SPOILER ALERT
Marvel is hit or miss with their movies nowadays, so it makes sense that audiences were not exactly eager to see “Captain America: Brave New World.” This is the first Captain America film that does not star Chris Evans as the titular character. Instead, Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson, steps into the role for the first time since he was passed down the torch in “Avengers: Endgame.”
The film’s most anticipated draw was Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross – the new president of the United States – who eventually becomes Red Hulk. This is the first time Red Hulk is introduced to the franchise, and the computer-generated imagery (CGI) used to render the character was very effective.
Marvel CGI has been hit or miss in the past, so it was great to see they got it right with Red Hulk. He looks as you would imagine Ford would look as a hulk, rather than a copy/paste of Mark Ruffalo’s green Hulk.
Beyond the Red Hulk itself, the overall CGI throughout the movie is solid. There is a particular action scene that included aerial combat shots that follow Sam flying, fighting, dodging, spinning and looping. This scene is very well choreographed and showcases Sam’s use of his wings seamlessly in his new role of Captain America.
About halfway through the movie, beloved anti-hero Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, makes a brief cameo. He reassures Sam in a moment of doubt that Steve made the right decision in passing the Captain America title to him.
In May, the anticipated Marvel movie “Thunderbolts” will be released, which stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky. In the film’s trailers, we see Bucky as a congressman, and the cameo in “Captain America: Brave New World” gives fans a timeline of when he becomes one.
One of this film’s minimal flaws was their promotion of Red Hulk before it came out. Ford as Red Hulk was plastered all over the movie’s posters and trailers, giving the impression he would be in more of the movie. The first two-thirds of the movie build toward the reveal of Ford becoming Red Hulk, but with the audience already knowing the twist, the shock value was lost. The film would have benefitted from keeping the Red Hulk as a larger secret, so it would have been more surprising when he was finally revealed.
The post-credit scene is arguably the weakest part of this film. It comes after the credits have rolled, and just reiterates what audiences already know from previous Marvel films. It simply points out the existence of the multiverse and vaguely teases heroes from other worlds – which fans have been aware of for years.
“Captain America: Brave New World” hints at the possibility of getting the Avengers back together, upon Ross’ personal request to Sam. The team would be reimagined with new heroes introduced over the last few years. Sam’s right-hand man, introduced in the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Joaquin Torres, is one of the first people to be a part of the new team. With exciting action scenes and teasing the new Avengers, this film is worth the watch. Overall, there are worse Marvel movies out there.
