Late next month, Marvel Studios will release the latest addition to its Captain America cinematic franchise to physical home release. Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled for home physical release May 13. The now fourth movie in the Captain America series, it is a presentation that is neither the best nor the worst of the Captain America movies so far. That is proven in part through its story. The cast’s work is the real high point of the movie, to be honest. If not for that work this movie might otherwise be an otherwise forgettable presentation. The bonus content that accompanies the movie in its forthcoming home release rounds out its most important elements. When it is considered along with the movie’s story and the cast’s work, the whole makes Captain America: Brave New World a brave effort from Marvel Studios that is worth watching at least once.
Captain America: Brave New World, the latest blockbuster from Marvel Studios, is an interesting new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that while hardly the best of the Captain America movies, is also not the worst. The movie, in its forthcoming home physical release, is worth watching at least once. That is due in part to its featured story. For those who may be unaware. It has already been compared (justifiably) to another Captain America movie, 2011’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Clocking in at just under two hours, the story essentially is a continuation of sorts of the Disney+ streaming Series, The Falson and the Winter Soldier, which saw Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) joining forces to fight evil as Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America. The story opens with Sam and the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez – Top Gun: Maverick, No Exit, Assassination Nation) retrieving a mysterious “package” from a group of bad guys. As it turns out, what was being retrieved was a container of adamantium. Yes, the same stuff used in Wolverine’s skeleton. The adamantium, according to this story was obtained at the Celestial Island. The island in question is a throwback to Marvel Studios’ worst cinematic entry, The Eternals.
As the story progresses, it turns out that the retrieval was ordered by none other than President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford – Indiana Jones 1-5, etc.) but ultimately orchestrated by a nefarious figure known as Samuel Sterns, a.k.a. “The Leader” (Tim Blake Nelson – The Incredible Hulk, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs). The revelation is made over the course of the story. What is interesting in all of this is all of the referencing being done by the writing team of Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, and Dalan Musson throughout. Nelson’s return was from the 2008 iteration of The Incredible Hulk, which saw Nelson originally appear as Sterns. Edward Norton (The Illusionist, American History X, Primal Fear) starred as the movie’s lead, Bruce Banner while Liv Tyler reprises her role as Ross’ daughter, Betty in this latest Captain America movie. Ross was originally played in that 2008 entry by William Hurt (Broadcast News, A History of Violence, Altered States), who passed away in 2022, thus leading to his replacement by Ford. As an added easter egg, this movie’s writing team added another throwback when they had Ford wearing a jacket with the presidential seal and the words “Air Force One” in one scene here. Ford starred in the movie, Air Force One in 1997, a movie that saw him play the president as he fought Russian hijackers aboard the movie’s titular jet.
Getting back on the subject at hand, the bigger story featured in Captain America: Brave New World is interesting, especially the role of Sterns in Ross becoming the Red Hulk. Ross was, in the comics universe, the first Red Hulk. His story was slightly altered here from the source material to make the story work, but The Leader was originally involved in Red Hulk’s creation in the comics universe. To that, end, all involved can be commended for staying as true as possible to the source material. The problem that arises is that throughout the story’s development, the writing team also does not hesitate to just throw in an action and/or chase scene every couple of minutes, complete with lots of explosions, gunfire, and quick camera shot edits.
This is where the comparison to Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes into play. That movie – the second of the Captain America movies – was rife with all of those chase and fight scenes. As a matter of fact, there was so much of said content in that movie that it felt like the movie’s writers did not even care about making any story. It was just Bucky (who at the time was a bad guy) chasing the original Captain America. It does not take long for this to happen either. As a matter of fact, that early retrieval of the adamantium involves an extended series of fight sequences and a chase sequence. There is also an action sequence in the scene in which Sam and his friends visit the White House. A group of brainwashed figures, including one of Sam’s friends, try to kill Ross, leading to all kinds of chaos and another chase scenes. As Sam and Danny investigate “Camp Echo,” where they come upon Sterns/The Leader, yet another number of fight sequences happen along with yet another chase scene. It goes on like this throughout the course of the movie, including a high-flying, fast-paced battle at sea involving the navies of the United States, Japan, Sam and Danny, and a pair of brainwashed American pilots. So yes, in hindsight, critics who took issue with the nonstop action and fight sequences are justified. It really all does feel collectively like the approach taken in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Thankfully though, as problematic as this is, it is not enough to completely detract from the script’s central story. As long as audiences can remain focused on that story, then the overabundance of those action scenes becomes more bearable and thus the movie becomes more bearable. Keeping that in mind, the story does work albeit with that one caveat.
