Performance Review- Captain America: Brave New World

One of the goals here at Friends From Work in 2025 is to increase the amount of written content that we are producing. As part of that, I will be writing reviews from time-to-time. But I wanted to put my own spin on the review format so I am going to be looking at MCU projects through the prism of the Infinity Stones. Each project will be evaluated in six key areas based on the mind (plot and writing), reality (acting and visual effects), power (action), time (pacing and editing), space (direction and cinematography), and soul (themes) stones.

This will be a work in progress, and I welcome any suggestions or feedback for future installments. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with Captain America: Brave New World.

In a lot of ways, the deck was stacked against Captain America: Brave New World. Greenlit during the Bob Chapek era at Disney, it was the last MCU movie to film prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. During those strikes, Bob Iger (now back as CEO at Disney) developed a new plan with Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios that would once again prioritize quality over quantity. The days of greenlighting projects based on a buzzy idea alone were over.

When the strikes ended, rumors began to plague the post-production process of Brave New World. First, there were rumors that the production was undergoing massive reshoots. That was followed by unsourced claims of a budget ballooning to over $300 million. Finally, leaked underwhelming test screening responses made their way onto Reddit boards and social media. It didn't matter if these rumors were true (most were not- the film underwent just 22 days of reshoots, and the final budget, as reported by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, was a reasonable $180 million). What mattered was that the rumors were out there at all, influencing public perception well before the movie's release, thanks to the pervasiveness of social media. 

So when I went to the movie theater last week to catch an opening night screening, all of that was in the back of my mind. When I walked out two hours later, I was left wondering why so many had panned the movie in critical circles and on social media.

Let’s break it down. Mild spoilers throughout.

MIND STONE: Captain America: Brave New World has a lot going on. It is simultaneously a nominal sequel to the Chris Evans Cap trilogy, a sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk and 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and a stealth follow-up to 2021's Eternals. It introduces one of the most consequential elements from Marvel's comic lore, Adamantium, into the MCU for the first time. Unfortunately, the script (credited to five different writers) struggles to juggle and service all of these plots equally. It works best when it focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) and the evolution of their relationship over the last 10 years (since they first crossed paths in Captain America: Civil War). It falters most in the depiction of Samuel Sterns, AKA The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), who is positioned as the film's primary villain but whose motives are never entirely clear to me. 

REALITY STONE: This movie's real strength lies in its lead actors' performances. Anthony Mackie is as good as ever, proving himself more than capable of fronting his own Captain America movie. Harrison Ford, in a role that would have been easy to phone in, does anything but. Seeing the 82-year-old generate genuine emotion from the audience was a true delight. Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres) and Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley) have tremendous chemistry with Mackie. Shira Haas, joining the MCU as ex-Black Widow Ruth Bat-Saraph, is the most exciting newcomer. Conversely, despite being an excellent actor, Giancarlo Esposito is not given much to do as Seth Voelker, the head of the Serpent Society. Esposito makes the most of what he is given, and it is a shame there wasn't more for him to do.

To my eye, most of the visual effects in the film are well done. The aerial sequences are exciting and believable, and when Ford transforms into the Red Hulk, you buy the transformation. The VFX team did a great job and you can really see Ford’s own facial features behind the effects. The look of The Leader was less successful for me. It appeared to be a combination of make-up and CGI and I never quite fully bought into it.

POWER STONE: The action scenes in Captain America: Brave New World were some of my favorite scenes in the film. An early scene between Wilson and Voelker was a standout for me, and the aerial sequences near Celestial Island were exciting and worthy of the big screen. After spending a lot of time away from Earth in recent MCU installments, the grounded nature of these action sequences elevated their effectiveness.

TIME STONE: Brave New World is one of the shortest MCU entries in years, clocking in at just under two hours. Reviewing trailer footage against the finished product, it is clear that several scenes were changed or cut entirely during the editing process. Regrettably, there are a few instances where this stands out negatively. The ending, in particular, feels rushed. Most significantly, I thought that another 10 minutes devoted to Samuel Sterns, a character not seen on-screen in 17 years, would have helped establish his motivations and made the movie more cohesive.

SPACE STONE: I was not familiar with director Julius Onah’s prior work, and I thought he did an admirable job bringing together a huge blockbuster franchise film like this and giving it some personal touches. The decision to eschew the traditional ‘Marvel Fanfare’ at the top of the movie was a bold choice, and I think it sets the tone (along with Laura Karpman’s thriller-esque score) for the movie to come. Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau (Creed II) has several standout sequences in the film. My favorite is an early nighttime scene outside the White House on the streets of Washington, DC.

SOUL STONE: Sam Wilson is the main attraction here, and while the movie proves that he is more than capable of being a leading man, it retreads much of the same ground that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier previously did. As a result, Sam’s arc is somewhat flat. I would have liked to see more of him wrestling with the idea of rebuilding The Avengers rather than leaving that for a future film.

On the other hand, Isaiah Bradley and Thaddeus Ross have satisfying arcs. Bradley is the true heart of the film, and Ross is given more characterization here than in all his other MCU appearances combined.

FINAL VERDICT: While Captain America: Brave New World will not be remembered as one of the MCU’s best entries, it delivers enough action and excitement, combined with standout performances from Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, to entertain MCU fans and general audiences alike.

7/10

-Greg