REVIEW — “Captain America: Brave New World”

An often intriguing slow-burn political thriller with explosive action, solid performances, and epic effects, Captain America: Brave New World gets lost in a fog of sameness.

A follow-up to 2021’s Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World follows former-Falcon Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as he continues to navigate the physical and mental implications of bearing the mantle of Captain America as both a non-super soldier and person of color. While this ground was largely covered in the Disney+ series, Sam Wilson’s unfair comparison to Steve Rogers’ Cap simply does not end. However, the new Captain America isn’t always mired in self-doubt. In fact, Mackie has a lot of fun in the role and turns in a confident and enjoyable performance, especially in scenes alongside his new wingman and protégé Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez).

As the new Falcon, Ramirez gives off kid-in-a-candy-store level excitement and provides light, comedic one-liners to keep the film from getting weighted down by its own seriousness. However, the pair’s banter is still fresh and comes nowhere close to touching the sarcastic depths and sibling bond between Mackie’s Cap and Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier: a truly marvelous bromance. After preventing an assassination attempt against the newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. With the help of Torres and Ross’ security-head Sabra (Shira Haas), Sam must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

Replacing the late William Hurt, Ford is both commanding and ferocious as the new, mustache-free “Thunderbolt” Ross. He adopts a Jekyll/Hyde persona that is customary with such a complex and, ultimately, Hulking role. As of late, the legendary actor has gravitated to more emotionally vulnerable characters, displaying a softer side in roles as regretful fathers (Indy 5, Shrinking), a trait that is touched on all too briefly in Brave New World. While the film does feature the return of Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, it, unfortunately, gives the president’s daughter little to do, resulting in a lack of a beating heart that was prevalent in the first three Captain America films. Aside from a pair of tender scenes, the film misses several opportunities for emotional moments, especially considering it’s a Valentine’s Day release.

While advertised as a Brave New chapter for the MCU, Marvel’s 35th movie is often used as an opportunity to tie up multiple plot threads left hanging from other Marvel films like The Eternals, Captain America: Civil War, and Marvel’s rarely-acknowledged The Incredible Hulk. Also returning from that 2008 Edward Norton vehicle is Tim Blake Nelson’s brilliantly nefarious Dr. Samuel Sterns. Now fully-transformed into the green and grotesque Leader after being infected by Bruce Banner’s gamma-infected blood, Sterns is both treacherous and formidable as the main baddie of the film. While the high-flying, dogfighting heroics of Cap and Falcon during a Top Gun-esque aerial combat scene set over open water is riveting, the film’s action sequences are few and far between. Instead, Brave New World focuses more on unraveling the Manchurian Candidate-inspired conspiracy put in motion by the mysterious Sterns.

Ultimately, all the old references, combined with slow pacing and a general lack of excitement, weigh the film down and keep it from soaring to new heights. It feels like more of an extended epilogue to Falcon and the Winter Soldier than a must-see, blockbuster, cinematic event. Directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, the film also stars Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, and Giancarlo Esposito in a largely wasted role as mercenary Sidewinder. Considering the screenplay was written by Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musso and Julius Onah & Peter Glanz, maybe there were too many cooks in the kitchen?

Neither brave nor new, Captain America: Brave New World is a slooooow burn with minimal payoff that just goes through the motions. While a serviceable entry with some cool action scenes, there’s really nothing new to see here. 3.5/5

Rated PG-13 with a runtime of 1 hour and 58 minutes, Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters on February 14, 2025.