Welcome back to the blog readers. God, it has been way too long since I have gotten to talk to you guys about a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film. There has been one that has released since November 2023. I absolutely love the Captain America (2011-) films that have come out of the MCU, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) did a great job to me of transitioning us from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson being Captain America. With that being said, would Sam's first solo film outing (take that Tom Holland!) be worth the price of admission? Stick around to find out.
Captain America: Brave New World was directed by Julius Onah from a screenplay by Onah, Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, and Peter Glanz and a story by Edwards, Spellman, and Musson, based on Marvel Comics. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. In the film, Thaddeus Ross is elected President of the United States and after an assassination attempt, Sam Wilson finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must work to determine the true masterminds behind it.
And a bit of a disclaimer before we begin with the review, I will be keeping this review spoiler-free as all of my film reviews are. If you want me to give my spoiler-filled thoughts, please let me know in the comments and I will look into doing so.
From the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier where Sam Wilson finally accepts the mantle of Captain America, I was excited to see Marvel continue to promote Anthony Mackie's Sam as he is a fan-favorite character in the MCU. And having Harrison Ford take over for the late, great William Hurt? You could not ask for me to be more excited for the film. Turns out I should have tempered my expectations a bit because while I still had a decent time with the film, I found myself a bit disappointed in it. The performances of Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford were great and I appreciated the tone of the film and the action, but the story was lacking and so was the script.
I want to get one thing out of the way first (well, two). The performance of Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America is one that, while not groundbreaking in any way, is reminiscent of a Captain America prior. Story wise, this film makes me realize why Steve decided to give Sam the shield. It is because Sam embodies the same qualities that Steve did. The willingness to fight for what he believes is right and his unwavering spirit to keep going even when the fight seems impossible, and I think it was first alluded to in the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but greatly emphasized here: Mackie absolutely embodies the spirit and the heart and the soul of Captain America as boldly and bravely as Chris Evans before him.
I next want to talk about Harrison Ford's portrayal of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, taking over from the late, great William Hurt. I do want to make it known that I am not the biggest fan of recasting characters, as Marvel did not do with T'Challa and other shows have not done like Riverdale (2017-23) when Luke Perry died and Glee (2009-15) when Cory Monteith died. I guess the reasoning being that Ross was not an A-list character so recasting was easier, but seeing a new actor in the role is a bit jarring. But Ford makes the most of the messy script and delivers a truly great performance as President Thaddeus Ross. From the heartbreak to the rage to the guilt and regret he feels, Ford makes the most of what he has been given and shows he gets this character. I can hope to see Ford as Ross again, especially with how the film ends.
I will get to the tone of this film in a bit, but I want to mention the inclusion of the character Ruth Bat-Seraph, who acts as a security advisor to President Ross. I don't really want to get into the whole political side of this character's inclusion in the film, but I do want to say that it was not necessary or relatively right to have her in the film in the role she plays in the film. Especially knowing that the character adds nothing to the film. And her actor Shira Haas cannot act to save her own life. I think the casting of Haas was one of the worst decisions Marvel has made because of her lack of talent and the politics behind the character and the actor's inclusion.
Now that we got that out of the way, I want to talk a bit about the tone of the film. From the beginning, we were promised a film with a tone akin to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Civil War (2016). Director Julius Onah likened the film to a "paranoid thriller" and I can definitely appreciate how even despite the extensive reshoots that lasted through much of 2024, the crew was able to maintain that paranoid/political thriller vibe throughout. While the story of this film may not be the best (and by extension the script is poor as well), the tone was able to stay the same and I definitely appreciate Marvel for trying to harken us back to two films regularly called some of Marvel's best.
Now I want to talk about the script of this film. I know this film was a victim of the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes and the transition from the Bob Chapek era to the second Bob Iger era, but there could not have been a bit of cohesion in the script? I mean you have five people listed as screenwriters for this film: director Julius Onah, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Rob Edwards, and Peter Glanz. Five screenwriters and you cannot think of anything that is interesting enough in terms of the villain and their grand plan? I find that a bit insulting especially since we have gotten this done before, and much better I might add. I just wish they had made it a little more interesting and creative.
One final point I want to make before I let you guys go (finally) is the action of the film. In his review of the film, John Campea mentioned the action being a mixed bag for him. He praised the aerial action and the final battle but found the hand-to-hand combat a little clunky. I personally do not see that aspect of the argument and instead will offer a counter-argument. I thought while it is not perfect, I found the hand-to-hand combat pretty decent enough. The aerial action will definitely get its props for me, especially that battle over the Indian Ocean. Also I found the final battle between Sam and Ross to be thrilling and full of emotion.
In conclusion, Captain America: Brave New World is a mixed bag that tries to harken us back to an old era but does so with messy results. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
Comments