Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

Despite being bogged down by heavy MCU exposition and lore, the film works as a decent political thriller with resonant themes of Black heroism and a strong central performance from Anthony Mackie. The clear cinematography, sturdy action sequences, and chemistry between Mackie and Danny Ramirez stand out as bright spots.

Mackie delivers a strong, focused lead performance in a coherent story that emphasises his compassion and relationships. It is pacy and promising overall but occasionally formulaic with stilted dialogue and inconsistent thriller elements.

The film works well enough as a vigorous, prosaic adventure that balances shield-bashing action with elements of a gritty geopolitical thriller, escaping much of the recent superhero fatigue. Harrison Ford's performance as the unstable President Ross and the earthbound quality rooted in Mackie's performance are highlights in this competent MCU time filler.

Mackie’s Captain America earns his place in an uneven thriller that ventures into unfamiliar territory with strong turns from him and Harrison Ford before falling back on familiar Marvel shortcomings.

The film is a convoluted wannabe paranoid thriller that suffers from a disjointed narrative but excels in coherent action sequences and strong character work, particularly for Sam Wilson.

The critic deems the film flat, insipid and cobbled together, with an underbaked narrative, bland dialogue, drab visuals and nondescript action. It lacks creative spirit despite efforts from Mackie and Ford.

The critic notes the film struggles in the shadow of stronger predecessors, with conventional set pieces that pale in comparison and an unremarkable feel overall. Mackie’s gritty presence is a positive amid the lacklustre sequel.

The critic calls the film clunky, uninspired and workmanlike, criticising its reliance on obscure prior MCU lore, ugly green-screen action and forgettable plot. Mackie’s portrayal of an insecure hero is a highlight amid the minimal impression made overall.

Anthony Mackie’s first outing as Captain America is burdened by Marvel backstory and filler. Harrison Ford valiantly tries to do some actual acting amid the action set pieces and predictable Red Hulk payoff.

The critic finds the film a dull medley of prior MCU elements with little spirit or spectacle. The plot is overly on-the-nose in its politics and the action sequences feel mundane and conventional.

The film is a tired and uninspired Marvel entry with moderate action and convoluted plotting. Ford brings gravitas as the president while Mackie is charismatic as Captain America.

The critic finds the film a lackluster Marvel entry with an uninspired storyline and direction that lets down Anthony Mackie, despite some strong elements like Harrison Ford's performance. The pacing drags and effects are underwhelming.

There is a yawning emptiness at the heart of this thrill-free thriller that wastes Harrison Ford. Mackie and his sidekick follow an investigative trail without much ideological or narrative substance.

The MCU has eaten itself into a bloated stupor in this enervating 35th instalment. Even Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie cannot save the vacant characters and constipated plotting.

The review criticizes the film as a messy, tiresome, and shallow Marvel production that fails to explore its ideas deeply or deliver exciting action, turning the MCU into a 'slop machine.'

The film clumsily wraps distant political themes around misshapen action set pieces and fails to deliver narrative coherence or meaningful representation for its Black Captain America. The intermittently sturdy, well-crafted action sequences provide the only saving grace amid tedious plotting and an unearned ending.

The critic finds Anthony Mackie up to the physical and stylistic demands of the role as Sam Wilson takes over as Captain America, while Harrison Ford steals the show as President Thaddeus Ross in a complicated action turn. Director Julius Onah gives Mackie plenty of opportunity to shine in an extension of the TV series, though the film falls below the standards of prior entries like The Winter Soldier and is a game effort with room to grow.

The film has enough B-movie thrills to mostly overcome its clunky and uneven script, with a propulsive pace and impressive fight scenes in the first two-thirds that evoke cheap 1990s thrills. The final act slows down with unearned emotional beats and poor visuals, but the overall cheap quality works in its favor.

The film is one of the weakest MCU entries, predictable with rudimentary action, stiff dialogue and technical issues from reshoots; it praises Harrison Ford and Carl Lumbly for injecting humanity into their roles.

This is a bland, functional Marvel movie that offers little excitement and is largely dull and disappointing, with murky footage and no emotional depth despite Mackie doing a decent job in the lead. A semi-decent role for Tim Blake Nelson and a couple of nice cameos provide minor highlights amid the disappointment.

The film fails at both the political and personal levels and bats strongly below average as a Captain America movie; it singles out Tim Blake Nelson's performance as The Leader and one wing-suit action sequence for praise.

The critic calls the film a superficial, perfunctory sequel that stumbles into powerful symbolism but has nothing to say about its ideas of government mistreatment of people of color or an unstable president, using them only as excuses for pedestrian action sequences. It looks half-finished with flat direction, underwhelming effects, and a timid refusal to engage with its themes, ending in one of the worst post-credits teases.