The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Brave New World, is not off to a strong start. Early reviews have been largely negative, with the film currently sitting at 52% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. While some fans may still find aspects to enjoy, the critical reception suggests that Brave New World may struggle to make a lasting impact and given the MCU’s recent track record of underwhelming releases, audience scores may not diverge much from critics’ assessments.
Predictably, some discourse surrounding the film attempts to frame its reception as a political issue, citing its lead—Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson—as a factor. However, based on reviews, the film’s struggles appear to stem from more fundamental storytelling issues rather than external social and political controversies. Reports of rewrites and reshoots due to poor test screenings with audiences raised concerns months before release, and it seems those fears were warranted.
While Mackie is a capable performer, reviews suggest he has not been given a film that allows him to shine as Marvel and Disney try to establish Mackie’s Sam Wilson as its new Captain America. And to make matters worse, Wilson is rumored to lead the next Avengers ensemble team-up with the Doctor Doom films, which feels kind of risky at present.
Critics have described Brave New World as feeling more like a straight-to-streaming action film as opposed to a theatrical blockbuster. While veteran actors like Tim Blake Nelson and Carl Lumbly bring their talents to the production, they can only do so much to elevate a film that reportedly fails to find its footing. Reviews suggest that the movie is caught between being an exaggerated comic book spectacle and a more introspective look at masculinity, ultimately succeeding at neither. And due to the large political narrative the movie uses as its foundation, it struggles to try and be the most neutral and inoffensive it can be, given the current political state of the USA and its strained relationships with its allies right now.
One particularly harsh critique notes that Brave New World feels more like an episode from a television show- something Disney and Marvel have stumbled head over foot in establishing with the MCU since first debuting on Disney+, considering the overwhelmingly negative response to many of its one and done shows. To put it bluntly, critics find BNW not worthy of being a theatrical release and we can’t help but feel the same with what we have seen from the trailers and clips as part of its promotions.
While the MCU has faced creative struggles in recent years, Captain America: Brave New World may be among its most concerning missteps yet. As of this writing, its 52% rotten score places it as the third-worst reviewed MCU film among Quantumania and Eternals. Ouch… We may just wait to catch this on Disney+ later this year, or we may skip it all together. Sounds like we aren’t missing much…
