WARNING: Major Spoilers for “Captain America: Brave New World”
Over the years, one of the most influential and long running franchises in history has been Stan Lee’s own Marvel Comics. Marvel has been responsible for some of the most iconic characters ever, including Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman and Captain America.
While the comics have appealed to long-time fans of Marvel, one of the most notable and recent parts about Marvel’s legacy as a lasting IP is the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). These movies allow for both long-time fans and newcomers to witness their favorite characters on the silver screen.
Beginning with “Iron Man” in 2008, the MCU has seen incredible heights with films such as “Avengers: Endgame” and the “Guardians of The Galaxy” trilogy being beloved by Marvel fans. However, one of the MCU’s most recent films, “Captain America: Brave New World,” has seen rather mixed results.
“Captain America: Brave New World” starts off with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) being sent by President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) to stop an illegal sale in Oaxaca, Mexico, held by Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito). Shortly after the sale is thwarted, Sam invites super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to a meeting held by the president.
Isaiah is at first hesitant to attend due to his past hatred of President Ross, as shown in the Disney+ miniseries “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” but is persuaded by Sam. During the meeting, President Ross mentions that a rare metal known as adamantium was found at the Celestial Tiamut. However, things go awry when Isaiah suddenly attempts to assassinate President Ross. As a result of the murder attempt, Isaiah is taken into police custody and sentenced to Death Row. Sam, believing that Isaiah is innocent, sets out to clear his name, despite the president’s objections.
Eventually, Sam decides to interrogate Sidewinder, who reveals that the shooters were hypnotized into assassinating President Ross. With this information, Sam tries to locate the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Ross attempts to collect the adamantium found in the Celestial Tiamut, possibly jeopardizing the United States’ relationship with India and France, who are after the adamantium as well.
The second act begins with all three countries at Celestial Island attempting to claim the adamantium for themselves. While Sam tries to convince French and Indian soldiers that they are being used by a mastermind, President Ross has a confrontation with an unknown assailant, who claims to be out for revenge against him. Sam discovers the identity of the mastermind to be Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson). With Ross in a panic and Joaquin being shot down, Sam is forced to choose between either stopping Sterns or thwarting Ross.
The third act begins with Ross making an announcement about the issues occurring at Celestial Island. Simultaneously, Sam decides to confront Sterns, who sentences himself to jail as a part of his plan to bring President Ross down with him. After being pressed with too many questions, President Ross succumbs to the effects that he had studied throughout the span of the MCU, known as gamma radiation; the same resource behind characters such as The Incredible Hulk and Abomination. After a brief fight, Sam reminds him of how he has tried to improve himself, with the film showing him in prison after the entire ordeal. The film concludes with Sam clearing Isaiah’s name and continuing to defend the United States.
Some of the highlights of the film are the action scenes during the second act, the story having a serious tone compared to the more lighthearted movies, and the motivation of Samuel Sterns. I also really enjoyed the various references to previous marvel films such as the Celestial Titan from the film, “Eternals” being the main source of conflict as well as the line from Ross saying how Sam was “no Steve Rogers.”
Among these few great things, there were a few problems within the film. While it did not have many humorous moments, which is to the movie’s benefit, the jokes that it did have felt rather dull or left hardly any interest. The third act also had a lackluster ending. Overall, while it is better than most Marvel films that have been released after “Avengers: Endgame,” outside of great action scenes, it is largely mediocre.
