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The new film in the Captain America franchise, “Captain America: Brave New World”, seems to be trying to please casual viewers while also placating fans by following through on previous cliffhangers. The balance between the two is messy but enjoyable. The plot follows the new Captain America played by Anthony Mackie as he finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with the new President, Thaddeus Ross, over a newly discovered indestructible metal, Adamantium. Both he and his partner, Falcon, played by Danny Ramirez who Captain America passed his mantle onto, soon learn that the discovery is tied to a nefarious global plot that could spark an international war.

To start off, it was very nerve-wracking when all the news surrounding the production focused solely on negative test screenings and constant reshoots. It begs the question of how bad the test screenings were if they led Marvel to do three or more rounds of reshoots and this was the best version of the film. These changes raised more concerns, especially with one version featuring a scrapped villain plot involving WWE’s Seth Rollins leading a terrorist group, which was dropped in favor of Giancarlo Esposito, most known for his role as “Stan Edgar” in “The Boys” and “Gus” in “Breaking Bad”. While this was a welcome change for fans familiar with Esposito’s work, it also felt random since in hindsight, the reshoots were only for the opening sequence, feeling unnecessary when the character is reduced to exposition once captured.

Reshoots are especially noticeable with another character, Sabra, of Israeli origin. This character was a nothingburger, only there to create conflict for the heroes, disappearing once she was no longer needed. It gives the impression that there was more to her character, but due to real-world conflicts, Marvel, likely worried about further controversy, scrapped her entire comic history in favor of making her a random assassin that could have been easily replaced by another comic character.

This was a disappointing change, especially since Captain America has such a rich history of characters that tie into our world while also conveying messages about American values. An example of this is the stories of him fighting Nazis, which inspired soldiers during World War II. It makes this film feel strange to get rid of that concept in favor of finishing off Hulk’s villains, who were set up for a sequel nearly 20 years ago. This also ties into another issue the film has: because it functions more as a sequel to a decade-old movie, the focus is more on telling the audience things rather than showing them. One egregious example involved a full plot summary of “The Incredible Hulk” from a news channel, which felt more like TMZ than actual journalism.

“President Ross, whose daughter Betty is estranged from him after he hunted her ex, Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk, leading to a fight in Harlem…”

The exposition dump feels like a wink to longtime Marvel fans, but a head-scratcher for casual moviegoers who aren’t familiar with the material. Things get stranger when looking deeper into “Brave New World”—they’re catering to Hulk fans via using his villains, yet the hero is nowhere to be seen aside from being mentioned. It makes the relationships and rivalries set up with Captain America feel hollow and forced, considering that he’s never interacted with any of these characters outside this movie.

That being said, when the film delivers on what was teased in the trailer, it’s a sight to behold, with Marvel getting creative with the action. One noteworthy scene features Cap flying down and using the impact force to disorient villains, then using his wings to add more force to his shield—quite a contrast to Chris Evans, who relied more on brute force due to his super strength.

The build-up is another highlight, teasing Ross’s dark side and leaving small clues as to what they were building up towards in the finale. For example, he turns red whenever he gets angry, hinting to comic readers at his alter ego, Red Hulk, while keeping casual moviegoers in the dark until the reveal, which was a nice touch.

Speaking of Red Hulk, casting Harrison Ford initially felt disrespectful to the legacy left by the late William Hurt. In a terrible attempt to ignore the recasting, the film digitally replaces Hurt’s face with Ford’s from old footage. However, when he becomes president it becomes more interesting to see a president with a military past who uses military strategies in his campaign and while in office.

Mackie’s performance also proves why he was the perfect choice to carry the Captain America mantle after Evans left. Mackie portrays his values—such as hearing out both sides of an argument instead of being biased toward his country—but also sticks to his ideals of not wanting powers, seeing himself as an inspiration to everyday citizens. His belief that he can’t fight for everyone, but should still try is exactly what the character represents, and Mackie perfectly embodies that in the film.

Ramirez as the new Falcon was another fun addition to the movie, though he did take away from some of the more serious moments. This makes sense, since he’s meant to be a jokester hero targeted at kids. Except it gets awkward, when at times the heroes were doing something serious and then it would cut to him making a joke about capturing someone fleeing on his bike. His jokes were more hit or miss, but the actor was nonetheless a great inclusion.

Tim Blake Nelson, reprising his role as Samuel Sterns, conveys why he’s such a big threat through his menacing intelligence and brutality. Nelson perfectly captures his terrifying character by doing something most villains forget: tying up loose ends. It was horrifying to see how he was able to control people using soundwaves. This makes viewers uneasy, as he can strike at any moment unnoticed, even without being physically present and killing them off when he’s done. As for his plan, it felt a bit too cliché—seeking revenge on President Ross for imprisoning him, even though he escapes his cell with ease in the second act. It makes one wonder why he did not attempt to escape within the past 16 years of his imprisonment. He explains that he wanted to tear down Ross’ legacy by exposing him as the corrupt politician he is, but the film doesn’t follow through until the last 10 minutes, when The Leader leaks a conversation prior to his imprisonment. Even then, Ross is still allowed to remain in office, but chooses to resign, seeing the error of his ways, which undermines what The Leader set out to do. It’s like the film wants to use him as commentary on the politics of our world with corrupt politicians, but is too nervous to do so out of fear of costing the studio money.

In the end, “Captain America: Brave New World” is a blast for comic fans who love Easter eggs and references to their favorite books, but confusing and nonsensical for those unfamiliar with Marvel.

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