I'm still pondering over "Captain America: Brave New World" and the peculiar sensation it left me with. Intended as an espionage thriller akin to "The Winter Soldier," it somehow lacked the genuine intrigue of a conspiracy (absent were traitors, just a haphazard individual wielding mind control) and featured a twist that was effectively spoiled in the film's very first trailer (Ross's transformation into Red Hulk amidst the Rose Garden). Despite some commendable action sequences and Anthony Mackie's solid performance, the film fell short of its intended mark. In truth, it felt like an inferior redux of something we had already witnessed: "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
It was during the Disney+ series, which aired back in 2021, that we last saw Sam Wilson in live-action glory. That series too was an espionage thriller, grappling with Sam's internal struggle to embrace his role as the new Captain America. Despite its flaws, it seemed to encapsulate what "Brave New World" ought to have been, rather than what it ultimately delivered. Here's why:
The dynamic between Wilson and Bucky, sorely lacking in "Brave New World" and reduced to a mere cameo, would have served as a fantastic set-up for the impending "Thunderbolts." Moreover, Sam's internal conflict over embracing the mantle, only to be usurped by the supposedly Steve Rogers-esque John Walker who failed to uphold the shield's values, offered a far more compelling portrayal of this transition than the abrupt onset of "Brave New World." Given that "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" reached only a fraction of the audience compared to this new film, many missed out on that crucial narrative arc.
At least in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier," there was some semblance of espionage and conspiracy involving the Power Broker, albeit clumsily handled with Sharon Carter revealed as the main antagonist. With some script revisions and, crucially, editing down the somewhat indulgent series to fit a movie's runtime, it could have worked wonders.
A significant issue with "Brave New World" was its resemblance to a sequel to 2008's "The Incredible Hulk," revisiting plotlines tied to Ross and Samuel Sterns, while Sam's genuine relationships were boiled down to training his wisecracking Falcon replacement. Bucky's involvement was limited to that fleeting cameo, devoid of any meaningful grappling with the mantle transition that was more impactfully addressed through Walker's plotline. Furthermore, the espionage element was virtually absent, accompanied by peculiar tangents such as making the main conflict hinge on a colossal underwater statue from "Eternals," a movie that itself was little watched and released in 2021.
"Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was a good series that could have been even greater with some judicious editing. "Brave New World," on the other hand, was a merely adequate film that arguably didn't need to exist, with "FatWS" having served Sam better. But actions spoken, the die is cast.
