This American, super-hero film shows Captain America linking up with a newly elected President of America, and finding himself at the centre of an international plot that must be solved.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson, and Carl Lumbly, Danny Ramirez and others. Directed by Julius Onah. Rated M (Action violence and coarse language). 118 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
This is a high-action movie grounded in political intrigue, that appears to capitalise on contemporary political events, especially those related to the election of a new President of the USA. “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) ended the Captain America trilogy starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and in this film there are parallels between the movie’s plot and world politics. An Israeli, former Black Widow (Shira Haas), who was a high-ranking US Government official, is now an ally of President Thaddeus Ross and features in the film. Tim Blake Nelson, from “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) appears as Samuel Sterns, after gaining superhuman intelligence and mind-reading powers.
The movie is intended to be the fourth instalment in the Captain America film series. It is the 35th. film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is directed from a screenplay written by Rob Edwards and others, and stars Anthony Mackie as a new Sam Wilson/Captain America. It has a new Director (Nigerian-American Director, and film-maker, Julius Onah), and Harrison Ford steps in as a newly elected (ageing) President of the United States. William Hurt, who acted Thaddeus Ross in the past, died in 2022 and has been replaced. In this movie, the new President transforms to Red Hulk during the film when he finds himself at odds with Captain America in a global conspiracy. Sam Wilson is no longer a super-hero soldier, but uses Captain America’s shield and wing suit in his fights and communicates that a black Captain America has a different conception of what a hero is and what constitutes acceptable behaviour. Anthony Mackie acts well as Sam Wilson/Captain America in the lead role, but the film is not a continuation of the past, so much as a film that uses its characters and themes in very different ways. There is a final battle between Captain America and the monster that the new President has physically and mentally become.
Use of split screen shots emphasise the footage of other political thriller films, and the film invites comparison with thrillers that intentionally convey a modern look, but the Captain America franchise has lost both William Hurt in a major role and Steve Rogers as the title character. The film’s appeal ultimately depends on audience responsiveness to intense physical action imbedded in emotionally charged situations. Action thrills and modern themes guarantee strong impact, but the film will disappoint diehard fans, who are not expecting so much change. Plot complexity constantly shifts, and multiple paranoid fantasies are in abundance.
Peter W Sheehan is an Associate of Jesuit Media