It is a brave new world to embrace, indeed, yet one we can conform to without the necessities of another mediocre and bathetic product by the MCU standards.
You know, whoever signed off on having a boundless amount of reshoots might need to receive a medal of honor, but that may become a tchotchke in a week if numbers don’t satisfy the Disney lords and Kevin Feige is hissing, “Damn it, we need to go back and do another nostalgic event to surge our prestige again!” The whole regime has teetered and tottered since Avengers: Endgame rattled the box office with a sensational conclusion. It would only serve as their undoing as the Mouse House hasn’t learned the message from Harvey Dent in the post-Endgame slew of releases, aside from Shang-Chi and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and coasting on past-tense generational glories a la Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine. Maybe this is the current benchmark for the saturated franchise now, as the days are long gone of it being the studio that willed into existence the likes of Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok, and even Ant-Man. Now, it’s another day at the office.
Captain America: Brave New World is the, checks notes, 35th film of the MCU series, yet it comes off as a middling and otiose imitation of its previous titles (Winter Soldier and Civil War). And while you can find joy in Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford’s performances, there’s incoherent, clunky dialogue and exposition for every bullet fired as we plunge further into the plot. This is not rocket science: let Harrison Ford rope in his quiddities and then have Mackie throw the punches and shield while evolving as a character in this low-level-scale situation (which, admittedly, is refreshing from another save-the-galaxy trope). Exposition must develop the plot, not serve as your last-hope gimmickry that only appeases the guys behind the camera. Yours indeed didn’t realize he needed to get the ostentatious beats of The Incredible Hulk (and Eternals) dispersed throughout this one. We might as well have taken some gamma radiation pills to hulk up ourselves, guys!
Anyway, the plot follows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who has taken up the role of Captain America since Steve Rogers retired the shield, and is in the midst of an international debacle. That’s right, the center of attention falls onto the newly elected president of the United States, Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, who takes over for the late William Hurt). Apparently, Ross is trying to negotiate a peace treaty with several nations about the existence of Adamantium (from the celestial body that grew in Eternals) but gets sucked into a conflicting trap with political consequences that Wilson must find out who is responsible. And lo and behold, we finally see what Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) has been up to since he got a taste of Hulk’s blood seventeen years prior, wanting to exact torment and pain on Wilson and Ross.
Even for a relatively primitive plot, this comes off as a mishmash of several other strings tied together that unfolds with a spavined presentation. Most of that can be attributed to its lack of stylistic, opting for a monotonous presentation of character work and shoehorning in truckloads (dare we say, hulk loads) of backstory and exposition. And for all the discourse of it being considered a “political thriller,” it’s synonymous with a dumbed-down tale that feels more like a conventional action set piece than resembling anything tense and nuanced. As mentioned above, some story tidbits are mundane copy-and-paste attempts from its thought-provoking predecessors (Giancarlo Esposito tries a Winter Soldier set piece for three scenes, and Mackie goes rogue to save his friend a la Civil War). To be fair, Esposito tries to give it his all, but his work in Breaking Bad is leagues ahead of this glorified cameo of sorts. The visuals are also somewhat perturbing at times, sticking out like a sore thumb anytime the action ramps up, or Ford’s face takes the close-up shots while he keeps his anger contained.
There is grace to have in this film, thanks to a charming performance by Danny Ramirez, who takes up the role of Falcon. Mackie keeps a decisive, gritty attitude with internal struggles of not living up to expectations like his predecessor, and he has a pleasing bond with Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley (who spends most of the film locked up after being mind-controlled). And Ford does his usual shtick, though you wish he could’ve done even more, aside from inevitably embracing the red. At least someone can be praised for this, as this is the closest we’ve gotten to a Hulk in years who embodies the role respectfully.
While it doesn’t last an eternity, Captain America: Brave New World is neither brave nor new as a setpiece; it’s more of the same old you’ve come to expect by the MCU standards, so enjoy the fun while it lasts fleetingly and off we go to the next one.
