Captain America: Brave New World picks up where the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has traded in his Falcon wings and picked up the shield and mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers. He is mentoring fellow soldier Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) to be the new Falcon. Former General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) is now the President of the United States. He and Sam Wilson haven’t had the best relationship over the years, but both are willing to work with one another for the country’s best interest. Adamantium has been discovered on the Celestial Island that appeared in the Indian Ocean at the end of The Eternals, and President Ross has invited several world leaders to the White House for a summit to determine what to do with this precious and rare metal. However, the summit turns into an assassination attempt, with those trying to carry it out having no memory of their actions. As Wilson and Torres investigate what is going on, they join forces with the President’s security advisor, former Black Widow, Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas). After the events of The Incredible Hulk, Ross had put the blame on cellular biologist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who has been locked up for over a decade in a secret military prison, forced to perform secret experiments for Ross. Now Sterns has managed to escape, and is using his special mind control abilities to turn those close to Ross into sleeper agents against him. But Sterns still has one even bigger trick up his sleeve to bring down Ross that has been biding his time to reveal. Can Sam Wilson fill the shoes of his predecessor, and help stop this and save the planet?
I would rank Captain America: Brave New World in the middle of the pack when it comes to the MCU. It wasn’t one of the most memorable entries, but it was pretty solid and entertaining throughout. The film is action-packed, but has a different feel from other MCU movies, and certainly different from the previous Captain America installments. Brave New World feels more like a more-grounded political thriller in the vain of The Manchurian Candidate, rather than the usual superhero film, though it does have some of those elements. Unlike Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson has chosen not to take the Super-Soldier Serum, so he doesn’t have the super strength or any special powers or abilities. He is more like Tony Stark in that he just has technology to help him, with a suit that helps him fly and a drone called Redwing providing support. I found it a bit difficult to see Sam as the “Captain America”, because he really hasn’t changed much from his previous Falcon character. He still wears a winged suit that allows him to fly around, except that it is now made out of Vibranium, which was gifted to him from the Wakandans. This suit it supposed to absorb all the energy that is thrown at it. But even with that, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief that Sam is not somehow crushed by the Red Hulk, or killed by bullets, etc. At least with Steve Rogers, there was the super strength and healing that came with being a Super-Soldier.
One thing that felt lacking in this MCU installment is a really solid enemy. Instead of just concentrating on one, the film tries out three different bad guys. Seth Voelker (Giancarlo Esposito) aka Sidewinder, the leader of the SERPENT Special Ops team, makes for a tough, intelligent foe, but is unfortunately underused. Esposito is great in this role, channeling his menacing Gus Fring. Sidewinder feels like a proper match for Wilson, as he, too, is not a Super-Soldier. For its second enemy, the film goes back to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, to bring back cellular biologist Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) who we last saw getting hit by gamma radiation. However, instead of receiving super strength like The Hulk, Sterns received superhuman intelligence, turning him into the self-proclaimed Leader. Sterns has can instantly compute the probability of various outcomes to situations, and has the ability to manipulate people’s minds and make them do things, activating them with a song. The idea is quite good and interesting, but this is offset by the look of the character, which comes off a bit ridiculous and gimmicky. Finally, we get the Red Hulk, whose origins are spoiled in the trailer for this film, so I won’t mention here in case anyone is actually going into the movie fresh. While this Red Hulk would make an excellent foe for a superhero, Sam Wilson just seems so outmatched when it comes to strength—the Red Hulk could crush him so easily, so their match-up feels a bit ridiculous.
Now for the good parts of the film. I think Anthony Mackie does have a fun personality, which works well for this new version of Cap. I also really enjoyed the buddy chemistry between Sam and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), the wide-eyed young Air Force lieutenant who has taken over the mantle of Falcon. There are some really exciting action sequences with these two working together both in the air and on the ground to neutralize each new threat that comes their way. Another new character I really enjoyed was Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli former Black Widow who serves as President Ross’s security advisor. She may be short in stature, but is quite skilled when it comes to kicking ass. Harrison Ford is also given a lot to do, taking over this role from William Hurt. Ross is a complicated character who is trying to keep his summit on track, while also dealing with his own personal issues and trying to repair his estranged relationship with his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler).