Moving on from the story, the work of Mackie and Nelson shines as the true cornerstone of Captain America: Brave New World. Mackie shows the experience that he has already gained as the new Captain America with expertise. Unlike his predecessor, he does not have a super serum to rely on, and even contemplates at one point in the story whether he should have taken the serum. That moment of contemplation is a powerful moment considering how Mackie exhibited Sam’s personal doubt of himself. His friendship with Danny, that mentorship that he displays so wonderfully humanizes Sam and makes him so relatable to audiences. That personal doubt does that just as well, too. What’s more (going back to the writing), he does not have to rely on any over the top quips to get laughs or any appeal in general. All he has to do is be himself. It is a refreshing new take on the man with the shield. Given, in the comics universe, the original Captain America does eventually return, so audiences will just have to wait and see if that happens at some point. In the meantime though, Mackie proves to be the perfect person to play Cap for now.
On another note, Nelson’s return as Sterns/The Leader, is just as commendable. That is much for the same reason that Mackie is to be applauded. His presence as this evil genius is so subdued throughout the course of his performance. He made Sterns so cerebral (no pun intended for those who have seen this movie). Not to bring up another studio and its work but those who have seen the timeless Batman: The Animated Series will agree nelson’s performance is up there with those of Michael Ansara and John Glover as Mr. Freeze and The Riddler respectively in that series. Nelson’s performance here is that impressive. It ensures his work will remain one of the most memorable aspects of this movie.
Knowing the positive that Mackie and Nelson bring to the overall presentation of Captain America: Brave New World, there is one more positive (of sorts) to note. That positive is the bonus content that accompanies the movie in its forthcoming home physical release. The most notable of that bonus content is the featurette, “Assuming The Mantle.” This 11-minute retrospective finds Mackie talking about becoming the new Captain America, going from his beginning as The Falcon to thew new mark of America. Mackie talks about Sam’s background as an ordinary person herein, explaining how that played into his role of the “bearer of the standard” versus that of his predecessor. Additionally, as the featurette closes, Mackie notes his experience as an actor but still remains humble as he talks about becoming a superstar. That humility is exhibited clearly on screen and makes Mackie that much more endearing as the current Captain America.
Along with everything noted, this featurette also takes a deep dive into the “making of” the movie. There are discussions on the costume designs, the special effects, and even the role of an African-American man as the Captain America. That in itself makes for an interesting discussion point that is sure to engage audiences.
Another of the most notable of the extras in the movie’s home release comes in the form of “Old Scores, New Scars.” The nearly 10-minute featurette goes into more depth about Sterns’ evolution into “The Leader.” Listening to Nelson’s musings about returning to his character is enlightening in its own right. Ross and Sidewinder (one of the movie’s secondary villains) also get some focus in this featurette. That deeper understanding of the characters adds even more to the movie’s appreciation and to the work of the rest of the cast. That appreciation, paired with the engagement and entertainment ensured through “Assuming The Mantle,” enhances audiences’ overall appreciation for the movie, as does the feature-length audio commentary, which is its own worthwhile extra. All things considered the bonus content that accompanies Captain America: Brave New World is a positive that together with the movie’s central story and the cast’s work, makes the movie not the best of the Captain America entries nor the worst, but still worth watching. All things considered they make this latest entry in the Captain America story arc at least a welcome entry in Marvel’s bigger MCU.
Captain America: Brave New World, is an interesting new addition to Marvel Studios’ already very expansive cinematic universe. It is neither the best nor the worst of the studio’s Captain America franchise. To that end it proves worth watching at least once. That is due in large part to its central story. The central story follows Sam Wilson (the current Captain America) as he works to stop Samuel Sterns/The Leader from bringing about a world war of sorts all because of what President Thaddeus Ross did to him years ago. Sterns’ evil plan is familiar territory for action movies. He gets two sides to go up against one another all for his own selfish, villainous purposes. Knowing this familiar style story makes the nonstop action sequences more bearable. The work of the movie’s cast – most notably Anthony Mackie and Tim Blake Nelson – adds to the engagement and entertainment. The pair’s professionalism makes each performance fully believable. The bonus content that accompanies the movie in its forthcoming home physical release rounds out the most important of its elements. That is because of the background and insight that it provides into the movie. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the movie. All things considered they make Captain America: Brave New World a presentation that action movie fans, comics fans, and Marvel fans alike find mostly entertaining.
Captain America: Brave New World is streaming now via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango At Home. The movie’s home physical release is scheduled for May 13 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. More information on this and other titles from Marvel Studios is available at:
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