‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Soars to Fun But Familiar Heights -

By Luis Zonenberg

After Deadpool proclaimed that “Marvel Jesus” had arrived to save the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it was time to finally see it put to the test. With numerous reports of rewrites and reshoots, there was a lot of speculation to see how this film would hold up following the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine. There was an enormous amount of pressure riding on this film and it was truly a spectacle to see it escape its production purgatory nearly unscathed.

The story focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) now working as the new official Captain America when he is recruited by President Ross (Harrison Ford) to rebuild the Avengers. Things soon take a turn for the worse when Ross is nearly assassinated by Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a veteran super soldier. Believing that Bradley was under some form of mind control, Sam recruits the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), to uncover the truth behind the attempted assassination.

It was refreshing to see the film take a more grounded approach to its story, with a lot of focus on what it means to seek redemption for past amends. It was unfortunate that it was dropped nearly halfway through, in favor of some typical CGI-fueled action set pieces. Considering how much of this story was retooled in the editing process though, I was impressed with how coherent and fun the movie remained throughout.

Anthony Mackie proved to be more than a capable lead, bringing a very charismatic yet moving performance. Harrison Ford absolutely stole the show though as Thaddeus Ross, with a complex and grounded performance that truly found the tragedy behind his character. Carl Lumbly and Tim Blake Nelson were also very strong supporting leads to help anchor out the cast, though Giancarlo Esposito’s character felt pretty inconsequential when given the complexity of the story.

The editing, while still a little choppy, was pretty well done given the context behind the making of the movie. It was clear to see which scenes were part of the reshoots in the final edit, with some shoots looking very smooth and not sharp or resolute in quality. The tone at least was kept consistent throughout the final product, with the music helping and sound design helping amp up the tension in certain scenes.

The VFX were more cartoony than usual, with some scenes clearly being rushed due to the reshoots that plagued the film throughout production. The practical set pieces at least looked massive and realistic in scale, especially on the big IMAX screen I saw it in. The cinematography certainly helped improve the more CGI-heavy action scenes, knowing when to be intimate or grand in scale when the time arose.

The movie is certainly held back by its safe approach and reliance on earlier MCU entries, but was still a blast to see on the big screen. While the production of this film had me worried going in, I was certainly surprised to see how more consistent and fun this film remained throughout when compared to films like Kraven or Madame Web. Anchored by a gripping performance from Harrison Ford, Captain America: Brave New World soars in with a fun if familiar story that will certainly engage die hard MCU fans.

Captain America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters.

Rating: ★★★ ½ of five

Spoilers:

After the attempted assassination on Ross, the main story became fairly predictable due to reports of Nelson reprising his role as Samuel Sterns aka The Leader from the Incredible Hulk. It was ultimately revealed that his character was responsible for the attempted assassination on Ross and wishes to tarnish his legacy. This is all while Ross is pitted against numerous countries for control of a new indestructible metal called Adamantium!

This was by design to fuel Ross’ anger in an attempt to unleash his inner beast, allowing him to transform into the Red Hulk in the climax. This is where I believe most of the reshoots came into play, as the CGI looked very rushed, playing like a cartoon as opposed to a realistic fight scene. Considering how the editing is trying to piece together separate storylines and rewritten material, I at the very least was impressed to see how consistent this movie looked and felt from a story-telling perspective.

The film clearly has its flaws in the editing room and rushed VFX, but these flaws do not overshadow the good parts the film has to offer. I appreciated how the film answered some lingering threads in the MCU and tried to interconnect with previous entries to show it is part of a larger picture. For me, the film recaptured a sense of fun that has been sorely missed and I hope the Multiververse saga only improves from here.