What matters more: intention or execution? It's clear that Captain America: Brave New World was envisioned as a bold, challenging shakeup to the MCU. But after rewrites, reshoots, and the sanding down of any uncomfortable edges, what we've got is a pretty muddled entry.
That's a real disservice to star Anthony Mackie, one of this franchise's longest-tenured actors. Now that Sam Wilson has taken up the mantle of Captain America, it should have been his time to shine, and to distinguish himself from Steve Rogers. But exploration of identity – and of what it means to be the symbol of a country that once enslaved your ancestors – isn't on the menu. No, the film serves less as a new Captain America movie and more of a two-hour wrap up of dangling plot threads from The Incredible Hulk and Eternals, as well as the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There's enough exposition for people who missed those movies, or haven't seen them since they came out. But if you skipped the show, you'll probably be a little lost.
Harrison Ford seamlessly steps into the role of Thaddeus Ross, the newly elected President of the United States. There's a lot of discussion amongst characters if Ross is capable of change. But it's emblematic of the film's wishy-washy politics that people are told to check their skepticism. What's a war crime here or there when we face new threats from aliens and "enhanced individuals"? The film walks right up to the line of calling out America (and other powerful governments) for exploiting other countries' (and planets') resources and abandoning its soldiers, but doesn't have the follow-through. Even the much-ballyhooed introduction of Sabra (Shira Haas) doesn't have much of an impact. She's not given the chance to be a real character, let alone a problematic one.
Yet even with all its story problems and conflicted messaging, when it comes time to for action, the film soars. The Red Hulk vs. Cap fight sequence is the best battle in any MCU film since Endgame. Giancarlo Esposito, though sidelined early on, is as menacing as ever. And a big setpiece in the Indian Ocean is thrilling, despite ripping off Top Gun: Maverick. I even have time and space for a certain character from The Incredible Hulk, who becomes hugely important to the film's second half. But the government conspiracy angle was done better a decade ago in The Winter Soldier.
This Captain America really could have been brave, or at least new. Instead, it's stuck doing the same ol', same ol'.
