Tag: Captain America

Review: Captain America: Brave New World

This latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) arrives at something of a juncture. It’s not just a new hero taking on Steve Rogers’ legacy but one navigating a vastly different landscape. Where a Marvel film was once a tentpole event, it’s now simply another chapter in an ever-expanding multimedia web.

Which is why stepping into CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD might come with a nagging sense of having missed something. Not only is this the 35th entry in the MCU, but it directly follows the 2021 Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. A quick Wiki refresher might be advisable before heading into the cinema.

Marvel Comics have long paralleled the real world, so it’s little surprise that the MCU has had its own US presidential election. Former general and Hulkbuster Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) now sits in the Oval Office. After a successful covert mission, Ross invites Captain America Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and his new sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) to the White House. To Sam’s surprise, he’s asked to restart the Avengers.

Yet when the president’s life is endangered by those closest to him and one of Sam’s allies is framed, Cap and Torres must team up with no-nonsense operative and former Widow Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) to uncover the truth. What they find reaches deep into the bowels of MCU history.

Within the Captain America framework, the character has previously headlined a WWII adventure, a political thriller, and an all-out superhero brawl. BRAVE NEW WORLD leans into the thriller territory carved out by The Winter Soldier. But where Anthony and Joe Russo were charting fresh ground, director Julius Onah’s film is just as interested in looking back as it is forward.

The film’s first half does much of the heavy lifting, reestablishing Ross as a changed man since The Incredible Hulk (literally, thanks to the late William Hurt’s recasting). Constant references to daughter Betty, a villain from the past, and some choice cameos ensure its continuity within the broader MCU. The world’s response to Celestial Island finally gives some closure to the bombshell left at the end of Eternals nearly four years ago.

For the most part, this works, and the action is reliable if unspectacular. Through a series of rapid-fire fistfights, Wilson is established as every bit as formidable as his predecessor, albeit more reliant on gadgets. A standout sequence sees Captain America and his would-be Falcon dogfighting above a fleet in the Indian Ocean.

Yet for a film with five credited screenwriters, one has to wonder if this is the best they could come up with. They play it almost aggressively safe, stitching together investigative beats with set-pieces, rolling out the villain reveal, and leading up to the inevitable digital smackdown. If you’ve seen any of the promotional material, it’s no spoiler that Red Hulk and Captain America face off on the streets of Washington, D.C. The CG-heavy battle feels like a throwback—but perhaps there’s something vaguely comforting about that.

Still, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is just placeholding. After spending six episodes pondering his worthiness to carry Cap’s shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam finds himself rehashing some of those same anxieties here. Mackie is every bit the leading man, but the narrative struggles to let him shine as much as the in-universe doubters.

By the time the inevitable post-credits scene rolls, one wonders if we’ve actually moved forward at all. CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD is a solid enough entry but could have just as easily played out on Disney+. In some ways, it already has. Or maybe, in a world already overflowing with real-world political chaos, Marvel’s brand of action politics is starting to feel downright conventional.

2025 | USA | DIRECTOR: Julius Onah | WRITERS: Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah, Peter Glanz | CAST: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 12 February 2025

February 12, 2025
‘Avengers 4’ will ‘wrap everything up’ says Chris Evans

While Chris Evans has a six-film contract that ends with Avengers: Infinity War, he has confirmed to UK’s The Telegraph that he will return for a seventh film. The yet-to-be-titled AVENGERS 4 is planned to roll out on 3 May 2019. It sounds like it’s going to be huge.

Speaking of why he chose to come back for the seventh time, he said that the two-film arc “made sense. It’s going to wrap everything up.”

“I had six films in my Marvel contract, so I could have said after the third Avengers I was done, but they wanted to make the third and fourth Avengers films as a two-parter,” he added. “They said they had so many other characters to fit in – Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Ant Man – and couldn’t get them all into one movie.”

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, will helm both parts of the Avengers sequel.

June 12, 2017
Marvel Declares: “This is War”

With the release of Captain America image today, Marvel continues to tease its October “event” with the tagline “This is War”.

The bloodied Cap shield accompanies pictures of Thor’s mighty hammer being less than mighty, and Wolverine’s clawed hand engulfed in flame. No more information is provided, but Marvel promises you can “Find out more Sunday, July 15th at the Amazing Spider-Man panel, 12:30PM PST, during Comic Con International 2012!

UPDATE: (28/6): Marvel has provided an additional image of Iron Man’s helmet, with two dripped bullet holes through the important bits.

