REVIEW #434 Captain America Brave New World (2025)

Captain America Brave New World

Synopsis

Sam Wilson soon finds himself in the middle of an international conflict after a meeting with President Ross. He must find the real brains behind the global plot before it makes the world see red.

My Review

Anthony Mackie continues the legacy of Captain America brilliantly in Marvel’s latest take on the political thriller genre, reminiscent of the beloved Winter Soldier. Like the rest of the world, I’ve seen how poorly the critics rated the film but I’m glad to see general audiences have been reacting far more positively, and rightly so! There is so much to enjoy here, with captivating action, tense political narratives and a surprising amount of substance in the characters personal journeys, which pierces through the enormity of the overarching storyline. Mackie just makes the story seem so personal, you witness just how much the mantle means to Sam and just how heavy the pressure is, but this only makes you root for him more and more. One of my favourite quotes in the film, one that sums up Sam Wilson’s tenure as Cap perfectly is: “Steve Rogers gave people something to believe in, you give people something to aspire to”, that relatability, approachability even, gives this new Captain America film a refreshing new take for us fans to enjoy.

I do think the powers at be were wanting this film to fail, scoopers spreading false information about troubled productions, fans releasing dodgy screenshots to ridicule the green screen before release and far more negativity on socials. But realistically, the cinematography was pretty impressive, the CGI, especially for Red Hulk, was peak character design and do you know what plastered a huge smile on my face? It was hearing the kids behind me yell in excitement, being blown away by the Ross vs Cap battle (not a spoiler, it’s in the trailer). People can criticise the movie all they like, no it might not be as impressive as The Winter Soldier, but it’s close in tone and a whole lot of fun, something that will leave a lasting impression on those young kids and that’s great to see. We seem to have these huge expectations on Marvel movies these days and granted recent additions have relied on Nostalgia over substance, but this does the complete opposite! I will say the antagonist was slightly anti-climatic in the end, with no traditional big fight finale that we come to expect with Marvel, but the ending was still incredibly satisfying and they utilised Harrison Ford wonderfully who now seems like a perfect re-casting! So go out and make your own opinion on Brave New World, ignore the outside noise and have some fun with it.

My Rating: 8 out of 10

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Film Review Club