This is a “brave new world” of Marvel Cinematic Universe that Kevin Feige is trying to kickstart. Captain America: Brave New World has the makings of the abrupt reset that Marvel Studios is taking. Behind all the reshoots, rewrites, and backtracked brainstorming, there is probably a good movie here. I say this because, along with the many problems, Captain America 4 has its strengths.
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I like Anthony Mackie, and I like him as this character. I also enjoyed Harrison Ford as Thad Ross. He clearly shows the most character growth out of the bunch and gives a decent performance. It’s also refreshing to see a Hulk-type character as a threatening rage monster once again with the introduction of Red Hulk.
I’ve seen Captain America: Brave New World defined in many different ways, and that’s probably the biggest issue. Between all the creative reversals, the film becomes a mashup of several different genres. It’s a sequel to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries, The Incredible Hulk, Eternals, it’s a political thriller, an action movie, and an extension of the MCU. That is a lot it is trying to accomplish, leaving little room for each plot thread and character to receive appropriate development. This is certainly present for Sam Wilson.
While I like Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, I don’t see how he had grown or was challenged by the conflict of this film. The story doesn’t take new routes with the character, nor does it distinctively draw upon the other supporting characters. The film ostensibly has three main antagonists, and the way this film ties them all together is sloppy to say the least.
The screenplay makes an effort to progress the story with lazy, expository dialogue that fails to suspend any disbelief. Brave New World is also a technical fumble with some of the sloppiest CGI and green screen in the MCU. The challenges for this film to be visually polished are made worse with the reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World has the misfortune of being caught in a trench of confusion over the direction for the cinematic universe that it can’t keep its own standing as an individual piece of film.
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