The answer to the question is yes and no. Captain America 🇺🇸 Brave New World isnt as bad as it’s 49% Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 score (at the time of this post) suggests. But it’s also probably the weakest of the four movies in the formidable Captain America MCU film franchise.
The Good…
Anthony Mackie is magnificent carrying on the mantle of Captain America/Sam Wilson. He’s charismatic, empathetic and sometimes funny in the role.
Harrison Ford channels his inner Air Force One persona, deftly playing another fictional President on the big screen. And as per usual, he chews up scenery as “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk.
And we can’t forget, Danny Ramirez’s earnest efforts as the new Falcon/Joaquin Torres. He’s the most light-hearted character in a mostly dark, serious-toned film.
I also really enjoyed the final act, which pits Sam Wilson, decked out in a Vibranium super-suit, doing his best to fend off the latest rage monster 👹, Red Hulk, in the MCU.
Sam’s secret weapon ultimately isn’t the precious Wakandan metal but rather a prescient mental decision that saves his life. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the flick!
The Bad…
Where do I start?
The overstuffed script of a movie that has multiple writer credits—that speaks to the myriad of rewrites and potential studio meddling.
At times, very shaky VFX—especially the villainous Leader’s aka Samuel Sterns’s makeup and/or CGI. I get that they are trying to go with more practical effects in a film that is mostly grounded (sans the Red Hulk), but they could have done better.
They totally underutilize Giancarlo Esposito. He plays a badass mercenary from the comic-famous Serpent 🐍 Society but he needed more screen time. He was great in his few moments. It felt like his role was a late addition to the script.
The same can be said for the underutilized Carl Lumbly, who reprises his role from the Disney+ series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, as Isiah Bradley—the first American super soldier. To me, he’s one of, if not, the biggest shining star ✨ in the film. I wanted to see more of him too.
In the End..
Captain America: Brave New World is fun but flawed. For what it’s worth, the Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 audience score is a very solid 80% despite its rotten critical score. Additionally, the film exceeded $100 million at the U.S. box office on opening weekend.
However, the tepid reviews are a concern that could impact the financial leg$ of the film. The second weekend numbers will give us a hint as to whether the movie simply breaks even or makes a profit.
As an MCU fan, I hope that it’s the latter, but I also hope that Marvel starts hitting its stride narratively again because the last several films have either disappointed critically or commercially or both—this side of Deadpool & Wolverine.
We’ll see how it plays out moving forward…
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