Captain America: Brave New World

Considering the fact that the Captain America films have produced two of the best MCU films in Winter Soldier and Civil War, it is a shame that we are now left with this thoroughly mediocre and lazy fourth instalment.

Firstly, this film requires you to recall the events of a movie that came out in 2008. If you don't remember the events of this film, don't worry, as Brave New World is chock full of clunky exposition. It also requires you to remember the events of a show that came out in 2021. Without remembering some of these details, certain plot points just lose all their impact and don't carry much weight. Maybe my memory isn't what it used to be, and maybe I should have rewatched The Incredible Hulk and Falcon and the Winter Soldier before watching this, but who has the time for that.

Even ignoring these links to previous MCU instalments, the whole plot still feels incredibly messy and all over the place. There is a random collection of new characters all of whom get zero character development. Even Sam Wilson, Cap himself, gets no real development or journey in this film. It's an incredibly bland portrayal of the character, which is a shame given the great journey Steve Rodgers had. Anthony Mackie and Sam Wilson deserves more from his solo projects. Once you muddle through the clumsy link back the Eternals, and the overarching plot that links to The Incredible Hulk, you are still left trying to grapple with other bizarre aspects of the film. Why was a character seemingly central to the story like Sidewinder only added in reshoots? They can spin as much yarn as they like about the reshoots not being material to the film, but they clearly weren't happy with what they had in the can when they finished principal photography and it shows. The plot also felt very fragmented and choppy. Somehow it managed to feel convoluted yet mindlessly simple at the same time. Quite the achievement.

Now I will put my positive hat on briefly as there are some good points to this film. Despite being given very little to work with, Anthony Mackie puts in a good performance as Cap. It's clear that he could nail this role if the writing wasn't so poor, so I hope this improves for future outings. His chemistry with the new Falcon is pretty solid and there's some promise there. I do also think the final action scene is suitably chaotic, even if it does fizzle out, and the action throughout is all decent enough if nothing remarkable.

Ultimately though I really do think that Marvel has just hit a brick wall. With each film that passes, it becomes more and more apparent that Endgame was the obvious end point. The franchise should have taken a hiatus then kicked off again with a whole new cast and a whole new set of stories. It's a shame as Mackie has been let down by a poor film and poor overall franchise direction, but for Marvel diehards this film will be watchable enough.

I went into Captain America: Brave New World with low expectations, especially after all the negative publicity. But I decided to approach it as a straight-up action movie-and in that sense, it was okay. It was entertaining and somewhat enjoyable for what it was, but the movie had its fair share of flaws.

The Story: The plot felt rushed, and while it had some interesting connections to The Eternals, it lacked depth. There were noticeable editing issues, and the script felt average at best. The villains was forgettable, which is a huge missed opportunity because a hero is only as good as their villains. The Red Hulk storyline, which had so much potential, was underutilized and felt wasted.

The Character.

* Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America): Mackie carried the film and was a definite highlight. He's an underrated actor who did the best he could with the material he was given. His performance felt genuine, and he brought heart to the role.

* Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres: A pleasant surprise! Ramirez played Joaquin Torres well and showed good chemistry with Mackie. I hope they continue building his character as Captain America's sidekick.

* Harrison Ford (Thunderbolt Ross Red Hulk): Ford is a legend, but he looked uncomfortable in the role. At 83, it's understandable that such a physically demanding character might be tough to portray. If they plan to continue the Red Hulk storyline, they may need to consider a recast or a different approach to the character.

* Shira Haas (Ruth Bat-Seraph): Haas is a okay actress, but she didn't feel like the right fit for this character. She gave it her all, but something about her performance felt off. Maybe it was the writing or direction, and it seems like she was trying way too hard to act tough, taking on men twice her size was not believable, but either way. The character didn't connect, it was a pointless character to have in the movie.

The Action:

The action scenes were not bad, with some well-choreographed fights and high-paced sequences that kept it fun. But the editing issues were hard to ignore, with some moments feeling choppy or out of place.

