Captain America: Brave New World – A Hero’s Journey Against All Odds
Journal Prompt: What are three things I can do this week to take care of myself?
Captain America: Brave New World starting with Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford was released in theaters on February 14th. Now, I admit that I did not have high hopes for this movie based on a couple of things. Ever since Avengers: Endgame Marvel hasn’t been hitting it like it used to and the trailers I’ve watched for Brave New World did not get me excited enough about this new Marvel movie. Nevertheless, I was determined to see for myself because the racist trolls were trying to take it down before it even got the chance all because they did not like a black Captain America. They did not even care that the storyline followed the comics and even had one host talking about how Steve gave the shield to some random black guy. Random (in my Soldier Boy voice)! We will not have it oh. So my son and I decided to check it out on opening night.
Captain America: Brave New World finds Sam, the new Captain America, working closely with the President of the United States on a mission that ends up going sideways. Eventually, they find themselves on opposite teams again while Sam tries to get to the bottom of an evil plan to spark off a potential World War Three situation. Starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka Captain America, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder, and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley to name a few, Captain America: Brave New World does not disappoint.
I was pleasantly surprised and entertained to the point that I will be watching it again. The pacing was well done and I appreciated it more the second time around. It started a tad slow but that was necessary to build the background and get us acclimated with the new Captain America and where he fits in the landscape of things. The acting and special effects were on point, but I particularly enjoyed the cinematography, especially with the air shots. The character development in this film was well done as they had layers of complexity and realism considering having to deal with the aftermaths of End Game. They did a great job showcasing the new Captain America’s strengths and skill set. I also enjoyed how they brought past movies to the current plot and tied up loose ends while potentially introducing the next Avenger phase.
Overall, I enjoyed it and found it more substantive which I discuss further when I get into the spoiler sections. Let me just say my favorite character is Isaiah followed by Thaddeus and that’s because both actors, Carl Lumbly and Harrison Ford, did the darn thing. There were a couple of things that left me with a question mark which is why it will not end up with a 10.
Captain America: Brave New World 9/10
Spoilers ahead
So it starts with Sam as the new Captain America and the wannabe Falcon, Joaquin Torres assigned to a secret mission to retrieve a valuable item that was en route to Japan. We later find out the item was an adamantium sample that is at the center of a treaty Thaddeus is working on with three other countries. He is looking for collaboration on further mining and production of said mineral found in Celestial Island after the events of The Eternals movie. After which, we learn that the president invites Sam and Joaquin to the White House where Isaiah Bradley, a super soldier who was wrongfully imprisoned and tested on for 30 years, along with a few other personnel shoots up the white house event. It looks like, Isaiah was trying to kill the president but then runs off. Sam catches up with him and urges him to turn himself in.
Sam then tries to talk to the president into letting him investigate but Thaddeus digs at him not being Steve Rogers or essentially not being the real Captain America. Sam gets upset and decides to investigate himself. He eventually finds out that Samual Stern is the master manipulator behind everything that has been happening with his ultimate goal for Theddues to turn into Red Hulk. Thaddeus, pushed to the edge by Stern's antics, eventually does turn into the Red Hulk, and Sam swoops in to save the day. In the process, they have an impressive air fighting scene involving Sam, Joaqui,n and a couple of other fight jets. Unfortunately, Joaquin gets badly hurt during this process and requires life-saving surgery which he gets and survives. We also have a Bucky sighting amid all the craziness.
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Sam Wilson played by Anthony Mackie
Thaddeus Ross played by Harrison Ford
Isaiah Bradley played by Carl Lumbly
Secret Agent Leila Taylor played by Xosha Roquemore
Sidewinder played by Giancarlo Esposito
Ruth Bat-Seraph played by Shira Haas
Samuel Stern played by Tim Blake Nelson
Commander Dennis Dunphy played by William Mark McCullough