Captain America: Brave New World Is A Solid Marvel Entry

Captain America: Brave New World is a solid entry in the MCU. Anthony Mackie shines, Red Hulk looks great, and Carl Lumbly will steal your heart.

Admittedly, I went into Captain America: Brave New World with low expectations. Something about this movie never really got me excited. That said, it exceeded all of my expectations. Sure, it might not be perfect, it might not even be great, but it is not bad. In fact, it is a pretty darn good and solid entry in the MCU. This feels like Marvel’s return to form and it has me looking forward to what comes next.

Taking place after Falcon and Winter Soldier, fans finally get to see Sam Wilson as Captain America, and owning that title. As much as the mantle weighs on his shoulders, he is determined to make Steve proud. Anthony Mackie shines in the quiet moments of this film. He kicks some serious butt (more on that later), but it is the subtle and small moments in which he really gets to show off his acting chops.

Captain America: Brave New World is a political thriller first, and a Marvel movie second. That much is clear from the trailers. The story itself is the most cohesive we have gotten from the MCU in a while. The giant celestial is addressed (yay!) and we have adamantium in the MCU (double yay!).

Harrison Ford & Carl Lumbly Steal The Show

There is no doubt about it, Harrison Ford is having the best time Brave New World. He gives the role of President Thaddeus Ross his all. Every single time he is on screen, you cannot help but smile. He goes hard – especially in the final act.

Ever since we first saw Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, I have been eager to see him again. He is the heart and soul of Brave New World. His story brings emotion and while some might find a few of his lines too cheesy, but they really tugged at my heartstrings. Pay attention when he talks about his suit, that is a man who doesn’t have much after being wrongfully imprisoned for thirty years – do not dirty his suit.

Anthony Mackie & Danny Ramirez Have Great Banter

Danny Ramirez is the perfect sidekick for the new Captain America. He takes up the mantle of The Falcon, as much as Wilson pushes back on it, and works to prove himself the entire film. Whenever he is on screen, throwing sass at Wilson, I was laughing. Sure, some of the dialogue gets messy, but who cares, they were having fun and so was I.

While he could never take the place of Bucky, I did enjoy watching these two go back and forth with one another. Wilson has always been subtly funny, but he needs a good partner to banter with in order to shine in that department. Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres gave him that in Brave New World.

How Is Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk?

Everyone wants to know about Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk. Honestly, I wish they had kept the reveal a secret in the marketing. We all knew it was coming, it would have been more fun as a “surprise”, especially because we do not see a lot of him. That said, when we do see him, the CGI is impeccable. I was truly impressed at how they were able to create a fantastic looking Red Hulk that also captures the features of Ford so flawlessly.

That said, because he looks so good, the things around him don’t. He feels dropped into the background at times which causes him to stand out. While I wish we saw more of him in the movie, his short appearance fits into the plot well.

How Is The Action?

When it comes to the fight sequences, they were one of the biggest standouts for me. I love a good action scene and Captain America: Brave New World delivers on that front. There are some fantastic wing and shield combinations. We have all seen Steve Rogers’ Captain America fight with the shield, so it was important for Wilson’s to bring something new to the table. Mission accomplished.

No spoilers, but know that Wilson’s suit got an upgrade, which you learn about very early on. It not only looks amazing on Mackie, but it is pretty sweet seeing it in action as well.

So What Doesn’t Work?

As someone who loves a good villain, I was a little disappointed at how underused they both are in this film. Tim Blake Nelson is great, of course, and so I was thrilled to see him return to Marvel. He does a wonderful job as Leader but he felt slightly underserved. I wish we had a little bit more of him. It makes sense that he is more of a behind the scenes guy, but he needed just a sprinkle more to get where I wanted him to be.

Which brings me to Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder. Sigh. I was very much looking forward to Esposito’s MCU debut but he is extremely underutilized in this film. He is threatening when he is on screen, but that is for only minutes. You don’t hire Esposito to do him like this. Perhaps this was just an introduction to his character and we will have more later. One can hope.

The plot itself is interesting and even thrilling at times, but it does feel like The Incredible Hulk 2, which is weird because some of these characters have been replaced by new actors. Do not worry, you do not have to have seen that movie in order to understand this one – they will explain it to you.

In fact, they will explain everything. A lot. There is quite a bit of exposition in here, making it feel like the were thinking people will have seen The Incredible Hulk and that some viewers will be dropped into this as their first Marvel movie.

Overall Thoughts On Captain America: Brave New World

Honestly, the first ten minutes or so of this movie had me worried. I thought to myself, oh no, this is going to be bad, isn’t it? But then it picked itself up, dusted itself off, and went full political thriller and I was in. Mackie proves that he can lead a film, which is probably in part due to the supporting cast lifting him up whenever they were on screen. This ensemble is great as everyone brings something to the table.

There are solid action sequences and moments that will pull at your heartstrings. Ford is having the time of his life and Mackie soars to new heights. There are even a few fan service moments squeezed in (in true Marvel fashion), but I fully embraced them.

Say what you will, this movie feels like a return to form for Marvel and that has me excited for the future. Oh, and there is one end credit scene you do not want to miss.

Captain America: Brave New World exceeds expectations and is a solid entry in the MCU. It isn’t great, it isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty good.

Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14.

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About Captain America: Brave New World

Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14.

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Captain America: Brave New World exceeds expectations and is a solid entry in the MCU. It isn't great, it isn't perfect, but it's pretty good.

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