Marvel strikes out with “Captain America: Brave New World”
Going into seeing “Captain America: Brave New World” I had very high expectations. Everyone knows that lately, Marvel has been going downhill, but I really thought that this would be the movie to bring it back up. All of the other “Captain America” movies are spectacular, but this movie did not live up to the hype. Even the series “Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” had a more interesting plot line. “Captain America: Brave New World” seemed like a filler movie that did not take the industry any further.
To start, I noticed that the plot was very formulaic and nothing special. Sam Wilson had disagreements with the president, and another super soldier was being controlled and then wrongfully imprisoned. The conflict of Captain America representing the U.S. government and super soldiers seemed all too similar to “Captain America: Civil War,” as the Avengers have a conflict with the president over the Sokovia Accords and Bucky is manipulated and then imprisoned.
There was no point or purpose to the movie other than alerting the audience that Avengers would be formed again, which seemed like an unrelated plot detail. It was just filler scenes and the addition of a few new irrelevant characters. For example, the introduction of the Red Hulk was interesting, but it was not earth-shattering. The fighting scenes with Red Hulk looked great but were nothing Marvel has not done before. It just seemed like they copied the original Hulk, but changed it to be red.
One of the best things about Marvel movies is the incredible action and fighting, but I thought this movie was all over the place. In the beginning, all of the fighting scenes seemed a bit too scripted and cheesy. There was barely a struggle from Sam, and it all seemed a bit too fake. On the contrary, the flying scenes were great. It was something we had not seen from Marvel before, and it created a great sense of action and suspense for Captain America.
Although the movie was lacking, the actors did a great job with what they were given. Harrison Ford played Thaddeus Ross spectacularly and truly embodied his character. However, with Ford being such a huge name and talented actor, Marvel could have taken his character much further. Thaddeus Ross was quite simple, and Marvel really should have utilized Ford to create a new, astounding character. Following the same theme, I think Anthony Mackie deserved a better script. He did a great job assuming the new role of Captain America.
Ever since Steve Rogers gave the Captain America shield to the Falcon, Mackie, his character, and the Marvel Franchise have faced mass criticism. Most of the criticism consisted of fans not wanting a new Captain America or Sam Wilson not being fit for the role. I disagree with this. I think the Falcon was a great choice for the new Captain America and Mackie does a great job with the role. The decision brought light and gave representation to black Americans.
So many people criticize the contents of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and complain that Marvel is being too “woke.” I completely disagree. Although Marvel has been on the decline, I think their “wokeness” is a great and necessary element. This new “Captain America” lacks plot and direction, but I think it is important to emphasize that it is not the actor or the character’s fault.
I hope Marvel can eventually get it together and live up to its former glory. I love the “Captain America” movies, and I will continue to have hope for the character and the franchise.