UPDATE 2: (28/6) Marvel issues another clue, in the form of an ex-Spider-man.

Can’t make it to the convention? Follow along on the Marvel Events App & events.marvel.com, the best way to get exclusive videos, real-time announcements from the convention floor and up-to-the-minute panel, in-booth, and signing schedules of all your favorite Marvel creators!”

You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #ThisMeansWar

June 27, 2012
Captain America Sequel Given 2014 Release Date

We’ve still got The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 yet to come, but Walt Disney Studios has announced that the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger will be released to cinemas on 4 April 2014.

With The Avengers being a direct follow-up to the events at the end of the first Captain America film, and Steve Rogers being a focus of the team-up film, the Captain America sequel will presumably pick up the adventures of Steve Rogers where The Avengers leaves him, the events of Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 notwithstanding.

From previous information we’ve seen from writers Scott McFeely and Chris Markus, we also know that the sequel will be “primarily set in the modern day”.

These projects, as previously announced, will be part of the road to The Avengers 2. In addition to the sequels, we might also see some of the more off-the-wall characters such as Ant-Man, Inhumans and Guardians of the Galaxy.

April 6, 2012
Captain America focus of The Avengers says Whedon, plus new photo

From what we can tell from the images releases so far, 90% of The Avengers is made up of shots of Captain America and Thor standing on a rubble-strewn street taken from different angles. The new photo, below, adds weight to this theory. However, EW.com – the gift that keeps on giving this week – has interviewed director Joss Whedon, who speaks a little bit about the focus of this ultimate team-up.

The film follows on from the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, the ending of which saw Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) completely displaced. “So much of [The Avengers] story takes place from Steve Rogers’ perspective, since he’s the guy who just woke up and sees this weird-ass world,” Whedon says. “Everyone else has been living in it. He’s the guy that feels that sense of loss.”

“[The Avengers] is very much about people who are alone — because I’m writing it,” jokes Whedon. “[Captain America] is kind of the ultimate loner in that way. There is an anachronism to him, and Chris and I have always tried to, without making it goofy or too obvious, make him that same grounded ’40s Steve Rogers he was in the other movie.”

The Avengers is released in Australia on 25 April 2012 from Disney. It will be released in the US a week later on 4 May 2012.

January 14, 2012
8 new character banners for The Avengers

Disney Australia and Marvel have released eight (count ’em) new character banners for next year’s event The Avengers, finally offering unobscured portraits of the main characters glimpsed in the earlier character pieces.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk,Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series The Avengers, first published in 1963.

The Avengers is released in Australia on 25 April 2012 from Disney. It will be released in the US a week later on 4 May 2012.

Click to enlarge

December 20, 2011
Captain America 2 will be set primarily in modern day

The HD Room has interviewed Captain America: The First Avenger screenwriters Scott McFeely and Chris Markus as part of the Blu-ray release of the film. As they have both signed on to script the sequel as well, they spill a few beans about the sequel.

Scott McFeely is pretty clear on the setting: “I think it’s safe for us to say that it’s primarily set in the modern day. That seems to have been the biggest question people have been wondering about regarding the sequel. Most people know the story of Captain America as the story of this man out of time, and because The Avengers is such a big movie, and because [Avengers director] Joss Whedon has so many moving pieces, we’ve been left with room to explore Cap entering the modern day wondering, “What is all this? What’s happened to the world” and so on“.

Markus adds “We made a movie where the world was in context for Steve Rogers. It was a movie where it was a more pure time, where there were clearly black-and-white, right-and-wrong, good-and-evil scenarios. And Cap is a guy who symbolizes that. Now he’s in the now, and there is nothing black-and-white. So what do you do with that guy? How does he react to a much more uncertain time? So you’re given this huge new palate to work with, but you can keep him the same”.

“And that’s the fun of getting to do a sequel. Captain America, Steve Rogers, he’s pretty firmly established. Now we can take him through some different places”.

Captain America will next be seen in The Avengers, due out in Australia and the UK in late April 2012, and on 4 May 2012 in the US from Disney. Captain America 2 is not expected out until at least 2014, with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 due in 2013.

Captain America: The First Avenger will be available in the US on Blu-ray/DVD from 25 October in the US, and from 1 December 2011 in Australia from Paramount.

October 23, 2011
Marvel Bits: Captain America 2 in 2014? Patty Jenkins for Thor 2?

A few bits of Marvel news have surfaced overnight regarding the sequels to Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor.

