There is a moment in Captain America: Brave New World where Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson expresses concerns about carrying on with the responsibilities of Captain America. He begins to feel overwhelmed by everything that's been happening. Chris Evans' Steve Rogers would've probably felt this way only after the events of the last two Avengers. Sam Wilson, however, already feels like he is dealing with issues that seem bigger than they already are.
The strange thing here is we, the audience, don't feel anything. Stranger still is Marvel's attempt at getting us to give a damn about characters in Brave New World that aren't compelling enough.
Let's take the example of Phase 1 of MCU, which began with Iron Man. It cannot be complimented for having a groundbreaking story — actually, this applies to MCU as a whole — but Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark was written and performed in such a way that lured not only comicbook fans but those unversed in the Marvel superhero mythology. Despite being a billionaire, he drew people to him with his sardonic humour and intense magnetism. We cared what happened to him. His effect on us was instant, achieved in one film.
The same cannot be said — the ability to bowl us over in one film, that is — of everyone else in Phase 1 of MCU, except Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, maybe. With others like Thor and Steve Rogers, we took some time to warm up to them, and Marvel gave them enough time to get us acquainted with them and their backstories.
There's no denying the fact Anthony Mackie is a likeable, charming actor. But Marvel hasn't put in enough effort to make Sam Wilson as strongly endearing as some of his predecessors, despite having him appear in six films and an entire series.
In Brave New World, Wilson keeps reiterating that he should've taken the serum just like Rogers and Bucky Barnes did. Well, that's what the film feels like, too — one that lacks the necessary storytelling 'serum' to sustain the momentum. Brave New World, which at times feels like a Mission Impossible film and at others like a 90s' thriller (In the Line of Fire, maybe?), wants us to care about the events in it, but the whole film feels so hollow.
Some of us are bound to ask questions like: "Who is that character?" "Where did he come from?" or "What is this character from that film doing here?" Those who have been closely keeping track of each and every minor character in the Marvel films might find their inclusions in this film cool.
However, there is such a big gap between their first appearance and their latest that not every audience member can be expected to recognise them instantly or make immediate associations with the films they earlier appeared in, or get their relevance or the logic behind their inclusion at this point. And I wish some other characters, like Isaiah Bradley, for instance, could've been utilised in a much better way.
The storytelling in Brave New World feels so sorely devoid of passion and novelty that if anyone stops following the Marvel films from this point onwards, we cannot blame them. It feels like watching a student who has been forced to shift schools way too many times.
The two actors who seem to be really enjoying their roles are Harrison Ford and Giancarlo Esposito. I'm assuming they found a way to push themselves to get some fun out of this material — aside from the big paycheck, of course.
As for the action sequences, they feel like a retread of what we saw before — like that aerial action sequence which feels like a nod to the first Iron Man — and despite the competent visual effects and CGI work, and the vastness of the IMAX format, they fail to generate any excitement.
In some areas, like a church fight, for example, you cannot blame someone for suspecting whether a high-end phone have been used to shoot it. In many places, there is no attempt to make the colours, contrast, or lighting appealing and cinematic. Suffice it to say that Brave New World is undoubtedly one of the worst Marvel entries.
Film: Captain America: Brave New World
Director: Julius Onah
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Giancarlo Esposito
Rating: 2/5
