Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

My Take – Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now 35 films deep (with two more to release this year), the Captain America films undoubtedly remain the best. It also has been six years since Avengers: Endgame (2019) saw Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) pass off his iconic shield and mantle to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), to build upon his legacy.

And while the 2021 series ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘ did an okay-ish job of showing what a new Captain America would look like, we have a new cinematic installment to showcase Wilson’s solo efforts in filling up such massive shoes. An installment which also acts as a follow-up to Marvel Studio‘s less popular works like The Incredible Hulk (2008), and Eternals (2021), and returns the franchise to its more grounded, paranoid political-thriller roots, reminiscent of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

But while the final result, amidst extensive re-shoots, doesn’t quite match the tense and sharp storytelling of the original Captain America trilogy, there’s enough intrigue and thrills to keep us invested. Mainly as there are many interesting elements present, and director Julius Onah maintains a suspenseful and intriguing tale of political corruption and power-mad politics.

That said, the film plays things a little too safe, and never ceases to rise above being a relatively straightforward political thriller which culminates with a Red Hulk battle that deserved more screen time.

]Sure, it feels like an extended episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on occasion, and Marvel’s typical failings end up undermining the third act, yet majority of the film hits more often than it misses, something on the lines of those Phase 1 films.

Taking place sometime after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the story follows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), an Avenger and former pararescueman who the world has accepted as the new Captain America. Though he executes missions with the military, especially when it comes to bad people like Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito), he is particularly uncomfortable with the newly-elected president of the United States, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford), due to their past run-ins and his reputation as a Hulk-hunter.

But Ross, regretfully tormented by the thought that he has alienated his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler) on account of her relationship with Bruce Banner, is trying to be different man. He wants to clean his reputation and make Sam the face of a delicate treaty accord in which the United States is attempting to peacefully navigate the distribution of the super-strong metal alloy adamantium, which has been discovered at the Celestial Island in the Indian Ocean.

However, the real trouble begins when Sam, wannabe new Falcon Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and their friend Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a Korean war veteran and recipient of the super-soldier serum who was betrayed and imprisoned by the US government for decades, attend a White House reception in recognition of their heroism.

There, a genuinely shocking attempt on the President’s life leaves Bradley back in prison and forces Sam to unravel a conspiracy to save his friend and maybe the world.

Here, director Onah, who has co-written with Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson and Peter Glanz do a wonderful job of setting the first two-thirds of the film in the vein of the Tom Clancy adaptations, two which starred Ford himself. They keep the pace brisk and quickly introduce a potential big bad for future films in the form of Sidewinder. Someone who with more screen time could have been a more impactful villain than the one who ends up taking over.

The emotion is also on point. Ross is trying to be a better man, while Wilson is trying to figure out if being a good man is enough to do his job, or if he needs the super-soldier-serum to call himself Captain America. A spectacular mid-air battle that hangs on his ability to keep the peace rather than make war, says otherwise.

His relationship with Isaiah in particular gives the film its heart, and makes you wonder how much better The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series might have been had it focused more on the two and emphasized on his history as a counselor of veterans.

The narrative makes a strong case that its Wilson’s compassion that makes him the right Cap. But, the moment Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns arrives as The Leader, looking effectively terrifying in shadows and quite unpleasant in daylight, the plot heads off in an all too safe and predictable direction.

The third act is messy, to say the least. It’s already one thing to reduce Nelson’s character to a standard revenge seeking villain, but the third act featuring Red Hulk feels shoehorned and not organic. There’s a bare set-up for him and given that he is a Hulk, he just gets into smashing things. Even though I must admit it is fun watching an angry Hulk be unleashed on screen again.

Thankfully, the action scenes are solid. Even if Sam not having the Super Soldier Serum robs him of the panache of the clashes Steve Rogers had with his foes. The aerial battles are intense, the hand-to-hand combat impress and most surprisingly, he manages to hold his own in the climactic battle.

Performance wise, Anthony Mackie is quite genuine and brings heart to the role. Fully embodying the character’s ideals, Mackie cements himself as Captain America here. Harrison Ford is easily one of the film’s highlights. Every time he appears, the film soared to new heights; the legendary actor is marvelous as Ross and his scenes with Anthony Mackie are among the film’s best.

In supporting roles, Danny Ramirez and Carl Lumbly are excellent too. Though, Xosha Roquemore and Shira Haas don’t really have much to do. It’s good to see Liv Tyler on the screen after such long time, that too in an underappreciated role.

As for Tim Blake Nelson‘s long-awaited return as The Leader, the actor is in top form, but is not in the film nearly enough to leave a lasting impact. On the other hand, Giancarlo Esposito, even his brief appearance is strong. On the whole, ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘ works fine as a decent political action thriller with some standout moments, but never reaches the narrative heights of the original trilogy.