I’ll let you in on
a little secret: Unless the directing in a film is particularly bad or
particularly exceptional, I will usually not notice its quality. This can be a
bit of a blind spot for a reviewer, but I figure it’s fine; there are plenty of
other things to pay attention to in a film, and there is a reason mediocrity is
a synonym for unremarkable, right? So when I say that I was very aware of the
directing in Captain America: Brave New
World it is probably not a great sign.
The 35th film in the increasingly stale Marvel
Cinematic Universe, the fourth in the Captain America sub-series, and
the direct sequel to the wholly forgettable Disney+ series The Falcon and
the Winter Soldier, Brave New World had a lot of baggage from the
start, which is appropriate given the film’s focus on legacy. Despite this I
found it decently entertaining, although that might just be the comic book fan
in me, as it’s really not a good film from a technical standpoint.
The directing in Brave New World is shockingly amateurish, with many scenes coming
across as poorly blocked and shot to the point of distraction. Equally as ugly
is the CGI, which is overly clean and weightless looking (an issue that is not
New to MCU films, unfortunately). I did enjoy some of the fight choreography,
perhaps because it is often fast paced enough to hide any of these issues, but
when things slow down the cracks in the foundation start showing.
Anthony Mackie does well in the spotlight,
despite his character’s arc being less of an arc and more of a straight line,
and Harrison Ford steps flawlessly into the long-running series as President
Ross, an appropriately grumpy character that was previously played by the late
William Hurt. The dialogue that they and their fellow actors have to chew
through is sometimes ugly, and not even the joy of simply listening to Ford say
silly comic book things while knowing that he secretly hates it can cover up
for the fact that there simply isn’t any punch or edge to the script. Not every
film needs to have some greater point to it, but when your Captain America film’s most politically charged and poignant moment
involves a Hulk walloping the main character with the American flag (or more
accurately, the pole that it is on) then you’ve clearly wasted an opportunity.
I can’t in good conscience recommend Captain America: Brave New World unless you’re
already a big fan of the MCU. Even then your enjoyment might vary, as a lot of
the movie hearkens back to 2008’s oft forgotten The Incredible Hulk, the black sheep of the MCU that many people
skipped back in the day. But if you’ve got a pre-investment in the characters and
world I’m sure you’ll find Brave New
World perfectly serviceable if you’re willing to see past its flaws; just
don’t expect that world to actually be anything new or brave.
Captain
America: Brave New World is now playing in theaters.
