'Captain America: Brave New World' Review: A Marvel Misstep Despite Anthony Mackie's Strong Performance
During a news conference, the president of the United States loses control of himself, transforms into the formidable Red Hulk, and proceeds to devastate Washington, DC. No, it's not Donald Trump's fantasy, but rather a pivotal scene in the fourth solo Captain America picture, the first to feature Anthony Mackie in the big-screen starring role for which he's been patiently preparing for a decade.
Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie in Marvel Studios' 'Captain America: Brave New World.'
Eli Adé/Marvel Studios
One hopes that the findings were worth the wait. Unfortunately, Captain America: Brave New World is a disappointing Marvel entry that feels like its complex narrative was meticulously thought out without any imagination.
Except for the casting of Harrison Ford as Thadeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (originally played by the late William Hurt), who has risen to the presidency after previously serving as a US general and secretary of state in Marvel flicks. The experienced actor, who has two great series to his name, has nearly as much screen time as Mackie and makes the most of it, even putting himself through the rigors of motion capture for his character's drastic physical makeover.
In its paranoia-infused storyline involving shady government machinations and Manchurian Candidate-style brainwashing that transforms people into ruthless assassins, the film feels similar to 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It also features a plethora of callbacks to other Marvel films and surprise cameo appearances (not all of which will be revealed here). The plot focuses around Ross' efforts to negotiate an international treaty utilizing "the world's most versatile element" discovered on an Indian Ocean island (rewatch Eternals if you need a refresher).
Ross and Mackie's character, Sam Wilson, have a tumultuous connection. One moment Ross is urging him to recreate the Avengers (cue the crowd shouts), the next he's growling, "You're no Steve Rogers." Indeed, Sam isn't, at least not in the sense that he refuses to take the serum that would have given him superhuman abilities, a decision he amusingly regrets later in the story. Instead, he relies on his shield and wingsuit, as well as his highly-honed combat abilities, to eliminate his numerous opponents.
The main plot begins when Sam brings his sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and elderly former super soldier Isaiah Bradley (a terrific Carl Lumbly), who were first seen in Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, to the White House for an international reception. Without warning, Isaiah attempts to murder the president, his homicidal desire seemingly provoked by the Bobby Vinton song "Mr. Blue". It turns out to be the first in a series of such calamitous events as part of a nefarious global plot engineered by the very pissed-off scientist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson, who obviously spent a lot of time in the makeup chair), who was last seen in 2008's The Incredible Hulk and is looking a lot worse for wear.
The film's most thrilling scene features Captain America and Torres fighting off with multiple fighter jets, and the villain Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito, in a more physical manifestation of evil than his cunning Gus Fring in Breaking Bad) almost kills the former. Needless to say, there is a lot of chaos that follows. President Ross is frequently sad throughout the film, even when he is not yearning for his estranged daughter (Liv Tyler). Ross' fierce female security head, played by Shira Haas, is also intimately involved in the action, in a change from her lauded performance in the Netflix series Unorthodox.
The screenplay, which was written by at least five people, is as cliched as it sounds, with quips like "Holy shit!" and "Suit up, we need to move!" (don't be surprised if you guess that the term "collateral damage" will be used at one point). Humor is in scant supply, thus Mackie's reliable charm appears to be lacking. You feel horrible for him; finally given the opportunity to prove he can fill the shoes of Chris Evan's Steve Rogers, the authors let him down.
Captain America: Brave New World is 118 minutes long, which is mercifully short for a Marvel film, but it feels much longer under the uninspiring direction of Julius Onah (Luce, The Cloverfield Paradox). Even CGI spectacular effects are unimpressive, and occasionally worse. It's fun to detect Ford's facial characteristics in the Red Hulk, even if the character is only marginally more visually plausible than his de-aged Indiana Jones from the franchise's last film.
