(film review) - Captain America: Brave New World

It has taken me a minute to finally sit down and write this review while I wrap my head around everything that has been going on in this movie and the TV show. I am sure some of you are wondering, well, it's a simple yes or no question as to whether you like the movie or not, and yes, that is correct, and yes, yes I did like the movie, but the movie is not without any flaws. There were reports that the movie was not testing well, so they had to reshoot scenes and make changes to the storyline. Sometimes I feel that hearing these things can paint the movie in a negative light with the fans who follow this type of information, which allows them to make their own unfair judgements, but with that said, you still should go into a movie you are interested in with an open mind. Something I did and well, the few problems I found with the movie were that there was not a real arc for the hero (main character), was it even a Captain America movie? and Disney are too "Gun-shy" rather than simply pulling the trigger on storylines and ideas. I'll explain.

The Captain America: Brave New World story picks up in either two places (depending on where you are with the MCU) after 'Avengers: End Game' or after 'The Falcon and The Winter Soldier' TV show (the storyline is after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but if the last thing you remember is, Steve Rogers giving the shield to Sam Wilson, then it should be no surprise to you that Sam is the new Captain America). An organisation by the name of 'The Serpent Society' is known to have stolen something from Japan, a material which comes from the former celestial being in the Indian Ocean now known as Celestial Island. Sam Wilson is tasked to recapture it, but after the successful mission and at the president's ball, Sam's friend, former Captain America (when Steve Rogers was on ice) Isaiah Bradley goes "rogue" and takes a shot at the now, president Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross which brings into question, what possessed Isaiah to do this, why and who is behind it all.

First off, this is a passable movie. I enjoyed it and found it entertaining, but the film falls short in many places. The storyline is fine, but it did not strike me as a Captain America movie. Having a member of the Serpent Society was fine, but that particular part of the storyline was lacklustre because they could have dug deeper into that with something a bit more compelling. They could have tied the serpent society to Hydra and the events of The Winter Soldier as fallout from that event, that would have been great if written well. The brains behind the mystery of the attempted assassination did not 1. belong in this movie, 2. serve as a great foil for Captain America. Isaiah Bradley was wasted. Isaiah Bradley has a Great backstory, only briefly touched on in the TV show 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', but Disney/Marvel did not want to go deeper and left it very surface-level. There are so many more untapped storylines there. They could have gone into the politics behind it all, all those years ago, that are still on the surface today and still presenting a problem. Some may say it is political, but is it? It would have been nice to see some flashbacks with Isaiah as well, that would have been great to see on film and for him to also suit up as an old man Cap, essentially. The long and short of the negatives is that the main villain should not have been used, the storyline was only ok but could have been better if they went deeper into the politics of a black man being Captain America. All that surface-level stuff is not cutting it. Thinking about it now, 'Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness' was also surface level. 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (everything to do with Gorr) was also surface level. I am starting to think that Marvel is losing their identity and forgetting where they came from. They used to take risks, but it seems the more money these films make, the more money they spend to make more, and take fewer and fewer risks.

So what was good? Well, like I said, the movie was good, serviceable and entertaining, I enjoyed it. The main villain should have looked better, but I liked what they did with them, more creepy than anything. The Hulk of it all was not too bad and allowed for a more savage rendition of a character we love and is known for in the earlier MCU films. All the characters were good and played their parts well. I did not like the Red Room participant in this one, until I did. And Anthony, as usual delivered a great performance along with Harrison. Harrison was dialled all the way in and he was not phoning it in at all. Even his story-arc was pretty decent over the many films the character has been in. Even the sidekick from the TV show was ok. Other side characters were decent/good, but it is just that, the film could have been better. Some of the dialogue was clunky and on top of a decent-than-excellent storyline, just makes you think, what happened? What were they going for with this initially?

Special effects, music, acting, it was all pretty good. I had not a single problem with the directing either as I feel Julius Onuh did a brilliant job. The fighting scenes were very good, and it allowed for The Falcon, now with a shield, to fight differently, unlike what we have seen him do before, which was great to see. Disney/Marvel seems to be dropping the ball on their political thrillers because if the movie were closer to The Winter Soldier, I can guarantee that people would be ranting and raving about this movie. It almost feels like the political thriller or something akin to The Winter Soldier is a one-and-done. They messed up with Secret Invasion and they messed up with this...But I guess we have to be thankful it was not close to the Secret Invasion TV show. We give thanks.