3 out of 5 star-spangled men (average)
Anyone who’s known me for approximately a week knows that I’m an avid follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I haven’t written full reviews for every installment (its Wikipedia list is a mile long and growing), the ones I’ve liked or loved are usually smaller-scale and emphasize the characters and stories amidst the spectacle. Captain America: Brave New World does just that, refreshingly dipping its toe far more into the political thriller pool than the superhero one without shortchanging action fans, though it does require a bit of homework to fully grasp. No trailer is given for being spoilerific.
Following The Falcon & The Winter Soldier tv show (Yes it’s still a problem that these movies require them to follow now), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has taken the mantle of Captain America and is working under the newly-elected President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford replacing the departed William Hurt). A former military General, Ross is looking to sign a treaty with several other countries to start mining for a new element and invites Sam, his battle-scarred mentor Isaiah Bradley (an excellent Carl Lumbly) and his zippy sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) to the announcement. However, when Bradley and some narratively unimportant Secret Servicemen seemingly attempt to assassinate Ross, Sam smells something fishy and along with Joaquin, discovers there may be ghosts in Ross’s closet coming back to haunt him.
Captain America: Brave New World is refreshingly less action-heavy and more story-focused than many recent Marvel entries. It works as action entertainment and had me giddily smiling at its spectacle, but I was more impressed by its commitment to being a political thriller. This is Sam Wilson’s first cinematic outing as Captain America, and the film shows why Wilson’s the best man for the job now and gives star Anthony Mackie a chance to shine. Harrison Ford brings welcome gruff gravitas to unexpected shading to Ross, and Carl Lumbly emotionally grounds his scenes and the personal stakes for our hero. I hope to see his character again as there’s a lot to dig into and Lumbly nails the role. It’s not a deep narrative, but it is a good one and never forgets its characters’ humanity.
As for flaws, some well-publicized characters are well-played but either spoilers or so underused that I could write my synopsis without mentioning them. This won’t make much sense if you haven’t seen the Falcon show and series black sheep The Incredible Hulk recently, but fans of those should be happy. Some slight retreading of Sam’s previous arc aside, I like where this leads him and look forward to future solo adventures. Captain America: Brave New World is a solidly enjoyable political thriller that won’t break the world open, but delivers where it counts and shows this ever-going saga can still surprise me. See it if you’re generally a fan of these.
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence and Action and Some Strong Language