High-Octane
Summary
Captain America: Brave New World is worth seeing for Harrison Ford alone as he makes every film better, but Anthony Mackie has made the role of Cap his own. I like how his character struggles with feeling like he has to prove himself compared to Steve Rogers while audiences are also questioning if he is a worthy successor. On the action front we get several impressive fight scenes and the final showdown with Red Hulk is worth the price of entry. It has its flaws but this is still an entertaining ride.
Plot: Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross. He must soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Review: Many people have condemned this movie before it’s even out mostly due to a lot of the behind the scenes stories regarding reshoots and poor test screenings. Admittedly, the trailers weren’t particularly exciting but it will be interesting to see the box office for Captain America: Brave New World. From what I hear it’s looking to make $190 million worldwide in it’s opening few days which doesn’t sound bad to me.
Brave New World can stand on its own however, if you’ve seen The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, Eternals and Falcon and the Winter Soldier then that will help as there are references to them in this movie. You’ll still be able to figure out what’s going on as this is hardly rocket science.
The main selling point for me was seeing Harrison Ford as Red Hulk and this is also the first semi-sequel to The Incredible Hulk which I never hated the way many others do.
Chris Evans is a tough act to follow as Cap, but Anthony Mackie isn’t trying to copy him and the whole point of this movie is how he can step out from Steve Roger’s shadow and prove himself worthy as the new Captain America. Sam Wilson (Mackie) is a good man and a true hero wanting to do what’s best for his country as well as his friends. He’s had a rocky relationship with now POTUS Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) but the two try to work together to find out who is responsible for a recent assassination attempt on the President. Ford is perfectly cast as the gruff Ross who has done questionable things in the past but he also makes a few decisions which are reminiscent of real life too. He’s certainly not the same character from Air Force One…
I won’t say anything else about the story as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I can talk about the action and that’s where this film shines; there are multiple hand to hand combat scenes giving this a grittier feel than more recent MCU films. It isn’t quite up there with The Winter Soldier which is arguably still my favourite Marvel film but it certainly has its moments. It’s also just nice to see an action movie with a sense of scale with real explosions and shoot-outs mixed in with some visual effects too.
One of my favourite characters is Sidewinder played by the always fantastic Giancarlo Esposito; he’s a genuinely threatening villain who isn’t afraid to hurt innocents to get what he wants. He is unfortunately only a supporting character and doesn’t have that big a role which is a shame. I don’t want to mention the real villain for spoilery reasons but I didn’t love their look which was just ridiculous. Red Hulk is only really in 15 minutes of the movie, so don’t expect a huge part there but it’s definitely one of the highlights.
I really miss memorable movie themes and it’s been a while since the MCU had a decent music score and sadly Brave New World isn’t much better. It has some dramatic choirs at times, but there is no leitmotif to whistle along with making it forgettable and bland. The film also has a rather dull visual style to it which plagues so many modern movies making it a little lifeless looking.
Overall, Captain America: Brave New World is an entertaining entry in the MCU and was far better than I’d expected. Anthony Mackie makes Sam Wilson a likeable everyman with a good heart having to work with people who are lesser men. Harrison Ford nearly steals the show as Thaddeus Ross who is more layered and interesting than you’d expect adding some heart to the story. There are plenty of well choreographed fight scenes and a sense of spectacle we haven’t seen for a while. It’s not perfect but it’s still the best MCU film in years.