By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Somewhat entertaining and somewhat gratifying are the best ways to describe the fourth installment of “Captain America.” There has been plenty of negativity surrounding this production leading up to its release regarding poor reactions from early test screenings and the subsequent rewrites and reshoots, but it’s not all bad for “Captain American: Brave New World.” In fact, it is the best Marvel related film ever to be released on Valentine’s Day, which isn’t saying much since the previous two were 2003’s “Daredevil” and 2024’s “Madame Web.”
When the metallic substance stronger than vibranium called adamantium is discovered in the Indian Ocean at a place called Celestial Island, the race is on for nations to claim it for themselves. Trying to prevent a war from breaking out, President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) calls for a more peaceful solution, relying on the respected symbol of Captain America for assistance. For Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), perpetuating the legacy that is Captain America is no easy task, which is exacerbated by his lack of superpowers. With a nefarious mastermind pulling strings from the shadows, an international incident is triggered that threatens to overwhelm the underpowered Cap and bury him under a furious mass of red muscle.
This is not the film that’s going to reignite the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), nor is it the proverbial nail in the coffin. The 35th film of the MCU is directed by Nigerian born filmmaker Julius Onah and he does a decent enough job helming his first comic book movie to keep the MCU on life support. He successfully provides a different style and look to the MCU by making this more of an espionage thriller with many moving parts than a straight-up action romp. He generates enough intrigue with these veiled subplots that newcomers will find interesting, while doing a good job of tying in multiple references to prior MCU films like “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Eternals,” which will satisfy many Marvel fans. Onah even incorporates cherry blossoms in multiple scenes, which have interesting correlations to “Iron Man 2” and “WandaVision.”
Unfortunately, whenever there’s a film that undergoes so many rewrites and reshoots like this one did, editing and pacing become a nightmare. There are odd cuts throughout the film that make pivotal scenes feel rushed and out of sequence. This presents noticeable continuity issues and missed opportunities. With a budget north of $180 million, it is fair to expect visual effects that are buttoned up, but that’s certainly not the case here with obvious CGI gaffes that deteriorate the integrity of the action sequences. Onah also introduces new characters that seem to have instrumental importance only to fail to develop them whatsoever, making them inconsequential. He tries to cover up these follies with cameos of other MCU characters, but the damage is too widespread and noticeable to overlook.
The dialogue writing is unacceptably poor, which makes the outstanding performances from the leads all the more impressive. Anthony Mackie is such an underrated actor and deserves more credit than he’s been getting. The shoes of this iconic superhero made famous by Chris Evans are big ones to fill, but Mackie has been developing this character for many years now, ever since his first appearance in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” He portrays a high level of respect as he navigates his character through ambiguous moments with such a natural approach that makes him extremely likeable. He is definitely not the reason for this heroic patriot to not fare as well as previous iterations.
The other beacon of light in this movie is Harrison Ford, who replaces the late great William Hurt in the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Replacing an Oscar winner like Hurt is next to impossible, but Ford (who coincidentally lost the Oscar to Hurt in 1986) delivers an exceptional performance of this complex antagonist. This is his second time playing the U.S. President, the first being 1997’s “Air Force One,” and his commanding screen presence contributes to his authentic portrayal of the commander in chief, who is still trying to earn back the respect of his estranged daughter.
The rest of the cast fails to impress for the most part with Giancarlo Esposito trying too hard to be evil with his underdeveloped character that was written in as an afterthought and Danny Ramirez was cringy and predictable in the obligatory sidekick role. The film could have done without these roles in addition to others, but Carl Lumbly is a standout in his role first introduced in TV’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” His performance is layered in depth showcasing a character with a rich backstory that begs the question, why hasn’t he gotten his own series or film for this Marvel character?
This is a flawed product to be sure, but it’s certainly not as bad as other recent MCU films like the most current “Ant-Man” sequel or “The Marvels.” “Captain America: Brave New World” is not the antidote to superhero fatigue, providing just enough satisfaction to make it worth a trip to the theater. At least it is one of the shortest MCU films to date, so as long as you keep your expectations low, you should have a good enough time.
This movie earns:
