Captain America: Brave New World, one of three Marvel movies hitting the big screen this year, arrived in theatres this week. Anthony Mackie stars as Sam Wilson, while Harrison Ford makes his debut with the MCU, taking the role of Thunderbolt Ross as the character becomes Red Hulk. Brave New World introduces Sam’s standalone movie debut in the form of a political thriller. The cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas, and Liv Tyler. I saw the movie, and here are my thoughts on the new film.
The Plot Jumps Straight With Action
It has been some time since the hero was at the center of the MCU, last appearing in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. With the stakes and supporting cast at play, that film still felt like an “Avengers” film, but now Brave New World is playing in theatres. This time, Steve Rogers does not pick up the shield because Sam Wilson has picked up the mantle as the soldier. Sam has officially picked up the shield and is the MCU’s new Captain America. The movie opened with a $95 million opening weekend.
I liked that the film didn’t waste time jumping into the action because it met my political thriller expectations. Whoever trained Mackie and Ramirez, as do the stunt actors, deserve a considerable raise. The combat movements were crisp, and the actors looked like true martial arts professionals.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the actors had backgrounds in martial arts or any combat sport. I thought Sam’s strategic actions and decision-making showed why he is the right man to take the mantle of Captain America after Rogers. One action scene had some weak dialogue but didn’t overshadow the impressive fight sequences.
Unexpected Political Tension
The political tension was spot-on throughout the film, reflecting the political tensions we see today between countries. I also admire Sam’s loyalty to Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley, which shows the close relationship between the two. Lumbly and Mackie do a great job picking up their clear chemistry from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, especially Nelson, reprising his role as Samuel Sterns made his voice very intimidating. He wasn’t your typical “I am evil; I want to destroy the world” kind of villain; this man felt betrayed and was driven by revenge.
Do not expect any multiverse time-traveling shenanigans; this movie truly sticks to its political action thriller from start to finish. Ford fits right in with the MCU, with his uncanny ability to play President Thaddeus Ross, and it’s so fun to see him as Red Hulk. However, I do wish that his transformation to Red Hulk was a secret for the sake of feeling that reaction I had when the snapped heroes resurrected in Avengers: Endgame. I assume that Marvel had to spoil Hulk in the promos to propel Brave New World to have a big opening, which is understandable.
I was not expecting any Avengers vibes from this movie; the political thriller made it clear that the film was a standalone, grounded story. It takes time to build new characters, so it makes sense that each character has their own story told before big-team-up movies.
As usual, Marvel never fails to throw in some comedic relief, but it never overshadows the film’s intensity. Ramirez and Mackie show awesome comedic chemistry and can get serious and take action when it’s time. I was able to connect the dots in the plot, although it did take some time because the plot was “Go, go, go!” from the start.
Stunning Actor Performance
Mackie makes you believe that Sam is worthy of being Captain America with his quick thinking and strategic ways. In some scenes, he can even able to hold his own without the shield. The final fight between Cap and Red Hulk was just brutal through and through. However, what came after that was a very sweet and much-needed reconciliation between two pivotal characters. There is a post-credits scene, per Marvel tradition, building toward its next big team-up movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
I was so glad that Bradley was getting some recognition, and we even got to see a softer side of him in this movie. His vulnerable side almost brought me to tears at times. Lumbly’s delivery in one scene was absolutely gut-wrenching. It’s just one post-credits scene, so exercise some patience with the credits rolling. Considering that it is not a throwaway scene or a joke, it would be worthwhile to stick around when the credits are rolling. While he was awesome in Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Lumbly was terrific in this film.
It is a consequential scene that many Marvel die-hards would love to see without giving away any details. Julius Onah is the film’s director, and Ford took over the role of President Ross for the late William Hurt. What makes Sam unique is his lack of superpower. He has earned every ability he has, especially with his impressive combat skills. I saw many of Steve’s qualities in Sam, most notably putting the safety of others ahead of himself as a true soldier would. The main actors did an awesome job playing their characters and gave it all they had.
Captain America: Brave New World is Good
I would recommend this movie because Mackie, Ford, and the supporting cast perform very well. I also like that the end credits scene sets up something for the future. 2025 will be a big year for MCU films, especially after its break a year ago, except for its summer smash Deadpool & Wolverine.
I did see the teaser trailer, and I went into the movie expecting the film to live up to its political thriller hype. I can surely say that it lived up to the hype, and if you don’t pick the movie apart, you’ll enjoy Captain America: Brave New World for what it is: a superhero movie with lots of cool action.
