Movie Review: Captain America: Brave New World

I will be the first to admit that I have a soft spot for the Marvel Connected Universe, and so I probably go easier on these movies than I should. Hey, we all have biases. That being said, it’s hard not to see that after the last big Avengers blowout, the franchise has been struggling to find its footing. In the latest Captain America adventure, and the first movie with Anthony Mackie in the title role, there are some tentative steps taken towards righting the ship, though the overall product, entertaining as it may be, does kind of feel like just that, product.

We open with Sam aka Captain America, his sidekick Joaquin (Danny Ramirez), and his mentor Isaiah (Carl Lumbly), being invited to meet with now President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) at the White House during a conference revolving around the signing of a treaty that ensures all the nations of the world will fairly share the newly discovered element Adamantium. A mysterious force is trying to block the deal and during Ross’ speech they manage to pipe music into the room that triggers a group of unknowing sleeper agents, including Isaiah, to attempt to assassinate the leaders who are present. The plot is foiled, but Isaiah is arrested. Sam knows that his friend would never have acted that way willingly and so sets about trying to determine who is really behind the attack, despite being told not to by Ross.

Director Julius Onah (who also co-wrote the script with four other writers) proves quite adept at handling special-effects-laden action sequences in his Marvel Studios debut. The larger set pieces are well shot and easy to follow, but it’s in the close quarters fighting that he shines, giving it a more visceral feel than these movies are known for. The plot is fairly predictable, but it’s engaging enough. It isn’t helped by the fact that one of its bigger payoffs is spoiled by the trailers, but that’s unfortunately common these days. If you’re worried that a story that so heavily focuses on a sitting US president might inject a little political commentary into the proceedings, don’t be, the movie doesn’t have anything to say.

Mackie is certainly no Chris Evans, a point that the script itself even brings up at least once, but he’s more than capable of carrying a film and handles himself well here. Ford seems to be having fun in his role, which is always nice to see, but it’s a pair of villains who wind up stealing every scene they’re in. Giancarlo Esposito clearly relishes chewing the scenery in each of his moments as the scheming Sidewinder, and Tim Blake Nelson kills in every sense of the word as one the franchise’s most disturbing and coldly vicious villains to date. The presence of these two alone actually manages to elevate the entire movie.

Despite the title, Captain America: Brave New World doesn’t do anything to reinvent the tried-and-true Marvel formula. Sure, why fix what isn’t broken? And it still works well enough here (though the requisite “jokes” may be among the MCU’s worst), but after dozens of movies it’s beginning to feel stale, even to the more devoted fans. All-in-all this is a fun diversion with a suitably exciting finale. The 2-hour runtime flies by and there are hints here that the studio is getting their act back together. Here’s hoping the next few movies continue to do so. ★★★½