After the events of FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER on Disney+, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) is now officially Captain America, taking the mantle from Steve Rogers, who passed the shield to Sam at the end of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. In CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD, Sam is now working with General Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over the role from the late William Hurt), as Ross is now President of the United States. This new movie has considerable connective tissue to other Marvel Studios productions like THE INCREDIBLE HULK, THE ETERNALS, and of course FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER… that last one is particularly important, as if you haven’t watched it, you’re gonna be pretty lost in this current story.

At the end of THE ETERNALS, a massive Celestial entity was almost birthed from the inside of our Earth, but was stopped, and now remains as a partially exposed figure in the European ocean… and it’s discovered that the Celestial is made of Adamantium (for those unfamiliar, the same substance Wolverine’s claws and Cap’s shield are made of). Newly-elected President Ross (Ford) desperately wants to pass a treaty among various countries that would allow America to control the newly found Adamantium, but certain world leaders aren’t sure he can be trusted. Captain America (Mackie) is still getting used to his new role, while also training Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) as the new Falcon. As these international issues unfold, an assassination plot emerges with someone controlling the minds of soldiers, who attack when triggered by secret signals. When Cap becomes aware of Ross taking certain risks, the two men clash, and Cap must go rogue to find out who is trying to take them both out… but he doesn’t realize that Ross is harboring some dark secrets that may the most dangerous threat of all.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is close to style and tone of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, which happens to be my favorite Marvel movie, but it feels much more like an extended episode of FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER. This movie doesn’t exhibit the usual spectacle and grandeur of most Marvel productions, but that’s not to say it isn’t entertaining and exciting. There are plenty of fight scenes, chases and even dogfights to satisfy most action junkies, but this is a much more grounded and covert adventure, meaning most of the world won’t witness or even be aware of what is going on, at least not until the final act. I’ve been saying for a while that since the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, it’s nearly impossible for Marvel to effectively top themselves in the eyes of moviegoers, so all that’s left is to deliver an engaging story with heroic characters we can empathize and root for. This new movie does that, and while it’s at times a little clunky (there’s been rumors of extensive reshoots taking place, and certain characters didn’t even exist in the original version), the final result is still fairly cohesive and easy to follow.

Anthony Mackie definitely seems confident and likable as Sam Wilson / Cap here, and sells the action and heroics quite well. I like that he’s played as capable, but still nervous about taking over the mantle of Captain America. I actually think the script could have focused more on his apprehension toward the pressure of who he must be now, as they are definitely big shoes to fill. This film could be defined as how he earns his new role in the framework of the Marvel universe, but instead it feels like he’s hitting the ground running here. There’s a scene late in the film where Sam questions why he didn’t take the Super Serum as well to give him a proper edge of his enemies, and I wanted to see more of that self-doubt in the character, as it would have felt natural and appropriate. Harrison Ford is really diving into the role of Ross, a very layered performance that delivers moral ambiguity and sufficient intrigue. This is a surprising performance from the seasoned megastar, who reminds us here of how much weight he can carry when given the right material and dialogue, no matter how advanced he is in age. In many ways Ross is the true villain of the story, but it’s not hard to understand his motives and why he feels it’s important to succeed at all costs. There are definite parallels to be drawn toward current political issues here, though it never feels like a film trying to force a message.

Danny Ramirez as Joaquin feels a bit underdeveloped here, serving as a likable-enough buddy character and comic relief, but one that could have been better fleshed-out. The great Giancarlo Esposito shows up as an assassin called Sidewinder (a role added in reshoots), but is sadly used sparingly and should have been given more to do. Carl Lumbly returns as Isaiah Bradley from FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, playing the original super soldier who was not treated well by the government, and is now being used as a mind-controlled pawn, but he is desperately looking for redemption. Lumbly is a terrific character actor, and he’s quite good here, really shining in his various scenes. Shira Haas plays a Security Assistant to the President, and it’s revealed she trained at the same school as Black Widow, so she jumps into a few action beats here and there, but like many of the supporting characters is unfortunately underwritten. Tim Blake Nelson is back from his role in THE INCREDIBLE HULK as The Leader, who is a welcome return, though his character design was a bit lacking for me… and he’s another one of the actors who is used just a bit too sparingly.

This is directed by Julius Onah (THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX), who has the daunting task of trying to revitalize the Marvel movie machine after some considerable downtime. Some scenes play better than others, and certain moments feel like they’re holding back from true greatness, but the final battle with the Red Hulk (it’s shown in all the trailers so I don’t feel like that’s a major spoiler) is pretty spectacular and delivers a lot of punch for Marvel fanatics. This movie does set up future events for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also feels cautious and realistic in its ambitions. Even the post-credit stinger is played incredibly ambiguous, to where it could be alluding to almost anything. As a Marvel movie, it’s not one of the more spectacular efforts, but I did enjoy the ride, and at 118 minutes all in, it never overstays its welcome. I enjoyed it enough to want to revisit it, but I think it’s a smart and safe play to keep things nominal story-wise until we see where things are truly headed in the next few years. If you enjoyed FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, chances are you’ll like this a lot, and I really appreciate the fact it draws connections and inspirations from two other under-appreciated Marvel entries, while still feeling like a worthy entry in the “Captain America” legacy.

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