At a certain point, I think we all need to fully come to grips with the fact that the MCU we know and love from the 2010s isn’t coming back…

“Captain America: Brave New World” is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and follows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) trying to piece together a global conspiracy after the assassination attempt on the U.S. President (Harrison Ford). Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tim Blake Nelson also star, while Julius Onah directs and co-writes.

I recently rewatched “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame” (which turn seven and six years old this year, respectively) and it really is incredible how good we had it at the MCU’s peak. Many people said even at the release of “Endgame” in April 2019 that it felt like the end of an era and their interest in the MCU would be less moving forward, and the subsequent release of average products like “Eternals” and “Thor: Love & Thunder” and over-saturation of TV shows no one cares about haven’t helped convert anyone (though we still get the odd pearl like “Spider-Man: No Way Home“). “Brave New World” plays like a diet version of “Winter Soldier” (for my money, the best MCU film), hitting similar conspiracy thriller beats and plot points, but without any of the well-staged fight choreography or gravitas presence of a Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Redford. Not to say that this film doesn’t have some bright spots, but we were spoiled by Marvel for so long that “it’s fine” is almost as bad as a scathing review.

I’ve liked Anthony Mackie dating back to his breakout in “The Hurt Locker,” and think he’s been a welcome member of the Marvel family over the past ten years. Finally getting to put on the titular red, white, and blue spandex this time instead of playing second fiddle as Falcon, Mackie keeps his wise-cracking bits and heart as Sam Wilson, and is able to sell some of the more goofy material. We get glimpses into Wilson’s conflicted situations, like should he take the super soldier serum like Steve Rogers or stay normal, and should Captain America be an official military position once again despite the government’s treatment of him and his team in the past? None of these are ever fully fleshed out, and some are simply rehashing topics already discussed (and seemingly resolved) in the “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” miniseries, but it is nice when Marvel has some real-world commentary.

On that same note, Harrison Ford joins the MCU (“at a bit of a low point” as Deadpool would say) as Thaddeus Ross, replacing the late William Hurt. Ford’s Ross is a hot-headed former General who wins the Presidency off the promise of uniting the country against the growing alien threats, but Ford is also able to give Ross some more tender moments, specifically when it comes to his estranged daughter (played in “The Incredible Hulk” by Liv Tyler). There is also a scene near the climax where Ross has an outburst and it is such classic Ford that I don’t think he was even acting; I bet someone just asked him about “Star Wars” and the cameras caught his reaction.

It’s no secret or spoiler to say that Ford transforms into the Red Hulk in this, a fact I think would’ve been an incredible surprise had we organically discovered it while watching the film. And in the 2010s, Marvel all but certainly would have kept Red Hulk a secret and gone to extreme lengths to avoid it getting spoiled, but in an age where their films are no longer locks to make $800 million+ I suppose they need all the marketing help they can get.

Speaking of “The Incredible Hulk,” I hope you remember that (albeit underrated) 2008 film because “Brave New World” makes numerous references to it. From characters that have been recast to others whose fate you forgot were even left open-ended, it isn’t crucial that you watch the film before going in, but you’ll certainly get very little exposition after the first two minutes. They also finally address a massive plot point from 2021’s “Eternals,” one of Marvel’s lesser-liked films, so it really makes you wonder who this film’s demo is.

The action is… fine. Some of the combat scenes are amusing; I’ll always get a kick out of Cap throwing his shield like a boomerang and it knocking bad guys to the ground. But like many recent Marvel projects (and to be fair, blockbuster films in general) the green screen is awful, at points to a distracting degree. I’m not sure why it is too much to ask for movies to be shot on-location anymore, but you shouldn’t need a green screen for a scene set inside an office where two characters are simply talking; I promise you a room exists that is just as costly (if not less so) to shoot in. There is a sequence involving aircraft carriers and fighter jets that falls somewhere between “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Expendables 4” in terms of its visual quality, and then the final fight is finally where I leaned over to my brother and said “yikes, that’s rough” because it was so clearly not shot outside (again, I can assure you it won’t break the bank to shoot alongside some real trees).

“Captain America: Brave New World” is not the worst MCU film ever, it’s not even the worst one post-“Endgame,” but it is lacking the fun or intrigue of previous installments. Maybe it’s not fair to compare to an era of superhero films that we know are lost, but I also don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for our $200 million movies to look presentable, finished, and/or better than a YouTube sketch or PS3 cutscene from 2013. Fans of Marvel should get their kicks and some audience members will appreciate Mackie getting to lead the show, but for others wanting a tight thriller or engaging action film I’d understand this being a letdown. I personally found enough to make this worth a mild recommendation, but I’m still keeping my excitement for upcoming MCU projects at an arm’s length distance.

Critics Rating: 6/10