I want to be clear: I did not go into “Captain America: Brave New World” with a stuffy old critic’s mindset. I actually wanted to love it, go against the grain and get back to being accused of being paid by Marvel Studios to write favorable reviews. (For the record, that has never happened, no matter how much you swear it has. I promise you, there would be big signs if I was ever getting Disney checks).
Unfortunately, the MCU continues their losing streak. This latest outing feels as hacked to bits as the reshoots and rewrites would indicate. With 5 screenwriters (far too many hands in the cookie jar for any film) and a complete rewrite of the original script, “Brave New World” is a jumbled mess and identity-less superhero film. “Captain America: Brave New World” feels like someone ordered “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” from Wish- its plodding pacing and horrendous visuals overshadow any of the good ideas buried under bad ones.
Directed by Julius Onah from a script and story by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah, and Peter Glanz, “Captain America: Brave New World” picks up where “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” leaves off, with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) taking up the mantle as the new Captain America. After a mission in Mexico, he is welcomed to the white house by newly elected president Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford stepping in for the late William Hurt) who has changed his ruthless military ways to be more diplomatic in his approach. But a shocking attempt on his life during peace talks compromises any and all truces that were originally planned, and Wilson is forced to get the bottom of some dangerous political meddling and grand schemes by some angry villains. The film also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, and Giancarlo Esposito.
For its few strengths, Anthony Mackie deserves so much better than “Captain America: Brave New World.” Mackie has all the charm and charisma to be a tried and true Captain America, and he’s really doing the most he can. He has excellent chemistry with Danny Ramirez’ Joaquin Torres, and shoulders the hero’s burden despite the material not really doing him any favors. Harrison Ford is actually having more fun than he’s had in years, embracing the absurdity of the superhero world and being a worthy replacement for Hurt. When it’s not getting in its own way, the political thriller in “Brave New World” is actually somewhat compelling, the more grounded story a welcomed respite from the overindulgent multiverse garbage. And while brief, there’s never a time where Giancarlo Esposito on screen is a bad thing. The script may treat him as an afterthought (clearly added in the rewrites) but he never disappoints even when all he’s asked to do is show up, shoot some guns and just be a general bad ass.
Unfortunately, that’s about as far as the good goes for “Brave New World.” Great performances in the aggressively mid MCU outing we’ve come to expect. The downgrade from Marvel’s highs continue its downward spiral here, suffering from not only a clearly shredded script but also horrendously ugly and regressive visuals. This feels made for tv- cheap- and leaves you questioning where the hell $180 million went. I get it, entire plot lines were eradicated and they were forced to reshoot with leftovers, but the amount of unnecessary background green screen every single time someone is in the foreground of a shot despite showing practical sets (or at the very least soundstage sets) is unbelievable and frankly uncalled for at this point. Disney literally prints money, the least they could do is spend it to make their tentpole films look halfway watchable. It feels like Disney+ on the big screen, and that comes with all its faults and subpar visuals.
The rewrites are also obvious, whatever redone, removed or added noticeable to even the most casual moviegoer. It is painfully obvious that Esposito was added after the fact, and the elimination of a larger Serpent Society plot. He’s a remnant of a previous iteration and feels underutilized and frankly pointless. And it gets worse, with main characters having full on conversations without ever sharing a single second of screen time together. Again, it’s a consequence of overhaul and hodgepodge recreation, leaving so much more to be desired and constantly feeling like something is missing. As a result of all of this, it never feels cinematic even at the height of its action set pieces and lackluster climax. It’s only fun when the performances work overtime to make it fun, and it’s sadly too much to ask of even the most accomplished and likable performers like Mackie, Ramirez and Ford.
It’s just so hard to accept “Captain America: Brave New World” on its own terms because it is comprised of what movie it was, what movie it tries to be and the conglomerate of them all that it ultimately ends up being. At this point in the journey, there’s just no excuse for a Marvel film to be this boring and look this ugly. But it does, and “Brave New World” can’t and shouldn’t be forgiven for doing so. We deserve better. Anthony Mackie deserves better. And sure, it’s not the worst post “Endgame” entry – that mantle still belongs to “Ant-man: Quantumania” and “The Marvels,” but it’s not much better either and that’s just not what we should be getting so consistently now.
I’m not completely off the MCU train yet, but if they keep making films that look and feel like “Captain America: Brave New World” I may have to start looking at my next stop. I say this as I’m already seated for “Fantastic Four: The First Steps” so take my groaning and “The MCU is dead” mantras with a grain of salt.
The MCU isn’t dead and will of course live on. I’m just getting tired of ordering Waygu and getting a well done skirt steak.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
“Captain America: Brave New World” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
