Captain America: Brave New World Early Review

To say Phase 5 of the MCU has been its rockiest to date is an understatement. Since its start in 2023 with the divisive Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, some of the projects that have followed have had similar responses, such as Secret Invasion, The Marvels, and most recently, Season 3 of What If…?, while also being separated by some favorites such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Season 2 of Loki, Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along. Its latest entry, Captain America: Brave New World, falls somewhere in the middle, a film that doesn’t reach the heights of what the MCU can achieve or even the previous two Captain America movies, but is far from one of the MCU’s worst projects.

Some time has passed since the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Sam Wilson (Mackie) is now Captain America full-time, conducting missions around the world and keeping it safe. Things escalate, however, when President Thaddeus Ross (Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) survives an assassination attempt, leading to a conspiracy thriller as Sam searches for the culprit, and what bigger plans may have been set in motion. As the film progresses, it also ties into the larger framework of the MCU, connecting back to stories that took place years ago, finally giving them some closure in the process.

For Mackie, this has been a long time coming. Getting the shield from Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame, and then reclaimed it in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he officially cemented himself as the new Captain America. Since then, it has been a waiting game for his next installment, with many eagerly anticipating how he will play the character. Ultimately, Mackie is more than up to the task here. He slips into the role as Cap effortlessly, understanding the responsibilities of playing such an important role, while also retaining the lightheartedness and whimsy of his time as Falcon. Taking over the role is Joaquin Torres (Ramirez), returning from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sharing a solid rapport throughout the film, the two echo the dynamic of Steve and Sam from the previous Captain America films.

However, many audiences are undoubtedly here for Harrison Ford as President Ross, who as the marketing has revealed, transforms into Red Hulk. Now it is very clear that Ford is having the time of his life as Ross, as he fully taps into this film’s sensibilities, delivering an entertaining performance both as Ross and his red alter ego. While that side of him does not appear as much as some may like, one can only imagine that the motion capture sessions he was part of, where he made a bunch of angry expressions for the face of his Hulk, were a blast.

Where the film also excels, for the most part, is its action sequences. While some are a bit choppily edited with some occasionally wonky CGI, such as a section of the opening and a shootout in the streets, the two grander scale battles, particularly an aerial sequence with Sam blocking missiles over the ocean, are quite visually thrilling. The much talked about Red Hulk rampage is also impressive and explosive, all of it choreographed to an impressive score by Oscar-nominee Laura Karpman, whose previous work includes Ms. Marvel, The Marvels, and What If…?.

Interestingly, Brave New World is less a follow-up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and is more a bridge between two of the MCU’s more forgotten entries: The Incredible Hulk and Eternals. While the latter is admittedly more recent, questions about its massive final act and the emergence of the Celestial from the Indian Ocean have plagued Marvel fans for three years now. Good news for them: the frozen Tiamut is finally reintegrated into its storyline, as the US has discovered adamantium within its structure and wants to harness it, paving a path forward for a major development in the universe. But more importantly, it also finally acknowledges The Incredible Hulk in significant ways, often acting as a sequel to that film and many of its subplots, character motivations and even its central villain, Samuel Sterns a.k.a. The Leader, played once again by Tim Blake Nelson, a development which bodes well for fans of that film.

Ironically, it is those exact things that also make the film feel very stuffy, particularly in its second half, leading to several scenes where characters often turn into exposition delivery agents trying to contextualize what is happening, often even overcomplicating itself to an unnecessary degree. The first half mirrors Captain America: The Winter Soldier in a lot of ways, from an action packed opening, to spending some time with Sam and Joaquin, to the resounding intrigue it creates following the failed assassination attempt on Ross. However, past a certain point, the film becomes more focused with tying up loose ends from The Incredible Hulk, particularly Sterns’, whose arc remained untouched for years until becoming much more prominent here.

Because of this, Brave New World is sometimes less a Captain America film and instead a jumping off point for what is soon to come in the MCU. Doing much of the work as it heads towards its final act, the result that will no doubt be important come future phases. This choice is most felt within the film’s more impactful themes, particularly its socio-political commentary and its stance on events that take place over the course of the film, a flaw it shares with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when it came to that series’ handling of The Flag Bearers and their motivations. Meanwhile, as much as the film does finally address loose ends surrounding Sterns, he also isn’t as developed as one would hope after all this time, becoming another villain in the MCU who shows up for some time and then is done with their stint.

Ultimately, this leads to a film that though entertaining and a breezy watch, running at nearly 2-hours, it is also a bit messy by the end. While a far cry from Marvel’s worst, Captain America: Brave New World could have been a lot more than it was. That being said, Mackie’s turn as Captain America is a clear indication that he is very much up to leading the charge against any major threats on the horizon alongside a rebuilt Avengers, and when that time comes, we will look forward to seeing how it plays out.

still courtesy of Marvel Studios

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Shaurya Chawla