Preamble

Two posts in two days! You poor unfortunate souls! In all seriousness, I was actually on the fence about seeing this film. The MCU has become so interconnected that even if you miss one aspect (namely Falcon and Winter Soldier), you feel as though you might be missing out. Fortunately, something compelled me to throw caution to the wind and give the movie a whirl. With that said, have you seen Captain America: Brave New World? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

Out of all the MCU solo film franchises, Captain America is the most diverse. The initial trilogy boasted a period-authentic war epic, a 70s-inspired spy thriller and an Avengers 1.5 effort that pitted its various heroes against one another. This strength somewhat remains with the fourth entry- Brave New World. It attempts to harmonize comic book elements from The Incredible Hulk with the grounded paranoia storytelling that pervaded The Winter Soldier. The result is a fun and swift romp that never rises to the thematic depth of its predecessors.

Brave New World is about the newly elected president- Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), who attempts to negotiate a treaty of equal trade of a freshly discovered element called adamantium. However, after facing an assassination attempt by veteran super soldier- Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), Ross imprisons Bradley. This puts him in conflict with the new Captain America- Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who believes that his friend is innocent and is being set up. The pair soon discover a larger conspiracy at work that has implications for the harmony of the global order.

Like many other MCU entries, Brave New World is light on its feet with a quippy sense of humour and a persistently fast pace that fills out its fleet two-hour runtime. However, this fundamentally hurts the film as it favours moment-to-moment gratification as opposed to something that’s inherently impactful or thought-provoking. I’ll admit I enjoyed some of these moments such as an extended scene where Sam and his friends humorously reflect on being invited to the White House in a limo. The same goes for a reveal of a character that’s not been seen since The Incredible Hulk. The shadowy film-noir build-up of the character along with Tim Blake Nelson’s chilling look and vocal performance combine to create an exciting new version of The Leader.

But for much of the running time, I felt the film was not interested in its central protagonist. Sure, there’s lip service given to the fact that Sam has not taken the super-solider serum. However, outside of one action sequence and a quip in the third act, it never feels as though it’s something that he grapples with. The same could be said for the film’s true north star- Ross. There’s a sense that the film wants us to question if he can truly change (given his past and new role as president). But it all feels signposted as opposed to organically seeded through the film. This is a shame as Ford’s performance is excellent, particularly in the touching moments he shares with his daughter, where his gruff exterior gives way to a flawed human being.

Julius Onah’s direction yields mixed results. There’s an inspired action sequence that in its lack of cuts builds organic tension when Sam is attacked in broad daylight without his costume and weapons. However, this is the exception rather than the rule, as many of the set pieces are edited within an inch of their life, which fundamentally disengaged me. Fortunately, Onah makes up for this in his framing whether it’s firmly held close-ups that have the majesty of a comic book splash page or a moment in the tail end, where Red Hulk slowly rises into frame as the presidential podium is captured in a medium shot. It’s a moment that hints at satire, but much like the rest of the movie, it never ceases to feel surface-level.