Film Reviews

February 14, 2025

In "Captain America: Brave New World," the patriotic titular superhero, a role now fulfilled by "regular human" Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), once again uses his shock-absorbing shield and super soldier armor to take down bad guys; thwarts the illegal sale of a precious metal called adamantium; investigates an assassination attempt on the President of the United States; and de-escalates a would-be disastrous situation involving the Red Hulk.

On paper, all these happenings should make for exciting entertainment, but in actuality, they render as vanilla, and at best, adequate. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) exhibited signs of drying up four or five movies ago, and I'm afraid "Brave New World" continues the trend. It proves that new entries into this once formidable space can no longer rely on the novelty of the genre or the colorfulness of the characters to make up for the hackneyed plots, stilted and often corny dialogue, and by-the-numbers action sequences. The movie isn't bad per se, but it doesn't flourish in any real way. Though we can still recognize the hard work being put in on a technical and stunt level, we have to admit it's lacking innovation and risk on the creative side.

The basic problem, I think, is the same one we've noticed with Marvel superhero movies in general lately, which is they're less focused and present for their own unique stories and characters and more concerned with what's happened before and what will happen next. As a result, what takes place on screen feels mailed in, unimportant, and rushed. The shift from being inventive and attentive to ho-hum and lackadaisical was prominent with "Eternals" and "The Marvels," and now, to a lesser but still noticeable degree, with "Brave New World." It seems more than ever our enjoyment of these films relies on our being privy to what's occurred previously in other Marvel franchises, series, and/or media, and the movies aren't so much about their individual stories as much as they are referencing and cross-promoting other brands. Maybe if I'd watched "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," the six-episode miniseries on Disney+ that's a precursor to this movie, I'd have been more engaged, but should that really be a dependency?

On a basic narrative level, "Brave New World" offers little time for the characters to be their human selves, which unfortunately limits our investment in what happens to them. Perhaps the filmmakers didn't feel the need to include quiet, reflective moments here because they knew they could simply wait until the next Marvel adventure, which of course the closing credits promise us is coming down the pike. But it was when these movies didn’t forecast and were more self-contained and had the confidence to stand on their own that they felt fuller and more consequential. "Brave New World" plays more like an interstitial or preview for something else.

To its credit, no time feels wasted—the action and plot kick into high gear immediately when Wilson and his partner, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), a.k.a. The Falcon, foil the illegal sale of adamantium, a metal that we learn is on par with vibranium from Wakanda. But as we watch Wilson fly in, jump, kick, spin his shield, use his drones, etc., and come face to face with villains like Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), it renders flat. We've been down this road too many times. Maybe if Wilson and Torres had been given a chance to talk naturally and in ways that get us to know them outside of their stiff military roles, the stakes would have felt higher when it came to their death-defying efforts.

Things get slightly more interesting when Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) enters the picture. He's Wilson's mentor and a former super soldier like the late Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Due to his wrongful federal imprisonment, Bradley rightfully carries a lot of anger and resentment toward the U.S. Government and reluctantly accompanies Wilson and Torres to a party at the White House. In a secret meeting, President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), father of estranged daughter Betty (Liv Tyler) (we got to know both Rosses in "The Incredible Hulk"), tells Wilson he wants to restart The Avengers. But these plans come crashing down after a mind-controlled Bradley attempts to assassinate the president, who puts Black Widow Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) in charge of the ensuing investigation, leaving Wilson and Torres to operate independently to clear Bradley's name.

With a traditional plot, at least four major action sequences, and a runtime that is short for an MCU movie (just under two hours), "Brave New World" proceeds steadily and competently but it's not inspired. The movie's five screenwriters unravel the plot so linearly that it stands on the edge of dull. And sure, Mackie and Ramirez are likable and charming, and Ford is convincing as the president (it's his second go at it), director Julius Onah and editors Madeleine Gavin and Matthew Schmidt don't allow enough time for us to sit with the characters as people, allowing them to pause and collect themselves, or have meaningful conversations. We walk away from "Brave New World" not knowing what makes the heroes or the villains, including Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), also from "The Incredible Hulk," really tick.

Ultimately, this fourth "Captain America" just feels plain, a movie you stare at rather than absorb or respond to. We give the filmmakers and cast credit for wanting to keep the series going (Mackie seems especially capable of carrying it), but the essential spark, charm, and interesting developments that once kept movies like this afloat are missing. There was a time when we hoped the adventures of the MCU would go on indefinitely, because the possibilities seemed endless, and if anything, they brought us together. But "Brave New World" is the latest that has us thinking twice about its sustainability, and we're not angry or sad as much as apathetic. If the MCU is to survive, what needs to happen is for the movies to focus on what's in front of them and take bigger character and plot swings in the moment.