‘Captain America: Brave New World’: Neither brave nor new

As the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the fourth Captain America film and a sequel to 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk,” “Captain America: Brave New World” has been long anticipated. Given its Valentine’s Day release, the film should have been the perfect date night or solo night out film, an entertaining and exciting collection of top-tier action scenes. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype.

The star-studded cast, featuring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Giancarlo Esposito and a number of surprise cameos did not salvage the film. While there were a few good performances — such as by Joaquin Torres, who plays the new Falcon and whose charisma and wit made him one of the most likeable characters in the film — they were overshadowed by the countless other characters and subplots.

The film felt very familiar, but more in an overused, boring and tedious way than a nostalgic one. It was partially saved by its runtime of just under two hours, compared to other recent MCU films, which often clock in at around two and a half hours. Yet even with this relatively brief run time, the two hours felt long and formulaic.

Instead of building up Thadeus Ross (Harrison Ford) throughout the movie, the film relies on the viewer’s limited previous knowledge of Ross, who was previously played by the late William Hurt in “The Incredible Hulk,” and a suspenseful introductory score. The thinly-veiled commentary on the current geopolitical climate cannot be lost on the viewer: the main villain is a temperamental, easily aggravated and manipulatable president who is trying to change America’s relations with other countries. But the clear reference does nothing to advance the film or boost audience engagement, since the movie does not pose a resolution, arc or advancement, making this reference feel like unnecessary filler.

Marvel is known for its high budget, innovative special effects — particularly in action sequences — but in “Brave New World,” the action simply looks artificial and lifeless. Instead of immersing the audience in the action sequences and awing them with realistic effects, the exaggerated colors and images that clearly look computer-generated tear the audience out of the story that is already struggling to hold their attention. 

While there are a lot of things the film does poorly, it does have a few notable successes, including phenomenal non-action cinematography. There are many visually-pleasing, artistic and cinematic shots, where the lighting and angles engage the audience more than the plot alone ever does. However, for such a high-budget film, costing nearly $300 million, these brief moments of visual beauty are strongly overshadowed by the lack of substance in the scene they portray - there is no substance or deeper meaning behind what the viewer sees, it is just a pretty picture.

In essence, there is no “New World,” just an old world of reused ideas, plotlines and character arcs. Any new ideas are effectively suppressed, leaving the audience unimpressed and bored. While the return of a number of characters from “The Incredible Hulk” may be much appreciated by fans of that film, they also leave the new viewer contextless and confused about who the key players are. The film is virtually inaccessible and a tedious watch to anyone who is not invested in the 17 years of films, TV shows and lore for the MCU. 

For hardcore Marvel fans, “Captain America: Brave New World” is of course a must-see, whether that is to keep up with the ever-expanding web of MCU stories or simply to appreciate the inclusion of comic book characters and plots. With so many lovable characters and far-reaching frontiers still in the MCU pipeline this disappointment of this film is most likely not going to have a lasting impact on Marvel or even the Captain America films. However, for the casual Marvel viewer, this film is a let down, providing  insufficient entertainment, tolerable visual effects or fun moments to keep it engaging or worth watching.