“Captain America: Brave New World” is the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marking the fourth theatrical “Captain America” film overall, director Julius Onah delivers a familiar but entertaining outing for the Multiverse Saga.
Picking up where the Disney Plus series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” left off, Samuel Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. When a supply of adamantium is discovered in the middle of the ocean, he must deal with a highly volatile world stage as multiple groups and countries vie for the metal. Between newly-elected President William “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt) and a group of mercenaries led by the enigmatic Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), all does not go smoothly.
Blending a $180 million comic book film with a tightly-plotted political thriller, the film most resembles 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” in style and tone. While not on the same level of quality as those films, it does provide a satisfying amount of thrills in the span of 118 minutes.
On top of building on what the previous entries did, the movie also serves as a follow-up to 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” Without any major spoilers, the film pays off on not only recent story setups, but also ones that have been in play ever since the first “Iron Man.” With an opening weekend of $100 million, the MCU is on the cusp of gaining similar longevity to the likes of the Godzilla and James Bond franchises in the pop culture landscape.
Though not quite reaching the heights of the previous “Captain America” installments, “Captain America: Brave New World” is still a solid end to Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With this summer’s “Thunderbolts*” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” set to kick off Phase Six, it’s certainly worth your time.
At a glance:
Directed by: Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas and Carl Lumbly with Tim Blake Nelson and Liv Tyler
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 118 minutes
My Rating: ★★★★