First up. The Playlist reports that Chris Evans has not only confirmed that he’s signed on for three Captain America and three Avengers films, but that Captain America 2 won’t see the light of day until at least 2014. “They may wait until 2014 until they release the next Cap”, he said. “Marvel has a lot of balls in the air, they aren’t going to cannibalize their films.”

Nor will we see the Cap in any other Marvel films between now and then. Evans candidly adds, ““Out of those six films, if I pop up in one of those [other films], it counts as part of the deal. So if they needed me in a third Cap, and I say, ‘Fuck you, give me $30 million,’ well…they want to avoid that.” It is likely that Captain America 2 will take one of the previously revealed slots of 16 May 2014 or 27 June 2014.

Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Patty Jenkins, best known for directing Charlize Theron in Monster and the pilot episode of AMC’s The Killing (a remake of the Danish series of the same name), is being considered to direct Thor 2. This is significant not simply because it will mark the first female director of a major Marvel (or any) superhero film, but continues with Marvel’ unconventional selection of directors following Kenneth Branagh on the original Thor. Like Branagh, Jenkins is not known for her big-budget action films. Thor already has a release date from Marvel and Disney of 26 July 2013.

September 23, 2011
An Audience with Captain America: Chris Evans Q & A

A group of specially selected international journalists were lucky enough to attend a set visit for Marvel Entertainment’s Captain America: The First Avenger in London last year. As part of the day, and fresh from filming, they were treated to a group interview with lead actor Chris Evans in full Captain America costume. Chris was more than willing to answer any questions thrown at him.

Paramount has sent us over some of the highlights from that interview*:

Q: Did putting the Captain America suit affect your performance in any way, it being such an iconic costume?

A: “Sure. I think wardrobe in general is a pretty big deal for any character and that’s not to knock the magnitude of the suit down. Whenever you put on the clothes, it helps to bring any character to life. Of all the characters I’ve played, superhero or not, I was most excited about putting this suit on. There was a lot of build up for me to do this, a lot of sleepless nights, and then finally putting it on felt fantastic – I never want to take it off. I have real trouble with the fly though!”

Q: What was the cause of those sleepless nights?

A: “I’ll be candid, there was a couple of factors. One, I’d already done the superhero thing and I wasn’t sure how people were going to respond and I was in a really good place in my life in terms of navigating this profession. And there’s no guarantees, but this could be a potential game changer and theoretically based on the potentially planned movies, I could be doing this into my forties and that’s just a crazy thing to wrap your head around. That’s a very stressful thing to pull the trigger on, it’s a big chapter in your life to say ‘yes’.”

Q: Has there been anything that informed the way you created the character of Steve Rogers and Captain America?

A: “Well I started by reading as many comic books as I could find. I think the most helpful thing in the comic book world was finding out who he was before, especially as this is an origin tale. I think if at the end of the movie you can still see skinny Steve in Captain America, then that’s what the audiences will like and that’s what I like. On a personal level I have a friend who is a comic book nut and he is the best human being I know, he does the right thing and his morals are intact and I told him I was basing the Captain America character on him – I wish I could do his reaction!”

Q: As an actor, how do you feel about being modified by CGI?

A: “It’s certainly a different animal, sure, but you can have a lot of fun with it. I think most actors probably started out running around in their backyards playing make believe, so you just have to let yourself go but it’s kind of fun. I feel 8 years old again and I’m running around in a Captain America suit, you’re a kid all over again.“

Q: How’s it been using the shield?

A: “It’s good, it’s tricky, they have a bunch of different shields. Some of them are the real heavy legit shields that look good on screen, some are the rubber ones for stunts. But it’s cool and it’s great seeing the stuntman dressed up and thinking ‘is that what I look like? Cool!’. No, the shield is the icing on the cake.

Captain America-Shield Intro by Paramount_Australia

Q: Could you tell us about the scene you’re shooting today?

A: “Sure. Today is towards the end of the film, it’s like my final big battle with Red Skull on his giant plane. I can’t say too much about why he’s on the plane but that’s where he is. So, it’s a lot of stunt work and bumps and bruises. And the set is on hydraulics so we’ll be having a lot of fun with that. Long days!”

Q: Could you talk about Steve’s relationship with his friend Bucky?

A: “It’s great, it’s a little different to the original Captain America comics where Bucky is more of a young sidekick but the relationship is still really well developed and you really care about these guys. You know they’re friends before Steve gets the injection. But I don’t want to give too much away”

Q: How grounded in reality is the action?

