In an effort to secure a global future, the newly elected President of the United States, Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (Harrison Ford) aims to do two things; form a coalition to collect rare and valuable materials from the newly formed Celestial Island, and work with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to reform the Avengers. But when the coalition is threatened by an attack on the president - one that suggests his past may have caught up with him - Sam is forced to go it alone in order to find out what Ross is hiding before it destroys him, and prevent world war 3.
Anthony Mackie's first turn at headlining a movie in the MCU, and he proves categorically that he is the right guy to lead this behemoth into a new era. Fair to say that both actor and the character he plays have big shoes to fill with their first solo outing, and they more than rise to the occasion. Sam may have accepted his promotion to 'Captain America', but he's still figuring out what it means for him and how he wants to do the job, while honouring Steve Rogers' legacy. More importantly however, he's still Sam, but with this great responsibility he's now carrying it's like he's being pulled in a thousand different directions, and Mackie not only plays it brilliantly, he makes it feel relatable. Something that aids him in this is the more grounded story - grounded for the MCU, anyway - in which to begin his journey. This is a story about people, some of whom may be a little enhanced, but people all the same.
The trouble is this story of people - and consequences - was sold as a kind of political thriller, akin to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Now they may share certain story beats, but Brave New World lacks the sense of mystery and intrigue that drove Winter Soldier. Although the diplomacy surrounding the exploration of Celestial Island does add some much needed tension. However, the main reason for the lack of mystery, as it is with most things MCU, is that the powers at Marvel revealed a certain villain's involvement/return way ahead of time. No, I'm not talking about the big, red guy - I'll get to him later. I get that fans have been calling out for this character to make a return, and thanks to the power/annoyance of social media their presence would inevitably be spoiled for many before they got a chance to see the movie. But knowledge of their presence means Sam doesn't really have a mystery to solve. Not for us, anyway, because we already know what Sam is going to find, or at least whom. Don't worry about the end credits scene either - it gives you nothing, and should have been part of the movie's main ending.
It might be modelled on Winter Soldier, but there's another MCU movie that Brave New World more closely resembles; Iron Man 2. On top of giving Mackie a chance to flex his wings and his shield, Brave New World - along with director Julius Onah - is burdened with being the introductory stepping-off point for several new characters. Which is probably why they just don't really get to do much. This includes Shira Haas and Xosha Roquemore as a member of Ross' administration and the head of his Secret Service detail respectively. Both play interesting characters who will hopefully get more to do in the not too distant future, but here it feels like they're almost auditioning for the opportunity to play a bigger role. Then there's Giancarlo Esposito as 'Sidewinder', the head of Serpent. He's only in a handful of scenes and is of course, perfectly intense, and looks very cool doing it, but he has no major bearing on events. Now we know that Esposito was brought in during the reshoots, that's nothing unusual, but his involvement, along with that of Serpent feels a little undercooked. Certainly in Serpent's case, not much more than a name-drop, retroactively inserted merely to titivate comicbook fans.
Despite a few issues however, Brave New World is still a lot of fun. As well as Sam and his exciting new job, Danny Ramirez is really settling into his role as Joaquin Torres. The pair make a pretty good team, and when you throw Carl Lumbly into the mix as the grizzled but loveable super soldier and Korean war veteran, Isaiah Bradley, the laughs just keep on coming - apart from when one of them starts shooting up the White House. But on top of adding to an already amusing duo, Lumbly masterfully portrays Isaiah's struggles, both with his own trauma and Sam's choice to become Captain America. Isaiah has a very different but relevant perspective on his country and the world, and I hope this isn't the last we see of him. Then there's the new president. Harrison Ford steps into the role of Thaddeus Ross - portrayed by William Hurt up until his death - with a performance that both honours Hurt and takes the character in an interesting new direction, sans moustache. He's almost a changed man, trying to make up for some of his mistakes, while wrestling with others he's not quite ready to own up to, and Ford's portrayal of this conflicted man is nothing short of excellent.
Of course, when Sam's not hanging out with friends or politicians there's a little bit of action to enjoy here and there, especially in the second half. Not only do you get some spectacular scenes, like the aerial battle around Celestial Island, and Sam's confrontation with something angry and red, but the movie also explores the new Cap's disadvantage in not being enhanced. It's interesting to see him struggle with it, both physically and mentally, while having to adapt to some pretty hairy situations. None more so than facing off against Red Hulk. Yep, as if you didn't already know, we have a new Hulk, and much like the other one he's pretty angry and very good at smashing things. Lets face it, he's probably upset about losing his moustache. Wouldn't you be? I would actually like to have seen the stache regrow as part of the transformation. Anyway, despite being a little on the short side, it is an epic fight - one that leaves parts of DC in tatters, and would have even Steve Rogers crying out for Veronica. In other words, a pretty good way for the new Captain America to make his mark!
It may not be the political mystery/thriller we were hoping for, but that doesn't prevent Anthony Mackie from showing us he's the man to carry the shield into the next phase of the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World may in some ways resemble Iron Man 2, but it still delivers when it comes to action, drama, and even laughs. Hopefully it's a sign that Marvel are moving things back in the right direction.
8/10
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