Captain America: Brave New World doesn't feel like a Marvel movie.
That clearly is the intention, for the film doesn't feature the typical triumphant Marvel Studios opening fanfare. There is a "Marvel" and a "Studios" that flash up on the screen, along with the words Brave New World in a very uninteresting font. What's missing is the name of the title character.
The 35th Marvel Cinematic Universe movie masquerades as a political thriller and, for the most part, it's a convincing performance. The film doesn't feature a triumphant score (except maybe when its most necessary in the final act of the movie) and it doesn't rely on any of the MCU's more light-hearted characters. What we have here is a serious movie (yes, even with the Red Hulk) complete with a compelling central conspiracy plot involving the President of the United States, who is now Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (now played by Harrison Ford).
It wears that look well, opting for a more mature tone than the vast majority of films within the franchise. But serious isn't new to the Captain America subfranchise as we've come to expect more hard-hitting offerings from the Star-Spangled Man's adventures (the second film in the series, The Winter Soldier, is arguably the most intense, thrilling standalone outing in the whole MCU) that often involve the US Government. But what is "new" is the man holding the shield.
A new beginning for some old stories
Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson is a veteran of the Captain America movies (he was introduced in the aforementioned Winter Soldier) but he is new to the mantle itself. The former star of the series, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers handed the shield over to The Falcon in Avengers: Endgame and Sam officially picked it up in Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That right there should tell you just how much Captain America: Brave New World has to juggle - and we haven't even gotten to the fact that it's essentially a sequel to The Incredible Hulk and a spinoff of Eternals.
Those are among the reasons that the film has received a more mixed response than its predecessors, with some feeling that the decision to further the story of two of the MCU's most lacklustre outings is questionable at best, but the truth is that it does a pretty solid job continuing the story of those hanging plot threads. Flawed, sure, but solid.
It's not a spoiler to say that the inclusion of Celestial Island provides Marvel Studios with an opportunity to introduce adamantium to the MCU, while also finally following up on one of the franchise's biggest loose threads in the ending of Eternals. It works as a way of answering those long-standing questions while also servicing the franchise as a whole. And the way that it plays into Brave New World might not be the most compelling, but it serves its purpose well - and that's okay considering that purpose will be greater in the future.
The Incredible Hulk's hanging plot threads are a little more questionable. It's great to see Tim Blake Nelson back as Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. The Leader, for the first time in nearly two decades, and the script does a solid job of providing him with a motivation to seek revenge on those who wronged him, but the execution of that lets it down. There are plotholes in places there shouldn't be (especially with an all-seeing villain like Sterns) and one can't help but feel that he could have been used in a more active way throughout the film. Although Nelson sells everything that he does well.
Speaking of selling, Harrison Ford comes at the role of President Ross with the conviction of a raging Red Hulk. It's hard to step into a role played by a performer the caliber of William Hurt, but Ford commits, quickly making the role his own while also capturing that signature grit that Hurt's Ross was known for (and then dialling it up to 1000). He's one of the film's strongest attributes, which is great because he needed to be. This film runs the risk of stopping when the action isn't going on (and sometimes it does), but that's never a case when Ford is on-screen, as he sells Ross' questionable loyalties and his commitment to changing his ways with complete ease.
The character's arc in the movie looks great on paper, but there are inconsistencies with it, and that is likely down to the reshoots that Brave New World underwent. We all heard about them, with wild rumors claiming that there were so many more days of reshoots than there actually were and that the film's budget ballooned past $180 million. Those may have been untrue, but the fact remains that there were somewhat extensive reshoots and its shows, with some elements of the film's storytelling exhibiting the obvious changes that only a heavily-edited finished product can. You'll also notice a number of sequences from the film's trailer that never made it into the final cut, also suggesting that there are extensive changes.
Anthony Mackie is the MVP in spite of Brave New World's flaws
In terms of the film's storytelling, the big Red Hulk reveal is something of a conundrum too. Let's just start by saying that it works as the grand finale of the piece. There is no criticism there; You want to solidify your new Captain America as a force to be reckoned with? Have him hold his own against a raging incredible red brute. The problem is that it works so well that you can't help but feel short-changed by the fact that Marvel spoiled it in all of the promotional material for the movie. That marketing campaign was the very antithesis of the "serious political thriller" that the studio was going for, and yet there was the Red Hulk in all of the trailers and artwork released ahead of the movie.
As a result of this, you spend much of Captain America: Brave New World waiting for the payoff, and that can result in something of a lack of appreciation for what's actually going down in the storytelling department. Honestly, I can only imagine the theaters' reactions if this had been kept under wraps until the movie itself. What a reveal that could have been!
Setting that aside, however, I have to acknowledge the film's strengths. Contrary to popular belief, Captain America: Brave New World does succeed as the compelling thriller that it wants to be. It doesn't exceed what it sets out to do, but sometimes succeeding is enough, and that's what happens here. You go in looking for two hours of thrilling material and you get it, along with some damn fine action scenes. Granted, some of the other scenes drag on a bit longer than they need to, but the movie never feels longer than it is - and that is a good thing!
The film's greatest strength, however, is easily Anthony Mackie, who shines as the MCU's new Captain America in his feature-length debut as the new Star-Spangled Man. A more coherent script may have served him better, but that doesn't prevent him from delivering his finest performance in his 11-year MCU tenure when it counted the most. We've known that Mackie is a leading man from his previous work, but here he proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sam Wilson is one too, as the character comes out from the shadow of Steve Rogers, picking up the shield in convincing fashion. If he is set to lead the next generation of Avengers, then they are in very, very good hands.
His rapport with his co-stars also services the film's stories. Danny Ramirez is an enjoyable addition to the world of the MCU, building on his The Falcon and the Winter Soldier supporting role to deliver here as the new Falcon. The back-and-forth that the duo share provides the film with some much needed light-heartedness in the midst of its overly bleak storyline, with their partnership adding something of a welcome Batman and Robin feel to it.
Carl Lumbly's Isaiah Bradley proved to be one of the aforementioned Disney Plus show's greatest aspects, and he delivers again here. Lumbly is a powerhouse, acting his heart out in the film's dramatic scenes, but he also provides Brave New World with much of its emotional heart. Bradley may be a newer character in the franchise, but Lumbly's performance makes it easy to warm up to him, ensuring that you're rooting for him by the time that the film's central plot takes hold.
Captain America: Brave New World may not be a perfect movie, but it's a very good one, providing you with two hours of pure unadulterated entertainment. Its storytelling isn't as watertight as it wants to be but, if you overlook that, you can appreciate the film for the thrill-ride that it is.