 Director: Julius Onah Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford Studio: Marvel Studios Genre(s): Action Rated: PG-13 (For intense sequences of violence and action, and some strong language) |
Has it really been almost 20 years since Marvel burst onto the scene as an independent film studio that made a big gamble with "Iron Man" that has paid dividends billions of times over? Back then, the idea of an interconnected superhero universe was fresh and exciting while successful enough to make the Walt Disney Company pony up $4 billion to buy the studio. While few would argue that this was a bad investment, the return on investment has been diminishing for the last several years. Not only in box office returns, but in excitement, magic, and even (dare I say it) some common sense in the screenplays.
"Captain America: Brave New World" is technically the fourth installment of the Captain America aspect of the series, but it feels more disconnected than anything else. Steve Rogers no longer wields the shield. Instead, his chosen successor Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) does. While giving a new character the Captain America title is a risky move, it is far from fatal. In truth, this could be a good thing, as it promises to shake up the series and give it a bold new direction in the 'Brave New World' the title promises. The problem is the movie isn't following the story of the new Captain America so much as it is using its time to being a sequel to "The Incredible Hulk," a movie few people liked that was released 17 years ago.
Moviegoers are going to be seeing a film that not only contains information from a movie they likely forgot about, but is also following the events of the Disney+ TV series "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (a show I admit to having not seen). Because I am unfamiliar with the events of the show, there were several moments where I felt lost in the narrative, and not sure where things were going. For those who remember the events of this series the way my brother remembers baseball stats, this likely won't be a problem. But I can take legitimate issues with the fact that "Captain America: Brave New World" is attempting to be a political thriller without the high stakes.
In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the villainous group Hydra was a symbol of Nazi terrorism while S.H.I.E.L.D. represented a US government that may have been overstepping its limits of power for the "greater good." "Captain America: Civil War" also touches on the government wanting to legislate the super-powered humans who may have been saving the world, but otherwise were accountable to no one. Were these the best political thrillers of all time? No, but they felt like real movies that had something they wanted to say. Considering the sensitive political climate (not to mention the division of Americans) we have today, it seems strange to pull back on the political aspect of these movies (even if I understand why studio heads would want to).
To add insult to injury, the movie casts Harrison Ford as General Ross (who was previously played by the late William Hurt), and this is an actor who not only can command the screen when given great material, he is a man who has been in great political thrillers. For someone who made "Clear & Present Danger," "Ransom," and even "Air Force One," what does a man like Ford think when he has to play a president who is always two steps behind the antagonist's dumb movements? I know the paycheck is good, but shouldn't Marvel feel embarrassed to be wasting a talent like this by having him turn red and scream randomly?
What about the other two antagonists? Rather than have them be credible threats, it feels more like the filmmakers are throwing in red herrings because they couldn't think of one plausible antagonist to center the screenplay around. Sure, a fight sequence in the air with jets reminds us that Marvel can still produce the hell out of an action sequence when they want to, but what is the point when everything else is so forgettable? This may be intentional; the movie only really comes alive when there is an action sequence, and that seems to be the primary concern of all those involved. As a result, "Captain America: Brave New World" did not feel like cinema: it felt like a theme park ride.
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