Captain America: Brave New World hit cinemas on Wednesday 12 February. It’s the 35th film in the MCU and the 5th for phase five. We tell you all about the latest Marvel movie. So top or flop?
Synopsis
After meeting new US President Thaddeus Ross, Sam Wilson aka Captain America finds himself at the centre of an international incident. He must uncover the reason behind a nefarious global conspiracy before the real mastermind turns the whole world red.
The return of Thaddeus Ross
This latest instalment in the MCU sees Harrison Ford appear on screen as Thaddeus Ross, replacing William Hurt who previously played the character.
He worked on the experiments to create the super-soldier serum and was responsible for Bruce Banner’s transformation into the Hulk.
A character we’re not unfamiliar with since, remember, it was he who approved the Sokovia Agreement in Captain America: Civil War.
In this film, we learn that Ross has been exposed to gamma rays and therefore becomes the Red Hulk.
From The Incredible Hulk to Falcon and The Winter Soldier
What we particularly like about this film are the regular nods to the various films and series. Captain America: Brave New World follows on from Falcon and The Winter Soldier in that we meet up with Isaiah Bradley, the forgotten super-soldier. There’s also a brief on-screen appearance by Bucky (hush, I didn’t tell you) and Liv Tyler, who reprises her role as Betty Ross (30 seconds on screen).
This film is a parallel to Captain America: Civil War: a political conflict that leads to war. In contrast, in Brave New World, Thaddeus Ross doesn’t want to disband the Avengers, but rather reform them. The post-credits scene also takes place at the same location in Raft Prison, but this time we meet up with Sam Wilson rather than Steeve Rogers.
And let’s not forget the super-villain, Samuel Sterns, aka Leader, straight out of The Incredible Hulk, who forms part of the plot of the film.
Captain America and Falcon
Captain America has found his new sidekick in the form of Steeve Rogers & Sam Wilson. The latter is teamed up with Joaquin Torres, who plays the new Falcon. His only mission: ‘not to get killed’. It’s a relationship we love to see on screen, because it’s full of humour. Joaquin Torres was seen in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and in this film we learn more about this character with a bright future.
So what do we think?
I think this latest Marvel movie does the MCU a bit of good. What’s nice is getting back to basics: an international political conflict that leads to war. No multiverse (but stick around until the post-generic scene) and that’s really nice. We’re in a single timeline, no need to think. We know where the film wants to take us. There aren’t too many action scenes, just the right amount. We get to meet new and old characters. The story is well told, unlike the franchise’s most recent outings. But Marvel has shown us the best as well as the worst, so it’s a case to watch …