Captain America: Brave New World doesn’t rise to match its star’s obvious preparedness for the moment. Anthony Mackie is Captain America. He’s ready for his new role, but the role – and its place in the MCU – isn’t quite ready for him. Indeed, very little about his first true outing as Steve Rogers’ replacement evidences Marvel’s supposed confidence in this pivotal passing of the torch. Brave New World has its bright spots, but they can’t smudge the film’s sobering bottom line: it’s a shockingly uneventful mainline addition to a franchise in dire need of some direction, one that even Harrison Ford’s spirited attempt to sell us a softer, less growth-averse Thaddeus Ross can’t save.
Many of Brave New World‘s shortcomings are technical. Breathless pacing and shoddy editing render long stretches of the story nearly incomprehensible. Key moments – such as the first act’s expository get-together at the White House – end far too early, again reflecting the MCU’s inability to let its proceedings breathe. Couple that with its many sloppy action sequences, and you’ve got a superhero movie that’s more confounding than enjoyable.
This latest Marvel entry isn’t too interested in advancing the grander MCU narrative (not a problem in and of itself), but it also doesn’t stand especially well on its own (definitely a problem). This is a shame, because besides being eager to fill Cap’s spangled fit, Mackie is already more than worthy of both shield and mantle. The movie just doesn’t showcase him the way it should, though it’s not for lack of trying. It’s clear that director Julius Onah, working from a script he co-wrote with Peter Glanz and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier collaborators Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, and Rob Edwards, wants to nail this.
Onah’s efforts are most apparent in his handling of Ross/Red Hulk. Ford, replacing the late William Hurt, deftly communicates the character’s torment. Until now, the MCU has mostly kept Ross and his baggage at arm’s length. The guy has recurred throughout Marvel’s big screen continuity, but even his more substantial appearances in The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: Civil War feel guarded compared to what Brave New World hopes to achieve. We see – and occasionally feel – how heavy his regret is for him, and had the script wiggled that knife just a bit more, the movie could’ve been nearly as much of a showcase for Ford as it’s meant to be for Mackie.
The Cap/Ross tension could’ve been Brave New World‘s greatest asset, but instead, it’s in their charged political sparring matches that all the script’s flaws lay themselves bare. During the last act, after much squabbling, Cap levels with Ross, saying he, too, feels like he has something to prove. The diabolical Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) has manoeuvred both of them into direct conflict with each other, meaning, of course, that their salvation is only possible if they work together. This moment, like so many others here, glances when it could’ve been a gut punch. Sam’s inner struggle is only visible in the way others treat him. Nameless adversaries taunt him, underestimate him, and unfavourably compare him to Steve Rogers, but that just isn’t enough. Deciding what kind of Cap he wants to be is Sam Wilson’s whole deal, yet the film treats his struggle as an afterthought, bringing it up when it’s rhythmically appropriate but not doing the work to hammer it home for the viewer.
It’s not all bad, though. Sam Wilson has had a few in-universe years to adjust to his new title, and it shows. He upgraded his suit, upped his hand-to-hand combat skills, and found new uses for his trusty drone, Red Wing. More importantly, though, Mackie instantly channels the requisite integrity and sturdy character of a worthy Captain America: doing the right thing even when it’s the hardest way to play it, confronting power when it’s out of line, and moving with the beautiful, infectious earnestness of someone who takes their duty seriously. His banter with new Falcon Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), echoing early Sam/Steve interactions, also goes a long way in endearing him to us further. Sadly, though, none of these highlights amount to an enjoyable experience.
With Captain America: Brave New World, the MCU tries – and mostly fails – to rally behind its new Cap, slamming us with poorly shot action, half-assed emotional beats, and an unwillingness to realise its socio-political potential. Sam Wilson deserves better.
