The future favors the brave.
Captain America: Brave New World is a 2025 superhero film directed by Julius Onah, written by Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah, and Peter Glanz, produced by Marvel Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is based off of various Captain America comics by Marvel Comics. The film stars Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford. This is the thirty-fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth in the Captain America franchise. It was preceded by Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, The Incredible Hulk, Eternals, Black Widow, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and will be followed by Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday.
"You're not Steve Rogers." - Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
Plot
After an assassination attempt on President Thunderbolt Ross, Sam Wilson must continue his journey as the new Captain America and uncover the secrets behind a new conspiracy that threatens to launch the world into a global war.
The Sweet
I went in with modest expectations for Brave New World. I'm always somewhat excited for Marvel movies, and I love Sam Wilson, so I was interested to see what they would do with him truly starring as Captain America for the first time...but this movie has had some really bad rumors and press swirling around it, so I didn't know what to think.
The biggest strength of this movie is definitely Sam himself. One of the things that the MCU has been missing in the Multiverse Saga is the truly compelling lead characters. Yes, we've seen Ant-Man and Thor in their own movies, but they don't really feel like the best versions of those characters. Sam is continuing his journey from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, clearly learning how to become Captain America carry on the legacy that Steve left. There's an incredible scene that takes place in a hospital that exemplifies what I love about Sam's character. I can't say anything else about it except that if you've seen the movie, you know which scene I am referring to.
I also found Thunderbolt Ross and Isaiah Bradley to be very compelling characters. Ross has been one of our oldest MCU characters, and this is arguably his most impressive role. Harrison Ford brings a new charm and a new softer side to Ross that we haven't really seen yet. He hasn't been given the spotlight this much since The Incredible Hulk, and I felt like his character was really well executed and fun to watch on screen. Isaiah Bradley continues to be one of the most tragic and sympathetic characters in the Multiverse Saga as well. His relationship with Sam is the emotional core of the film, and I really wish we had honestly seen more of it. Carl Lumbly gives a really impressive performance for the amount of screen time he had. I just thought they were really good, fun, heartfelt characters to go alongside our new Cap.
This movie also feels like a bit of a return to the MCU formula of old. It still feels like a Multiverse Saga movie, not an Infinity Saga movie, but it has a bit more connective tissue and tricks that the classic MCU had that I enjoyed. We follow up plot lines from The Incredible Hulk and Eternals here, which gives it the sense of connectivity that the MCU has been missing. The film only has a budget of $180 million, which, if you look at recent MCU films, is the lowest by far. There are still some shoddy special effects, but the movie doesn't feel like it relies on CGI like so much of the recent MCU has. A lot of people have compared this film to the feel that Winter Soldier had, and, while it's not even close to as good as that movie, I can see where the comparison lies. It takes itself seriously, which is important for this film and for this franchise.
I also actually really dug the vibe of this film. The Leader is our main antagonist, and, while he's not, like, a great villain, his plan and the tricks that he does are really fun. I thought that the way Red Hulk was incorporated into the plot was very cool. The entire thing felt like a political thriller where you don't know who to trust, which is just always exciting. That's where the Winter Soldier comparison comes in, and the film does have a lot of the same vibes.
The Sour
One of the reasons that this movie had such a bad rep behind the scenes was because of the reported reshoots. Reshoots are common for films, but Brave New World apparently had extensive, longer than normal reshoots...and you can tell. There are moments where the green screen is so obvious and it's clear that the actor was just standing in a room, re-recording lines by themselves. That's bad. Everything with Giancarlo Esposito's character feels so obviously forced and added in after they didn't feel good about the initial cut that they had.
The action in this film is also a bit of a mixed bag for me. The Captain America movies have always had the best action in the MCU. Winter Soldier and Civil War have some of the most memorable fight scenes in literally all of superhero movies, so I went into Brave New World expecting something on that level...and it's not that at all. The action isn't bad, but it's so standard and bland. There's nothing new or exciting. They had an opportunity to do something really cool with a winged Captain America, but we don't get anything that fancy with it, so that was disappointing.
The plot is also very convoluted. This movie has five credited writers, and you can tell. There are a lot of ideas and a lot of plot lines, some of which are abandoned halfway through the film. Isaiah is a major part of the first half, but he basically disappears in the back half of the movie for no real reason. The Leader's entire backstory and motivation is super confusing and is delivered in a very clunky exposition dump, and I just didn't get it. The way that information is sometimes revealed is so awkward and unnatural that it becomes confusing. There's a whole subplot about a conflict between the US and Japan that I just had trouble following.
I also really was not a fan of Joaquin Torres, our new Falcon. There were times I enjoyed his dynamic with Sam, but most of the time, I was just cringing. The MCU humor has always had the same style, and oftentimes, the jokes land. Most of the jokes in this movie land...except for when they come from Joaquin. I found him to be unfunny and pretty uninteresting. I don't even think it was the actor. I just think he was a badly written character that was directed awkwardly.
Overall, I did enjoy this movie, but it's still a frustrating entry in a frustrating time for the MCU. It feels like they used to hire talented writers and talented directors and then have Kevin Feige work his magic and connect all of the stories to build to Infinity War and Endgame. Since then, however, Marvel has been hiring low-level talent and microwaving these scripts, causing them to feel half-baked and generic. This universe and this franchise is so special to me, but at this point, it's just not what it once was.
Final Thoughts and Score
Captain America: Brave New World is a fun but flawed adventure. I had a good time with it, but this is still clearly is a part of a bad stretch for the MCU.
I am going Savory here. Age range is 9+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)
"Captain America: Brave New World"
Fun Factor: 8/10
Acting: 7.5/10
Story: 6.5/10
Characters: 8/10
Quality: 6.5/10
Directed by Julius Onah
Rated PG-13 for superhero violence and action, language, disturbing themes and images, thematic elements
Released on February 14, 2025
1 hour and 58 minutes
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America
Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross / Red Hulk
Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres / Falcon
Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph
Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley
Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns / The Leader
Xosha Roquemore as Leila Taylor
Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker / Sidewinder
Liv Tyler as Betty Ross
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