#REVIEW: “CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has fully embraced being the new Captain America and is immediately put to the test when an assassination attempt on the life of the recently inaugurated US President, Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over for William Hurt), sets off a chain of events that could lead to an international incident between the United States and China.

There is more going on obviously – and some of it may require a little homework depending on your knowledge of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Mini-Series and two lesser beloved entries in the MCU canon – but for the most part, CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is a totally fine and unremarkable picture that quite frankly, could be much worse. Yes, it is plagued by a pastiche of reshot scenes (some more glaringly obvious than others), sloppy editing and many moments of questionable green-screening, courtesy of the dreaded ‘volume’ the Franchise loves to overuse. Yet the Film still has some solid effects and decent action beats peppered throughout, and is entertaining enough as a mild diversion from the dystopic hellscape the news has been painting our daily lives with as of late.

While I do not think the Film deserves the amount of vitriolic hyperbole it is receiving online, I do think many of its issues would not be so prominent if Mackie was given more agency as the Film’s lead. He has always been a great supporting character in his previous outings as Sam Wilson, and was compelling enough in the Mini-Series. Here though, he feels like a glorified plot device who forcibly moves the Film forward, rather than moving forward alongside it. Much of the character’s experience of being African-American is stripped away as is the importance of his relationship with Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) which lacks any real emphasis beyond being the inciting reason for the Film’s jumping off-point. I may be looking for more nuance than I should be in an MCU film (and some of this was already glazed over in the mini-series), but have always felt the previous Captain America films were among the Franchise’s strongest entries. This is because they had deeper machinations and moral quandaries on their mind that go beyond the typical whiz-bang superhero nonsense that made the Franchise insanely popular to begin with. By not even attempting to emulate those films, BRAVE NEW WORLD just ends up feeling like a missed opportunity.

Supporting wise, I thought Danny Ramirez did well as the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres, and smaller turns from Tim Blake Nelson and Giancarlo Esposito were effective enough. Not surprisingly however, BRAVE NEW WORLD’s MVP is Ford as the now President Ross. He brings just the right amount of rizz, bravado and menace to the role, and instantly makes you forget Hurt’s multiple portrayals (and he is a whole lot less whiny in his grizzled tone). The hint of emotion and regret he brings to some scenes does a terrific job grounding Ross, and while the Film’s marketing betrays the character’s big Third Act reveal, I think Ford does a more than adequate job balancing everything asked of him. I can only hope he gets another chance to breathe life into Ross again soon.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is far from perfect and far from the heights the MCU has provided for us in the past. But as the starting point for the new phase (hastily teased after the End Credits), it is a more than serviceable entry that still manages to entertain. Ford certainly makes the Film worth watching.

Walt Disney Pictures Canada release CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD
in theatres Friday, February 14, 2025.

We were fortunate enough to join the recent global press conference for the Film. More here.