Film Review – Captain America: Brave New World

February 16th, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

***Warning: This Review Contains Mild Spoilers***

Here now is an example of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s worst tendencies. Captain America: Brave New World (2025) is a film so blatantly dependent on previous entries that it lacks its own identity. Granted, the very essence of “The MCU” is that it contains a large scale canvas where characters criss cross into each other’s plot lines all the time (borrowing from its comic book origins). But in this instance, it feels like a weird amalgamation of spare parts. For us to get a full grasp of what is going on, we must familiarize ourselves with the past Captain America films, Eternals (2021), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) TV show, the Edward Norton starring The Incredible Hulk (2008), and it wouldn’t hurt to go over Black Widow (2021) and Black Panther (2018) too. That’s a lot of homework for just one movie.

It’s been a long time since the first Iron Man (2008) was released, and since then we have seen actors come and go, new faces introduced, and entry after entry feel more like advertisements for the Marvel brand. Brave New World falls snugly into this category. Director Julius Onah (who also cowrites with Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, and Peter Glanz) has the assignment of advancing the MCU in a post Endgame world, yet still trying to maintain the core of what made it such a popular hit. No small task. We find Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) graduated from his Falcon role to inherit the shield left by Chris Evans. And just like his character, Mackie does the best he can in a very tough position. It’s hard to fill the shoes of one of the franchise’s biggest names, but Mackie comes as close as anyone possibly could.

Too bad the writing does not give him much help. In this go around, Captain America/Sam Wilson is caught in the middle of a whirlwind of instability and uncertainty. He is close with Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) – the first experimented “Super Soldier” – but feels an obligation to the very government that mistreated him. When President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) calls upon Wilson to help re-establish The Avengers, Wilson becomes intrigued, even though Ross has actively campaigned against superheroes. There’s also the appearance of the black ops agent Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), whose latest mission could lead toward armed conflict between the U.S. and allied countries. Last but not least, there is Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) making a return from The Incredible Hulk with his own devious plans for chaos.  

This is a lot of story to go over. However, the writing/direction barely manages to hold it all together, so the narrative ends up feeling thin. For a film that has assassination attempts, brain washing, big set pieces, secret conspiracies, and double crosses, it all plays out with little impact. It’s just one moment to another, without any building momentum. Perhaps because so much of the character work was done prior to this outing, the way events unfold turn mechanical. It’s as though the characters were going through the motions because it assumes we already know where they are on an emotional level. Carl Lumbly is excellent as Bradley, but would people even understand who he is if they hadn’t seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? Would viewers understand what “The Celestial Island” is if they never watched Eternals? Brave New World doesn’t stand on its own feet. In fact, it leans on other MCU films like a crutch. It’s the result of several roadways converging at one single destination.

The biggest problem involves the political elements. There is such an effort put on making the narrative as apolitical as possible, resulting in a project that lacks perspective or a spine. Sam Wilson is positioned to build bridges between opposite ends of the political isle. However, that approach makes him look like a sell out. To have Wilson (a black man) ask Bradley (also a black man) – whose experience draws distinct parallels to the Tuskegee Experiment – to smile and be friendly with the government is just plain wrong. For Wilson to shake hands with President Ross and offer his assistance – when Ross represents everything he and The Avengers stood against – shows a lack of self-awareness or understanding of the implications of that partnership. The writing/direction has Wilson bending backwards for an establishment that has done his community little favors. One might argue, “Why even bring up politics to begin with?” Well, that’s because the movie brings it up. In 2025, where the country is as politically divided as it has been in decades, and after an historically  contentious election, hearing Captain America basically say, “Can’t we all just get along?” is evidence of his blindness to the real world.

Ignoring those very troubling factors, Onah and his team do offer a silver lining in the action. From the opening set piece where Cap takes on Sidewinder and his goons, to a large scale battle in the Indian Ocean, to the climactic confrontation between him and Red Hulk, the action scenes are well staged and shot. Yes, Cap’s shield still defies the laws of physics with how it bounces around like a pinball, but the hand to hand combat and shoot outs are thrilling in a vacuum. The editing tones it down through these sequences, allowing time to showcase the choreography before cutting to a different angle.  Of course, there are instances where the use of CGI is apparent, but it is not so artificial looking to become a distraction. If there is a disturbance, it is with the score. The musical cues are overwhelming – even simple conversations are interrupted.

It’s a shame that Anthony Mackie’s first outing as Captain America on the big screen comes in such a disappointing release. He brings swagger and charisma to the role, and his interactions with the new Falcon,  Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez)  creates a mentor/student dynamic that is pretty entertaining. Sadly, that is not enough to make this a worthwhile viewing experience. This iteration of Cap is a complete blank slate – devoid of moral standing or social cognizance. Because the character is made to see everything straight down the middle, we have no idea what he stands for.

Anthony Mackie, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World, Carl Lumbly, Chris Evans, Dalan Musson, Danny Ramirez, Edward Norton, Eternals, Featured, Giancarlo Esposito, Harrison Ford, Iron Man, Julius Onah, Malcolm Spellman, Peter Glanz, Rob Edwards, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Incredible Hulk, Tim Blake Nelson