by Charles Kirkland Jr.
The latest Captain America, Sam Wilson, discovers it is not the easiest thing to be a hero in Captain America: Brave New World.
After he foils an international incident at the request of new President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the new Captain America, finds himself thrust into the middle of a dangerous and deadly plot that will threaten himself, his friends, the nation, and possibly the world.
Captain America: Brave New World is written by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, and Dalan Musson. Edwards wrote the screenplay for The Princess and the Frog while Spellman and Musson worked together on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier television series. Brave New World stars Mackie and Ford, along with Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film is directed by Julius Onah (Luce). Brave New World is the thirty-fifth project of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second-to-last movie in Phase Five (Thunderbolts* is the last movie.)
Immediately with the mention of Tim Blake Nelson being in the film, those who have been paying attention to the MCU realize that this movie picks up on a plot line that has been long left undeveloped since The Incredible Hulk. So, comic book geeks can rejoice that the Red Hulk significantly appears in the film. Also included in this film are points that bring Wakanda into focus and envelop events that occurred in the poorly-received Eternals.
The Captain America franchise has a reputation for being the most grounded series in the MCU. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a serious political thriller, is considered one of the best pieces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film continues to draw blood from the same vein. The movie is politically driven and is particularly resonant in this time when diversity and equity come into question. Sam Rhodes, a black man, without a super-serum but serious uniform upgrades, must fight the president and the legacy left to him by Steve Rogers. All the while, he is forced to prove to the powers and principalities that he deserves to be where and who he is. What the film lacks is the deep espionage elements that existed in The Winter Soldier.
Originally, this movie was supposed to be the second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but with the lack of screen time for Bucky and the arrival of a new Falcon, the series makes more sense as a feature focusing on the evolution of Captain America. Thankfully, the heritage of Captain America is not abandoned because Isaiah Bradley is an integral part of this story. Sadly, he is only a pawn on the chessboard, but Captain America fights for all the chess pieces, so it makes sense.
Don’t get me wrong. Captain America: Brave New World is definitely one of the best movies in the last few years from Marvel in terms of character development and franchise story progression. But that bar is pretty low considering the other things that Marvel has produced in phases four and five. There are still a couple of significant plot holes, and there is an absence of political intrigue, which had been layered throughout the franchise. Unfortunately, the lack of plot depth overtakes the film, and Brave New World seems only to serve as a movie that attempts to wrap up events and storylines from its predecessors.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and some strong language, Captain America: Brave New World is the best movie we have seen from Marvel in quite some time. It’s not the best of movies, but it will instill confidence in Marvel that things might be trending upward. By the way, the IMAX presentation is very good!
Captain America: Brave New World can be seen in theaters starting February 14, 2025.
Grade: C+
