‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Ushers In a New Era of Superhero Action
Four years after mini series “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier," was released Anthony Mackie’s Captain America returns in a brand-new Marvel film that bridges the old and the new, ushering in a new era of superhero action.
The Beat Asia attended the Philippine premiere of “Captain America: Brave New World” last Feb. 11, a day before it hits local theatres, making us one of the first in the world to witness Sam Wilson kick ass on the IMAX screen. Let’s face it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become more like a complex web than a timeline with all the Disney Plus series stacking up like pancakes. So, when the time came to return to the big screen, some fans may be taking their time to find their footing when navigating all the new information and characters expanded through these series.
For this film, it’s better to have watched the mini series, but if you’re like some of us who last saw Sam Wilson way back in “Avengers: End Game” when Steve Rogers handed over the mantle of Captain America to him, that’s okay too! Marvel stalwarts might even appreciate this film for the fact that it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, making it feel almost old-school.
Keep reading to find out why.
Captain America 4: What Went Down
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The movie starts with a newly-elected president Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), whose office mantra centers on “togetherness,” promising to unite its citizens with the rest of the world. Cut scene to Mexico and we are at the center of a rescue mission led by Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who has officially taken the mantle of Captain America, and is now working alongside the government to retrieve a stolen package and hostages.
Sam takes cues from his Air Force liaison, Joaquín Torres (Danny Ramirez), who guides him through the mission. Somewhere in the middle of the squabble, we also discover that Joaquín is preparing to step up as the new Falcon.
After a successful mission, Sam visits Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), an African-American Korean War veteran and super soldier, to help train Joaquín. He also invites him to come to the White House as the president’s guest of honor but the ex-solider is reluctant, unable to understand why Sam is working for Ross in the first place knowing his dark past. Sam reasons that the people need to see Captain America as a symbol of hope, and his partnership with the government supports that.
Come the night of the gala, President Ross talks to Sam about restarting the Avengers. He’s somewhat thrilled about the idea, but also curious as to why the president suggested it after tearing the Avengers down all those years ago. We are then brought to the main hall where Ross addresses the world leaders about a treaty regarding Celestial Island, where they found a new type of metal: Adamantium, which is reportedly stronger than Vibranium. We also learned that this was the content of the package Sam retrieved in Mexico. During his speech, Isaiah suddenly shoots at the president and chaos ensues. When Sam chases down Isaiah, the man is confused and unaware of himself going rogue.
Sam gets in the middle of this international incident, which turns out to be part of a nefarious global plot that aims to pit two countries into going to war. While Ross seems to be struggling with his health, as shown through the mysterious white pills he’s been taking, Sam discovers a strange prisoner in Camp Echo One during his investigation: Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), a serpent-like biologist who accidentally cross-contaminated with the blood of Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk) which gained him superhuman intelligence. Sam discovers that Sterns has been manipulating the minds of the people around them, using mind control through advanced brain study that is triggered through a song. The worst part is that Sterns was initially working for Ross but went rogue to get his revenge.
Two countries’ fleets faced each other in the Indian Ocean after the Japanese prime minister discovered that the US had initially set up the theft of the Adamantium. Ross is blindsided, realizing that Sterns has been plotting against him all this time. Chaos ensues as pilots are mind-controlled to attack the Japanese fleets. Luckily, Sam and Joaquín were able to smooth things over, but the latter suffers severe injuries when he plummeted into the ocean.
After Sterns’ plot failed, he had but one thing left in his arsenal which was President Ross and his inevitable transformation as we discovered his pills were infused with Gamma. After being bombarded by the press, Ross transforms into the Red Hulk and it’s up to Captain America to stop him.
Old-School Marvel Returns: Action-Packed and Heartfelt
It’s been a long time coming for Sam Wilson to have his own movie. Anthony expressed his excitement during the press tour about stepping up as the new Captain America.
“They told me I’d be Captain America five years ago, so I’ve just been biding my time waiting for this moment!” He shared in an interview with Game Rant.
And we totally agree! We’re all aware of how much time, effort, and money goes into making a Marvel cinematic masterpiece, and the fourth Captain America franchise showed us that it is worth the wait. It embodies everything a Marvel movie should be: entertaining, fun, and heartfelt. In fact, we might even say it’s reminiscent of “old-school Marvel”—the movies from Phase One like “Iron Man,” “The Avengers,” and the inaugural Captain America film with Chris Evans.
