War veteran and super soldier who was imprisoned by the US government for treason and experimented on for 30 years, along. Isiah, still traumatized by all of the experimental atrocities done to him, is reluctant to join. Additionally, he believes if Captain America continues to stand for people like Ross, Captain America has no business working for the government.
Sam being the consummate counselor, convinces Isiah to go because despite their slight disagreement on the Captain America optics, Sam hasn’t forgotten about him and will always put him first.
Ross invited Sam to the White House for two reasons. One is he wants to work together to restarting the Avengers program. The second reason is to be the face of bringing global political stability as the two return the stolen canister of Adamantium to Japan. Before the Celestial Island Summit convenes, audiences learn how countries squabbled over mining Adamantium on the new celestial mass. The summit’s purpose is to ratify a treaty so that nations can mine enough Adamantium to fairly and equitably distribute around the World. No nation will be left behind. Many, including Sam, are skeptical given Ross’ past and reputation. Ross’ handling of the Abomination incident in Harlem in “The Incredible Hulk” and how he was responsible for ripping the Avengers apart through the use of the Sovokia Accords give many pause as to whether or not his intentions are genuine.
As the summit progresses, Isiah and five other ranking military officers attempt to assassinate President Ross. None have any memory of the foiled plot when they awaken from their stupor. Not convinced that Isiah would do this of his own free will, Sam investigates the matter and discovers a conspiracy that could have dire consequences for the countries involved in the summit.
Those familiar with Ross’ history in the MCU know that he isn’t a man to be trusted. His agenda does more harm to the public than the heroes. Despite all of his mistakes, it has not hurt his political aspirations. And soon, we see one of the most hated men in the MCU become President of the United States. However, this isn’t the same Ross we’ve seen before, not just because Ford took over the role after William Hurt passed in 2022. This man has taken responsibility for what he has done, which has hurt his reputation and caused him to be estranged from his daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). As the leader of the free world, he wants to ensure that Adamantium and its limitless applications can be used by all of the countries involved in the summit. Ford loves the role as his character navigates the political climate while trying to repair his relationship with his daughter.
When it becomes clear that there is more to this than a simple assassination attempt, Ross tries his best to handle the situation quickly. It seems like he’s hiding something. Or at least trying to prevent his past from surfacing. So he sends his security advisor, Isreali-born and former Red Room operative Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) to resolve the matter quickly. Ruth’s investigative skills and intensity is matched by Sam but doesn’t have nearly enough insight as to who Isiah is and what he’s had to sacrifice.
“Captain America: Brave New World” reimagines the dynamic between Steven Rogers and Sam Wilson by putting the latter in leadership and placing Joaquin as the buddy. Wilson has accepted the Captain America moniker and made it his own by utilizing his former Falcon wings, which have vibranium components, and embracing the shield as a weapon. The playful banter between the two suggests that their friendship and trust in each other has only grown since we first saw the pair in “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” streaming series. Since they have such chemistry with each other, we are emotionally invested in their safety and well-being. Sam orders Joaquin not to get himself killed and Joaquin responds: “don’t die, copy that.” There are also moments where Joaquin tries to coax Sam into letting him join missions by reminding Captain America that he can’t be in two places at once. The playfulness between the two brings humorous levity to a film heavy with political drama, but there must also be stakes. So the film pushes Sam to the emotional brink, knowing that Joaquin is not as experienced with flight suits as he is.
What makes something like “Captain America: Brave New World” work isn’t so much that it continues the legacy of a political thriller in the MCU or another Captain America movie, but it is something that belongs to Anthony Mackie. The actor makes the film his own by celebrating Sam as an everyman who happens to live in a world of superheroes. The film makes a point of having Sam acknowledge the opportunities to take the super soldier serum. As such, it makes him a regular guy who does extraordinary things and has to live up to the legacy of the man who previously wielded the shield. That comes through not just in how Sam talks about himself but also in how he recuperates injuries. The man feels pain just like anyone else, gets injured like anyone else, and grieves like anyone else. Not that the other heroes didn’t or haven’t, but Sam isn’t conventionally superpowered so he can connect to the human heroes more so than some of his counterparts. And it’s at this point in the franchise and the larger MCU saga that proves Mackie has earned this film and can hopefully continue to wield the shield.
The action sequences are a combination of exhilarating and dizzying. Many aerial sequences are just a small demonstration of what a winged suit could do when engaged in combat against an f-16 jet. Some of the more grounded scenes reveal how sharp or indestructible these wings are against vehicles and heavy artillery. Watching Sam use his wing to cut through a car or use vibranium wings to absorb gunfire shows us how the character has evolved in embracing the Captain America moniker and making it his own. But it also shows how vulnerable the suit and the man can be against something like a Red Hulk. Seeing Ross in his Red Hulk form rip a wing off and crush Sam’s helmet is one moment that reveals how much of an everyman Sam is. And the way that Sam uses the shield is just as fun. Yet the constant cuts makes some of the scenes unbearable to watch and ruins how fluid they can be.
Considering how “Captain America: Brave New World” is inspired by political thrillers, the pacing can be slow, the story is overly complicated, the drawn out third act can make you look at your watch. Still, there are more than a handful of moments that bring the film back down to earth, especially when we get to see Sam at his lowest and question whether or not he can go on. And he does this without calling any of the other Avengers. That said, we can expect a cameo or two.
Still, “Captain America: Brave New World” can look and feel like it was stitched up together by multiple writers. Though the pacing is slow, as it is for any film inspired by political thrillers, Rob Edwards and the writing teams of Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson and Onah & Peter Glanz also had to set it in a superhero world and use plot devices and characters from other MCU films, making that much more complicated to map out. Still the stellar cast does a lot of the heavy lifting, and with someone like Anthony Mackie taking the mantle of Captain America as an everyman, it will be exciting to see how the character grows and where he goes from here.
8.5/10