“That’s a good question and one that I had. I mean, what are the extent of his abilities? Can he jump over mountains? You want the guy to be superior but you don’t want him punching through brick walls. Basically, they equated it to the fact he would crush the Olympics and win every event, he could lift more, run faster, jump higher but he’s not perfect, he’s not untouchable. Which, humanises it I think, when he punches someone he’s not going to fly back on a cable or anything but he probably won’t get back up!”

*This is a syndicated interview, and not original content from The Reel Bits

Captain America: The First Avenger is released in Australia on 28 July 2011 from Paramount.

The Reel Bits is the cinema arm of DVD Bits. Richard can be found on Twitter @DVDBits. The Reel Bits is also @The_ReelBits

July 29, 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger

The perfect penultimate piece to the Marvel cinematic universe, and a rousing adventure story. A timely reminder of why we love comic book heroes, and one of the best superhero films of the year.

With 2008’s Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comics began a cinematic journey unlike any other. Where other studios were scrambling to find the “next big thing” from decades-old superheroes, Marvel Studios self-produced their own characters as part of cinematic universe establishing all the major players in their tent-pole 2012 release The Avengers. Following the success of last year’s Iron Man 2, and this year’s Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger is the last piece in not only the cinematic puzzle Marvel has been forming, but the most crucial element in the success of next year’s unprecedented box office drawcard.

In the present day, scientists discover a large craft in the Arctic and a mysterious red, white and blue object buried deep inside it. Flash back to 1942, and scientist Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) leads the Nazi science division HYDRA in an assault to recover a mysterious and powerful object that he believes possesses the power of the gods. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, the frail Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) is rejected from military service for the fifth time, but the scrappy and honest citizen is spotted by expatriate German scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci, Burlesque) as a potential candidate for the US super soldier program. Undergoing a radical experiment, Rogers is transformed into the super-human Captain America, and becomes a powerful weapon in the US arsenal under Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones, In the Electric Mist) and SSR officer Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, The Duchess) in the fight against HYDRA and the Red Skull.

The international appeal of a character named Captain America was always going to be a dicey prospect, as the man is quite literally a human flag. In the world of Marvel Comics, he is their Superman: the symbol of all things truth and justicey, quite literally born of the Second World War in a 1941 comic that depicted him punching out Adolf Hitler, an act parodied in Captain America: The First Avenger. The film treads a thin line between being an overtly jingoistic and mass-appeal action film, and in many ways the film has to have elements of the former in order to stay true to the character. Like this year’s X-Men: First Class, much of the pull of this outing is in the retro chic of the character. Like X-Men, this film functions principally as a period piece, recreating both the battlefields of the 1940s and the sentiment on the home front. Some of the most appealing scenes come in the USO performances that the Cap is drafted to perform initially, reminding us that a very different relationship existed between the American people and their government prior to the Vietnam War.

When Rogers takes to the field in full uniform, the film takes on a different shape entirely, becoming the boys-own Dubya-Dubya-Two adventure that we secretly hoped it would be. Clichéd to be sure, but it is a spectacular one, with the historically uneven director Joe Johnston (who was last seen on The Wolfman) handling both the action sequences and the dramatic elements with equal confidence. Using the contrivance of the high-tech weaponry powered by the otherworldly energy of Odin’s realm (in a nice nod to Thor), audiences get the best of both worlds in period thrills and modern-day cataclysmic explosions in one neat package. Evans, no stranger to super-powered beings after two stints as Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films, brings equal parts earnestness and bravado to the iconic character. Weaving delights in chewing his way through the scenery and almost stealing them away from the hero in a pitch-perfect performance, while Tommy Lee Jones brings the considerable weight of his established persona to an integral role. Haley Atwell will undoubtedly break some hearts during the film, with the (largely) television actress set to go on to big things after this star-making and fiery performance.

It is only in the final reels of the film that Captain American: The First Avenger falters for the first time, struggling to find the right way to reach its predetermined conclusion. This is, after all, the last film by which audiences will measure their expectations of The Avengers team-up, and it needs to tie up a certain number of threads in preparation for that monolith. Filled with knowing references to the films that have come before (including Dominic Cooper as a young Howard Stark, father of future Iron Man Tony Stark) and sly winks at the audience hinting at what is to come, and you really need to stick around for the end credits this time. Captain America:The First Avenger provides viewers with a timely reminder of why these comics were so integral to the American psyche for so many years, and why (despite repeated attempts on page and screen) they will never die.

[stextbox id=”grey”]USA | 125 minutes | Director: Joe Johnston | Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Haley Atwell

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Captain America: The First Avenger is released in Australia on 28 July 2011 from Paramount.

July 25, 2011