By now we know the basic superhero movie plot of ‘Goodies vs Baddies’. The prerequisites are: lots of action sequences including gory deaths, violent battles and mass property destruction all created by impressive special effects.
With such a predictable format, these movies have to add a little extra to maintain an audience: the battles have to be bigger, the special effects more dazzling and, hopefully the story develops a little more sophistication beyond the ‘goodies-trouncing-baddies’ scenario. At least there has to be one or two unexpected plot twists.
In this latest version of the Captain America franchise, the baton (or rather the shield) has been passed from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) who was the Falcon in previous superhero movies. Hence he not only sports the usual Captain America garb, he also has mechanical wings giving him the ability to fly like a… falcon.
The story begins when Sam Wilson is invited to a fancy doo at the White House where there is a completely unexpected assassination attempt on the president (played by Harrison Ford). The rest of the movie is revolves on the who, how and why this all came about. We know that all sorts of dishonesty and double-dealing lurk in the corridors of power and when those corridors are in Washington’s White House, there’s bound to be a lot more of it.
This is where the plot develops a little beyond the usual superhero fare adding an element of a whodunnit to the story. After a few twists and turns – and the obligatory trail of dead bodies – we finally get the whole story. Gradually, it emerges that the president has done some rather suspect things to ensure his public image and political career (Surprise! Surprise!).
Although Harrison Ford has a supporting role and doesn’t outshine the leads, his performance is impressive. He plays an elderly, rather paranoid politician who relies on special pills to get him through the day all because he has a guilty little secret he prefers to keep locked away. Consequently, his US president emerges as indecisive with a rather dubious moral character (Sound familiar?).
But the film’s climax is where he really goes overboard. We see him in a completely different light (and colour!). This denouement is filled with action, violence, destruction and even subtle elements of comedy. It is amusing to see Ford prancing about in a take-off of another superhero going bananas. It’s up the audience to decide whether this is funny or even ridiculous or a mix of the two (I can’t help feeling Harrison must have had a few giggles doing it).
Captain America: Brave New World directed by Julius Onah, 2025.
Another prerequisite of the superhero film is the end-of-credit sequence hinting at the next sequel.
In this case, it comes right at the end of all the credits so you have to sit through the whole lot for any hint of what to expect in the next instalment.
Since its release, this film has grossed nearly $300,000,000 worldwide which indicates it has significant entertainment value with the general public.
Like all movies of this ilk, it is not meant to be taken too seriously: science fiction is fiction and special effects can make any fantastic image seem real. As long as the scenario seems remotely credible with some touches of contemporary reality we can suspend our disbelief and temporarily enter the fantasy depicted on the screen. Ultimately, it is a matter of personal taste as to how effectively it comes across and how entertaining it is. In other words, if science-fiction escapism appeals to you, go see it; if this sort of thing is not your cup of tea, you probably won’t like it that much.
Basically this this movie is another exercise in fantastic escapism – something we all need a bit of occasionally.