While I may have has some issues here and there with the movie, overall, I still found it quite enjoyable and engaging and it kept my interest for two hours. I haven’t read the comics so don’t know anything about this version of Captain America, but I do home in future installments they find a way to make his match-ups feel a bit more realistic, or else have Sam finally choose to take the Super-Soldier Serum.
Disney/Marvel has released Captain America: Brave New World on 4K SteeBook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital as of May 13, and the film will arrive on Disney+ May 28. I was sent the 4K Digital version for review. The presentation looks and sounds fantastic. The picture is clean and detailed, looking nearly flawless throughout. The audio track provides clear dialogue, as well as a thoroughly-immersive experience, filling the room with the ambiance of action/battles/destruction, the sounds of helicopters overhead, and the exciting score. It’s a shame that Disney has abandoned the 3D format for those of us who still have the ability to watch at home. A lot of the flying around scenes looked great in the theater in 3D and I wish we were able to experience this again at home!
The release also contains a small but entertaining assortment of bonus material, including 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew, a gag reel, 3 deleted scenes, and a director/cinematographer commentary.
What’s Included:
Specs and bonus material may vary by provider.
Film: (1:58:45)
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital, French Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Assuming the Mantle (11:09)
The cast and crew discuss casting Anthony Mackie in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam’s journey to becoming Captain America, his grounded everyman origins, his new suit and shield, Joaquin taking on the mantle of Falcon, the wire work, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Kevin Feige & Nate Moore, director/co-writer Julius Onah, co-producer Kyana F. Davidson, key costumer Alison Freer, property master Russell Bobbitt, and stars Anthony Mackie (“Sam Wilson”/”Captain America”) & Danny Ramirez (“Joaquin Torres”). - Old Scores, New Scars (9:46)
The cast and crew discuss the film’s villains—going back to The Incredible Hulk (2008) for the Leader, getting into the physicality of Sidewinder, the relationship between Sam and President Ross, working with Harrison Ford, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Nate Moore & Kevin Feige, co-producer Kyana F. Davidson, director/co-writer Julius Onah, and stars Tim Blake Nelson (“Samuel Sterns”), Anthony Mackie, Giancarlo Esposito (“Sidewinder”) & Harrison Ford (“President Thaddeus Ross”). - Gag Reel (2:13)
Laugh along with the cast as they miss marks, flub lines, dance, and just have fun on set. - Deleted Scenes (4:49)
Three deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:- A Heartfelt Thanks (1:32)
President Ross thanks Agent Taylor for helping to bring him back from the brink. - The Mission (1:50)
Sam spars with Agent Taylor in the boxing ring while trying to get the mission location out of her. - Stick Around (1:14)
President Ross apologizes to Isaiah and invites him to stick around to talk with him after his press meet and greet.
- A Heartfelt Thanks (1:32)
- Audio Commentary (1:58:25)
Director Julius Onah and Director of Photography Kramer Morgenthau provide an informative commentary throughout, sharing some behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and talking a lot about the filmmaking process, camera and lighting choices, filming locations, and more.
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
I would rank Captain America: Brave New World in the middle of the pack for the MCU catalog. It is a solid, action-packed entry that remains entertaining throughout, giving the new Captain America a more grounded thriller for his first theatrical outing. I still have trouble seeing Sam as the Captain America as he doesn’t have any true superpowers, and often seems way out-matched when it comes to the villains. However, Mackie has a lot of charisma and great chemistry with his other co-stars—I especially enjoyed the buddy aspect of the film between Wilson and Torres. Brave New World is certainly worth a look for MCU fans or fans of the cast/character. For those who want to check out the movie first before a blind buy, Captain America: Brave New World will be streaming on Disney+ on May 28.
