Marvel Studios is continuing to develop the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with its latest entry: “Captain America: Brave New World,” directed by Julius Onah. The movie proves to be one of the biggest movies of 2025, releasing on Feb. 14 and grossing more than $300 million.
“Captain America: Brave New World,” is a part of “phase five” of the MCU. Viewers may need to watch the previous movies to understand the plot completely.
The story follows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who was the Falcon and now steps up to the role of Captain America after the death of Steve Rogers. Wilson works for the government, along with his partner, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), who has taken the title of the Falcon from Wilson.
Mackie gives it his all to being Captain America and brings new life into the character. Even with an average script, he delivers a charismatic and confident performance. Ramirez works well with Mackie as partners, and he brings a humorous performance as the Falcon.
They take orders directly from the recently elected President Ross (Harrison Ford). After an attempted assassination of the President, Wilson’s close friend Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) is imprisoned. Wilson refuses to believe that Bradley did it by his own will.
The side characters were also well chosen. Lumbly gives an emotional performance as Bradley, especially during the prison scene. Shira Haas plays Ruth Bat Seraph, and she brings extra seriousness to her role as the President’s security advisor.
Relations between the U.S. and foreign countries deteriorate, and tensions rise as Ross tries to protect his image. This leads to the eventual reveal of Ross being Red Hulk, which would have been a pleasant surprise if it had not been spoiled by the movie trailer.
Even at 83 years old, Ford delivers an excellent performance, showcasing his acting ability in a variety of situations. His acting as Red Hulk was well done, but he lacked the screen time to show the character’s full potential.
The plot is basic; it includes a few antagonists, but they are forgettable and underutilized. The story seems rushed, which might be due to the movie receiving many revisions and having a small group of writers.
Fight scenes are intense and diverse throughout, including hand-to-hand combat, aerial fights, and gun fights. Wilson mixes his mechanical wings with the Captain America shield to make creative, never-before-seen combat.
The fight scene between Captain America and Red Hulk is the highlight of the film for me; the Washington D.C. cherry blossoms surround them, and mass destruction ensues.
The special effects are believable and do not take you out of the experience. Red Hulk is a deep red that feels intimidating. The way he jumped high into the air looked unrealistic, but otherwise, the effects were well done.
“Captain America: Brave New World” is an entertaining movie, but the experience felt a little empty. The plot felt simple, and the writing was average. Comedic moments are frequent, and there were quite a few chuckles, but some were unnecessarily thrown into emotional scenes. I think it is worth a watch if you are a big Marvel fan or are looking for an action movie to turn your brain off and be entertained.
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