Anthony Mackie as Captain America/Sam Wilson in Marvel Studios’ “Captain America: Brave New World.” Credit: Eli Adé via TNS
Superhero fatigue is at an all-time high following several mediocre-at-best, dud-at-worst Marvel Cinematic Universe projects like 2023’s “Secret Invasion” and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
This boredom with the franchise that once dominated theaters has led decision-makers at Marvel to pull out more and more stunts from left field, such as casting longtime “Iron Man” actor Robert Downey Jr. as the next Doctor Doom.
If superhero fans were hoping for “Captain America: Brave New World” to cure the increasingly feeble run the MCU has been on since “Avengers Endgame” hit screens in 2019, they’ll be disappointed to learn the latest “Captain America” movie is more of a sugar pill than an antidote.
“Captain America: Brave New World” officially introduces Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — previously known as The Falcon — as the new Captain America after Steve Rogers retired the iconic shield in “Endgame.”
Taking Wilson’s old job is Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), who dons The Falcon’s wings to help Captain America manage a dispute over a precious metal called adamantium, which is found in international waters within the corpse of a dead Celestial being from Marvel’s 2021 film “Eternals.”
While juggling this, the duo tries simultaneously to maintain a fragile relationship with the newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), who just so happens to be a red version of The Hulk, cleverly named “Red Hulk.”
If these characters and callbacks are a bit confusing to keep track of, don’t worry — there’s more.
Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) also has a brief role as the hitman villain Seth Volker, who works for the film’s behind-the-scenes antagonist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson).
Though this is not a comprehensive list of everything that requires viewers’ attention while watching the movie, going through every callback from a previous MCU property would double the length of this review.
One would think these exciting new characters played by exceptionally charismatic actors would make “Brave New World” a more interesting installment in the MCU, but the movie is so bland it has the opposite effect. The film mutes cast members’ performances so much that it becomes easy to forget characters like Esposito’s even existed.
Ford’s turn as Ross is probably the most compelling new addition, maybe because his role in the movie aligns with Ford’s famous old-man grumpiness to begin with.
Frustratingly, for a movie that marketed itself as Mackie’s chance to finally have his time in the spotlight, he’s barely the main character in his own story. Most of the conflict occurs between the various side villains, with Mackie’s Captain America simply cleaning up their messes.
The “Brave New World” title — which was selected after the original title, “New World Order,” was deemed too concerning and provocative, according to a December 2023 Collider article — is also deeply ironic. In the end, the latest “Captain America” is one of the most formulaic, play-it-safe movies in the entire franchise.
Half of the film’s scenes feel like they were reshot to dumb down the convoluted plot for audiences. The CGI is the same half-baked mess that fans have come to expect from Marvel Studios, infamous for imposing harsh deadlines on its CGI artists.
The punches lack weight, the score is generic and the dialogue feels overworked to death without a hint of a natural feel. Vague political references are made throughout the movie, but they are quickly cut short before Marvel can be accused of actually taking a stance on real-world issues.
“Brave New World” is ultimately another mediocre action movie. It’s easily digestible and can be consumed without much thought, like the popcorn that this kind of “popcorn action” movie genre is named after.
The charm, meticulous thought and character of previous Marvel movies is nowhere to be found. Maybe at some point, Marvel Studios will release a project made to excite audiences again. But, “Captain America: Brave New World” is not that project.
Rating: 1.5/5