For loyal fans, this was a nostalgic experience considering the format of the film was exactly how a traditional Marvel film would be. There’s the set-up—the opening action scene, which in this case was the Adamantium rescue mission. Then it leads us deeper into the plot, building up the conflict until we reach an emotional climax, and then more fighting occurs before the hero finally prevails. It’s simple and direct, which Marvel has gotten down to a Science with its early films back when there were no aliens, no multiple timelines, and no expository backstories that dragged over several minutes of the film. You were simply given a tangible conflict that was solved through a series of investigations, epic battles, and yes, a sprinkle of scientific whatnot that gave this hero movie a supernatural kick.
However, it does take away its unique aspect as there were no narrative risks or plot twists. It’s not a showstopper feature like “Avengers: Endgame” or “Black Panther,” but we believe the film made up for it with its concept and character, and how it explored a regular man stepping into a role that was once held up by a “super solider”—or someone who had taken the serum that made Steve Rogers, well, practically superhuman.
One of our favorite moments was when Sam and Bucky had a little heart-to-heart talk as the former was brooding over Joaquín’s injury and how he felt like he could never live up to Steve, someone who led well and made sure nobody got hurt. We believe the film explored Sam’s character quite well, and succeeded in describing the struggles and pressure of transitioning from someone who had supported Captain America to becoming a leader himself. We felt for Sam when he opened up about his regrets about not taking the serum, and his belief that he’s somewhat a weaker version of Captain America, but Bucky said something to him that truly stuck with us:
“Steve gave them something to believe in. You gave them something to aspire to.”
This is where we thought the story came full-circle, and described Sam’s character and role in the franchise. It showed us that Sam Wilson is just a regular man who fell into great situation, who was given a chance to save people. He has no super strength nor is he indestructible, so he never relied on brute force in his battles. We believe that makes him a smarter and better fighter. It’s only logical that they gave him an antagonist that made use of intellectual science. Sam was simply a good man who thinks first before punching someone's face.
Visually, the movie is spectacular as expected of a film produced by a massive studio. Marvel gets the best in the industry from the visual and sound effects down to camera and production people. There’s no doubt the film deserves high marks in the technical category. Those action sequences? Absolutely mind blowing! We love a good hand-to-hand combat scene that keeps us on the edge of our seats, and the film was generous in that department.
Anthony Mackie had always been amazing as the Falcon, but him being Captain America was downright brilliant. He gave this character more humor, and his chemistry with Joaquín Torres was endearing. It reminded us of a mentor-student relationship akin to Tony Stark and Tom Holland’s Spiderman.
We also thought Harrison Ford made a great antagonist as he made his MCU debut as “Thunderbolt” a.k.a. The Red Hulk. It was fitting considering the character isn’t someone who is downright evil, but also human and very much driven by emotions. The film needed a man who could be a president, a monster, and also a father—as Ross was very much clear on his intent to change his ways throughout the film in the hopes of reconciling with his estranged daughter, Betty Ross. And yes, Liv Tyler returned for a short cameo which got everyone excited!
We also have to note how diverse this cast was, and especially loved seeing more women step up into action roles. We met Ruth Bat-Seraph played by Shira Haas, a former black widow and the president’s security advisor, as well as secret service agent Leila Taylor whose also Cap’s eyes in the White House played by Xosha Roquemore.
Final Verdict
Although it failed to give us a unique conflict, “Captain America: Brave New World” was meant to serve as a bridge between the old and the new. It’s meant to embody that familiar Marvel formula in order to introduce new characters, new antagonists, and new worlds.
If you’re a fan of Marvel's Phase One and Two films, you’re going to love this. It’s definitely a great addition to the roster, one that humanizes both heroes and villains, upping its relatability factor and making it a more enjoyable and grounding experience for audiences. It’s been confirmed that Captain America will be back in the MCU, so we can’t wait to see how Anthony Mackie plans to develop his character in later films.
So, yes. Suit up and watch it at a cinema near you! “Captain America: Brave New World” is now showing in the Philippines, and the rest of the world on Valentine’s Day!
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