The Missed Opportunities: The biggest letdown was the Red Hulk storyline. They introduced such a powerful character but barely scratched the surface of his potential. Also, the villains lacked presence, which hurt the overall impact of the movie.

Final Thoughts: Captain America: Brave New World is worth watching when it comes out on streaming service, if you're looking for a okay action movie. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking from the story or villains. It's entertaining, but it feels rushed and underdeveloped. Hopefully, if they make a sequel, they'll slow down, tighten the script, and develop a stronger villain like MODOK or Zemo could be amazing if done right!

Rating: 6/10 - Watch it for the action and Anthony Mackie's performance, but don't expect it to blow you away.

I found myself extremely disappointed. Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson and Harrison Ford as Ross, both fails to capture the essence that made its predecessors compelling.

Although Ford is better than the charismatic vaccum that is "Do Better" Cap.

The narrative is a convoluted mess, attempting to juggle political intrigue with superhero action, but succeeding in neither.

No tension, thrill, no excitement. The action felt tedious to follow.

It's as if the writers threw together a series of tropes without any regard for coherence or originality.

Mackie's portrayal of Sam Wilson lacks the charisma and gravitas needed for the mantle of Cap.

His performance is wooden and uninspired, making it difficult to invest in his character's journey. Plus we have to act as if we care for his sidekick...the new falcon... didn't bother to learn his name.

Ford, usually a powerhouse, seems disinterested and it's obvious he came to collect a paycheck. Plus why would you cast a 80 plus nearby to grave for a character that is properly re introduced.

The film's pacing is atrocious, dragging in parts where it should be thrilling and rushing through moments that could have provided emotional resonance.

The action sequences are uninspired, lacking the creativity and excitement that we expect.

As usual the secondary or primary ( depends how you see it) antagonist is worthless whereas if used correctly he could have been a seriously dangerous threat. Earth's mightiest heroes the tv series had awesome portrayal of the character in a handful of episodes.

The VFX is trash with several scenes appearing blatantly artificial. The cinematography is uninspired, failing to capture any memorable or striking imagery.

Save your time and money; this is one superhero flick that's not worth the watch.

This movie failed to focus on a villain or a storyline despite its length. It felt like it was being used as an excuse to introduce new dynamics and catapult upcoming releases and potential projects (IDF woman, Bucky in Thunderbolts*, the new Falcon) rather than focusing on the Captain America character. Both the Winter Soldier & Falcon show as well as the trailers made it seem like this movie had specific intentions for the new Captain America, but the movie fell flat and didn't tell us anything we didn't already know about Sam. Despite the possible consequences, the villains wound up feeling low stakes and impersonal. The most interesting characters had the least screen time, and it was overall disappointing compared to the show that preceded it.

Captain America: Brave New World is the latest entry in the Phase Five of the MCU. Considering the amount of reshoots, I didn't had high hopes for it and thought it wouldn't live up to the Captain America Trilogy and unfortunately I was right.

Starting with the positives. The cast delivers some charismatic performances particularly Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America. He pours his heart and soul into bringing the best out of his character. Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres also delivered a hilarious and delightful performance and his chemistry with Mackie is solid. And Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross/"The Red Hulk" was one of the highlights of the film. The action sequences were entertaining even though not as mesmerising as they could've been.

Now the movie has some obvious flaws. The plot felt rushed, predictable and lacked depth with a lot of story elements feeling underdeveloped. The pacing was extremely uneven. There were moments that felt rushed while others dragged on making the film a little unengaging at times. It tries to match the storytelling heights of the Captain America Trilogy only to fail at it. The editing is noticeably choppy. The CGI was questionable at times. The villain was underwhelming which shouldn't be the case with a Marvel movie. And the ending was anti-climactic.

While it suffers from a rushed and predictable plot, boring villain and uneven pacing, Anthony Mackie's performance and the entertaining action sequences makes Captain America: Brave New World a passable action flick and another mixed bag in the Phase Five of the MCU.