Before going any further into this review, please be warned that this article contains certain spoilers.
I went into the theater this past weekend to see Captain America: Brave New World with low expectations based on the string of recent mediocre Marvel movies (such as “The Marvels”, which tanked at the box office) and Disney + shows (such as “Echo”), but this movie surprised me greatly. Anthony Mackie delivers a stellar performance as Sam Wilson / Captain America, picking up the role from his last appearance in the 2021 Disney + show “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier”. Surprisingly, Joaquin Torres (played by Danny Ramirez) is given a ton of screen time as well in this movie as he strives to become the next Falcon, taking Sam Wilson’s old gear and training to be just like his idol. Harrison Ford was amazing as President Ross, taking over the role due to the unfortunate death of actor William Hurt in 2022 (who played Ross when he was a general in the 2008 film, “The Incredible Hulk” and made appearances as General Ross in several other Marvel movies since then).
This latest installment of the Captain America movies continues the series’ focus on political conflict and acts as a sequel to the 2008 Hulk movie in many ways. The main villain of this movie is The Leader (played by Tim Blake Nelson who reprises his role as Samuel Sterns from the 2008 Hulk film), a famous adversary of the Hulk in the comics. The Leader was played well by Tim Blake Nelson, but the character design (which was very different from his look in the comics where he had a massive forehead due to gamma radiation being injected into his brain) seemed very off. If you were not familiar with the 2008 Hulk movie, then you may not even know who this villain is in the film or his motives.
The Leader’s plan for revenge against President Ross (which ends up being the focus of the movie) is eventually revealed but only after some weird plot points that go unexplained – including the Leader somehow realizing (without any information) that Captain America was using a contact to test pills prescribed to President Ross that were found in The Leader’s lab, and The Leader arriving to murder that contact just seconds before the contact was going to call Captain America with an update (that the pills had gamma radiation in them). These plot holes, however, do not take away from the movie overall.
The movie has many intense action and fight sequences, including a fight over the frozen celestial (which is finally referenced again from the 2021 Marvel movie, The Eternals) involving Captain America, Falcon, and fighter jets from the U.S. and Japan (who are seeking to mine adamantium – yes, an X-Men (Wolverine) reference – from the celestial). In the movie’s final 30 minutes, The Leader’s plan for revenge unfolds with President Ross turning into Red Hulk due to the pills he had been taking for a heart condition that contained gamma radiation, resulting in an amazing brawl between Red Hulk and Captain America. As usual, the film also contains a post-credit scene that continues to set up a large Marvel multiverse war which will probably finally play out in the next two Avengers movies.
Overall, I’d give this film an 8/10. This movie’s story had some issues, but overall it was very entertaining, action-packed, and humorous as well. Frankly, I am surprised by the poor reviews it has been receiving since its release. Captain America: Brave New World sets the MCU on the right path, moving on from Marvel’s more recent movie mishaps. With “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “Thunderbolts,” and the new Disney+ show “Daredevil: Born Again,” all coming out soon, the MCU has a bright future and I’m excited to see where the main MCU story goes from here.
