After the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) successes of the mostly comedic GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, and AGATHA ALL ALONG, fans might have wondered if the studio could steady the ship when it came to more serious fare. It’s encouraging that CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD suggests that Marvel can play things fairly straight even when a raging Red Hulk takes hold of the story. The MCU’s latest film is not in the top tier of productions by any means, but it’s earnest enough to qualify as a noble return to regular form.
Anthony Mackie, showing a glint of self-awareness even at his most somber, returns as Sam Wilson, an Avengers heir still getting used to the mantle, er shield, of being the new Captain America. He proves himself quite the hero when he and his military colleague Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) intercept an illegal sale of adamantium in Mexico. Adamantium, as you’ll recall, is the fictional metal alloy that was affixed to Wolverine’s skeleton and claws, giving him more market value than a set of Gordon Ramsey’s Hexclad cutlery. That metal is the MacGuffin here that gets the plot rolling as the world is gunning for this toughest of metals and newly elected POTUS Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) is determined to get to the supply of the natural resources first.
Ross is the formerly hot-tempered general, an enemy of Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk in his origins story decades back, who has only recently been on the side of the Avengers. Ross has come around so much after our heroes saved the world from Thanos in AVENGERS: ENDGAME that he’s now asked the new Captain America to restore the team. It helps to know all the backstories of the ever-expanding franchise, but the five-scribe script manages to make most of what’s happening here easy to follow.
Sam is pondering the task when a crisis occurs that finds the White House compromised by assassins bent on killing the Prez and the visiting Prime Minister of Japan. The two leaders were brokering a deal for the adamantium that’s lying exposed atop the Pacific Ocean, but all hell breaks loose when the baddies try to squash the deal and the dealmakers. Sam’s friend and mentor Isaiah Bradley, a super soldier created by the US government in attendance for the conclave, suddenly starts firing at Ross and doesn’t know why. After he’s arrested, Sam sets out to clear his friend’s name and find out who is beyond the dastardly deeds.
Ross’s famous temper returns and soon he will be manipulated by the villain in a way that makes his character truly see red. Tim Blake Nelson plays another old acquaintance connected to Ross and it’s all just an excuse for his drugs to turn the leader of the free world into the Smasher-in-Chief as given away in the trailer and posters.
The best part of the film occurs when Sam tries to save the POTUS from himself and the world, and thankfully, the plot doesn’t get more complex than that. The film is a deft 118 minutes long and modest compared to the lengthy extravaganzas that MCU films were becoming there for a while. Shorter, more focused stories are the route to go and that helps with the MCU’s return to cleaner narratives too.
Ford seems to be having fun in a role that asks him to emote more than he ever has onscreen before. Mackie makes a cool foil in the film’s fire-and-ice dynamic, and the whole brouhaha goes down fairly easily even if it’s far from what anyone would call groundbreaking storytelling. Still, director director Julius Onah doesn’t embarrass himself in any way and the action and tempered laughs play out appropriately.
It does feel weird watching 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue serve as the main battleground for the best fight sequence in the film, especially knowing what consternation exists within those hallowed halls these days, but that’s not the MCU’s fault. They can’t help it if their story’s stakes seem dinky compared to the enormity of our embattled country just these past weeks. Thankfully, the filmmakers play up the story here without irony or too much commentary on our contemporary times.
Sure, some of the action feels rushed and parts of the score feel overly bombastic, but by and large, the film remains fairly modest and stays on the keel. If it all feels a bit familiar, it’s because it is, but at least we have Ford playing well outside his norm even if everything around him feels tried and true. This isn’t a brave new world, but a comfy, customary one. Audiences will likely welcome it for a few short hours in the Cineplex as it’s a nice respite from the real world where our actual president is raging and smashing with abandon.
