Movie Review: Captain America: Brave New World (2025) *No Spoilers*

Movie Review: Captain America: Brave New World (2025) No Spoilers

I decided not see Captain America: Brave New World in a cinema because everything I heard about the film pointed to a disjointed mess, from testing poorly, to whole characters being added in during reshoots.

The trailers looked okay but, since they featured Red Hulk, quite a bit, it felt like there wasn't much left as a drawcard for seeing the film in a cinema.

Having now seen the film on Disney+ I feel it was a good decision. While the big budget effects no doubt would've looked better on a big screen, the story wasn't particularly complex or intriguing enough to make the film stand out. If anything, it's a straight forward action movie with a hero who is just kind of... there.

The story revolves around a plot to kill the newly elected US President, former General Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). Captain America (Anthony Mackie) must find who is the real mastermind in order to clear his friend and the original Super Solider, Isaiah Bradley's (Carl Lumbly), name.

I must admit I'm not a fan of Mackie's Captain America, not because of anything he's done. Mackie is great as Sam Wilson, and I loved him as the Falcon. I would prefer him to still be the Falcon.

Captain America with bird wings, full face and head helmets, remote drones, and nano tech, isn't the Captain America I signed up for. It feels like a completely different superhero.

It seems like the movie is aware of this, so you do get a few fights with Sam in his regular clothes with just the shield to show he's as capable without all the high tech... but... you come to a superhero movie to see your favorite superhero, doing superhero things, wearing their superhero suits.

There were a few moments where I thought, why isn't he suited up for this?

The story does start out as promising but it doesn't take long for Sam to work out who they're after, how the villain's plan is being executed, and where to find them. Thanks to the trailers the end is no longer all that surprising. What could've been a spectacular reveal is reduced to a 'oh this is the moment it's going to happen.'

Overall, Captain America: Brave New World is not a bad film by any means. It just doesn't stand out. It seems like the writers had good intentions of trying to top the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier by throwing money at the action sequences, while forgetting that character and story is key.

I feel this movie might have found better success had it been more a continuation of that show than what it is. Maybe not a direct sequel but certainly could have used a few more of the themes and elements of that show being brought forward into the movies.

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