Captain America Brave New World is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie in 2025 and it’s the first one led by Anthony Mackie as the titular hero (previously played by Chris Evans). Is the fourth Captain America movie the best one yet in the franchise or does it suffer from the same problems as other movies with too many sequels? Read on to find out.

Sentinel Of Liberty

The best thing about Captain America Brave New World is its political intrigue and thriller elements that involve a conspiracy, which evokes a vibe and tone similar to 2014’s Captain America Winter Soldier. It’s not as compelling as that beloved movie (that’s more than a decade old now!) but this is the MCU at its most grounded (as grounded as a world with aliens and magic can be) than it’s ever been in many years. Captain America Brave New World is also sort of the closest thing we’ll ever get to a sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.

Unfortunately, all the best parts and highlights of the movie have been shown in the trailers so there’s really nothing remarkable to say about Captain America Brave New World. There are barely any surprises left in the movie so the narrative ends up being predictable and plays it too safe. That being said, the action scenes are enjoyable and thrilling, especially the airborne scenes at Celestial Island and the fight between Sam and Red Hulk (both of these were featured in the trailers, so these aren’t spoilers).

Compared to previous Captain America movies, this movie can be considered as the weakest of them all. It’s not a bad movie per se, but it’s just such a forgettable experience that it’s not up to the standards of the best MCU movies out there. The CGI is also a bit iffy and not that great in certain parts, probably due to being rushed after the multiple reshoots that this movie had. Thankfully, Red Hulk himself looks good enough when he finally appears.

While Anthony Mackie has proven to be lacking in charisma in his previous roles in other movies and TV shows, it feels like he’s grown into his role in Captain America Brave New World. He’s been in the MCU for more than 10 years now and after getting significant development time in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, he has now proven that he might finally be ready to lead.

Harrison Ford also does an admirable job replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Thunderball Ross. As for the rest of the supporting cast, there is nothing much to shout out about. For instance, Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres AKA the Falcon is mostly just there for comic relief. Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns AKA The Leader is the biggest wasted potential of the movie, as he definitely deserved better material to work with and is underwhelming considering all the buildup beforehand. The same goes for Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder. Meanwhile, Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph has been butchered to just being an Israeli version of Black Widow instead of her own character (Sabra).

Nowhere Near Winter Soldier Or Civil War

Ultimately, Captain America Brave New World is just an average MCU movie at best and with upcoming MCU movies already looking more interesting such as Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four First Steps, it’s very likely that this movie will be doomed to be forgotten by most people by the end of the year.

FINAL SCORE: 60/100

We attended a press screening of Captain America Brave New World courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Captain America Brave New World premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 13 February 2025.