Captain America: Brave New World

Marvel Studios has long prided itself on creating cinematic works that blend action, emotional depth and socio-political intrigue, offering audiences films that are not just blockbusters, but cultural events. Over the years, however, cracks have begun to appear in this once-dependable formula. The dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been tested by audience fatigue, declining critical reception and a growing sense that the franchise is treading water instead of forging ahead with purpose. Nowhere is this decline more evident than in Captain America: Brave New World, a movie that should have been a triumphant passing of the shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), but instead feels like an uninspired and forgettable entry in a cinematic universe that seems unsure of its future.

At its best, the Captain America movie saga has been home to some of the MCU's most gripping and thematically rich films. The First Avenger was a nostalgic war movie that introduced us to the earnestness of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and his unwavering moral compass. The Winter Soldier remains one of Marvel's best, blending a tense political thriller with explosive action and an exploration of government drift. Even Civil War, although overloaded with superheroes, tackled ideological conflicts in a way that seemed urgent and personal. Brave New World, on the other hand, has neither the thematic weight of The Winter Soldier nor the personal stakes of Civil War. It is a film that exists solely to fulfill franchise obligations, introduce characters, reintroduce old storylines and prepare for the next phase of the MCU without ever feeling like a fully realized story in its own right.

From the outset, Brave New World struggles under the weight of excessive baggage. It has the unenviable task of following The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a Disney+ series that was itself a mixture of strengths and weaknesses - at times incisive in its exploration of racial identity and systemic injustices, but ultimately hampered by Marvel's tendency to pull its punches. This movie had the opportunity to refine and elevate Sam Wilson's journey, offering a definitive statement about what his Captain America would stand for. Instead, it takes risks, delivering a watered-down political thriller that fails to thrill and fails to meaningfully address the very themes it timidly flirts with.

The plot, if you can call this jumble of rickety ideas and obligatory preambles a plot, revolves around a geopolitical crisis triggered by the discovery of adamantium on the Celestial Island (yes, Marvel Studios has finally acknowledged this point of the Eternals plot, years late). President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) wants to negotiate an international treaty concerning this precious resource, but things take a different turn when Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), the tragically forgotten super soldier from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, appears to have been brainwashed into attempting an assassination. What follows is a well-worn “lone hero investigating the truth” scenario, with Sam and his new sidekick Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), trying to uncover a plot that is both predictable and lifeless.

This should have been the perfect opportunity to explore what it means for Sam Wilson, an African-American man, to be the face of America, serving a President with a warmongering past. The Captain America movies have always had political overtones, whether it's the World War II propaganda aesthetic in The First Avenger or the critique of mass surveillance and government corruption in The Winter Soldier. But Brave New World refuses to engage with its most interesting themes, preferring to remain cautious and sanitized. It alludes to racial tensions, but in the vaguest way possible. It teases out the conflicts between government and heroism, but never follows through. Instead of being a movie about what Captain America should represent in modern America, it becomes yet another forgettable Marvel movie about a MacGuffin (adamantium this time) and a CGI showdown that audiences will forget as soon as they leave the theater.

One of the biggest disappointments is the lack of urgency or stakes in Brave New World. Marvel once mastered the art of making every movie essential, whether it was the fate of a single character (Iron Man 3), a team (The Avengers) or an entire ideology (Civil War). Here, nothing matters. Unlike Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which sparkles with paranoia and sharp political commentary, 'Brave New World' plays like a less inspired episode of a crime series, where world-changing events are treated with the emotional weight of a mid-season episode. The tension is non-existent, the plot twists are announced from miles away and, even worse, the film refuses to make any real statements. It gives a nod to the inherent contradictions of Sam Wilson, a black man who symbolizes a country that has historically let people like him down, but it does absolutely nothing with it. Instead, it eschews anything that might be the slightest bit challenging in favor of generic action sequences and the ever-present promise of “preparing” for the next phase of the MCU.

Speaking of action, even this department disappoints. The Captain America movies, at their best, offer kinetic and visceral fight choreography - think of Steve Rogers' brutal fight in the elevator or his iconic hand-to-hand duels against the Winter Soldier. Brave New World offers a few flashes of excitement, particularly in Sam's unique aerial combat style, but much of it is buried under murky visuals, uninspired camera work, and an over-reliance on not-always-impeccable CGI. The battle between Sam and Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito, criminally underused) could have been a highlight, but it turns into an indistinct blur of rapid cuts and digital chaos. Even the climactic showdown between Sam and Red Hulk - a moment that should have been a breathtaking clash of ideals and raw power - feels obligatory, without any emotional or narrative weight.

Much has been made of the casting of Harrison Ford as Ross, a character whose transformation into the Red Hulk has been widely presented as the big reveal (despite the spoilers in the trailers and even McDonald's promotions in the US). Harrison Ford is a movie legend, but he plays the role like a dream, with little fire or gravitas. His scenes lack the tension necessary to make his arc convincing, and when he finally transforms into the Hulk, it is a meaningless spectacle, without real impact. This is emblematic of the more general problem of Brave New World: the film follows the steps, ticking the boxes of the Marvel formula, without ever interesting us.

The supporting cast fare no better. Joaquin Torres is reduced to a comic role, delivering jokes that rarely hit the mark. Isaiah Bradley, whose tragic story could have been a focal point, is instead a plot device to reignite the central conflict. Shira Haas' Ruth Bat-Seraph is the subject of an intriguing introduction, but quickly fades into the background in favor of the main story, while Tim Blake Nelson's return as the Leader, announced since The Incredible Hulk (2008), ends up being yet another wasted opportunity despite the fact that this actor is one of the best working today. (We have excellent memories of meeting him at our favorite French festival, the Deauville American Film Festival).

Brave New World is not only disappointing as a movie, but also as a symptom of Marvel's increasingly strained relationship with the very media outlets that help keep its hype machine spinning. In France, the main independent online media outlets (including ours) - media outlets that have been covering and promoting Marvel films for years - were excluded from the press screenings of this film. Yet they were still expected to publish promotional articles and reports on the film prior to its release. It is a telling sign of the distance the studio has taken from the passionate, fan-driven ecosystem that once contributed to its success and prefers to rely on influencers with big egos, oversized due to an excellent audience despite content not always worthy of our interest.

Captain America: Brave New World is a movie that simply exists to fill a release slot. It lacks the boldness, thematic depth and craft that made the previous Captain America films stand out in the superhero genre. Marvel Studios is desperate to get back on its feet after a series of disappointing projects, but instead of shifting back towards quality storytelling, it continues to produce currently disappointing films, hoping that audiences will remain loyal out of habit. If Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a model of the genre, Captain America: Brave New World shows what happens when a franchise loses itself in bottomless depths.

Captain America: Brave New World
Directed by Julius Onah
Written by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah, Peter Glanz
Story by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson
Based on Marvel Comics
Produced by Kevin Feige, Nate Moore
Starring Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford
Cinematography: Kramer Morgenthau
Edited by Matthew Schmidt, Madeleine Gavin
Music by Laura Karpman
Production company: Marvel Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (United States, France)
Release date: February 12, 2025 (France), February 14, 2025 (United States)
Running time: 118 minutes

Seen on February 13, 2025 at Gaumont Disney Village, Imax Theater seat E19

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