First Captain America: Brave New World Reactions Aren't Flying High

Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps chugging along, but maintaining the same audience excitement, critical acclaim, and box office success that led the franchise to dominate pop culture in the 2010s has become a struggle. 2024's only MCU film, the solid but unexceptional "Deadpool & Wolverine," poked fun at this very scenario, with Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth joking that Marvel is "at a bit of a low point."

Holding off all reactions to "Captain America: Brave New World" until just two days before the film's theatrical release did not look like a show of confidence from Marvel Studios. The review embargo remains in place at the time of this writing, but the social media embargo on the latest "Captain America" installment, starring Anthony Mackie as new Captain America Sam Wilson, has now been lifted. Based on initial reactions, it appears that worries about the film's quality were well-founded.

While some of the early reactions to "Brave New World" are on the positive side, the general consensus on social media is that this is yet another MCU entry that fails to live up to the films of years gone by. Here's what people are saying about it.

"Captain America: Brave New World" continues Sam Wilson's story from the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and it also ties into other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. This is part of the problem — many people are surprised and annoyed about how heavily the film's story leans on bits and bobs of MCU continuity. On Bluesky, Mike Ryan posted, "CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD seems to only exist to wrap up loose ends to The Incredible Hulk and Eternals. In doing so the plot is about as convoluted and dull as that all sounds."

Fellow Bluesky user Joey Magidson had a similar take, calling the film "a total wheel-spinner" that is only interested in "clearing some loose ends from a few of the lesser Marvel efforts." Magidson went on to say that "Brave New World" would have worked better as a television series rather than as a movie. Robert Kojder wrote that the film is "an overload of characters, story, and action (not to mention a sequel to multiple projects) that is entirely weightless and forgettable."

It sounds like a lot of continuity to keep up with. According to Bluesky user Hoai-Tran Bui, the film compensates by overexplaining everything. "Looks like Marvel got that Netflix memo about characters having to say everything they do so an inattentive audience can keep up," Bui wrote, adding that it gives "Extreme Disney+ series energy."

Bluesky user Jonathan Sim had one of the most positive reactions to "Captain America: Brave New World," calling it "a gripping political thriller, offering enjoyable action and espionage with a phenomenal performance from Harrison Ford." However, he also said that "the final act underwhelms. Like THE WOLVERINE, it gets silly in an otherwise serious film." Matthew Jackson also praised Harrison Ford's performance but added that the film "suffers from a lot of the typical MCU issues," calling it "not terrible, but not exactly good either."

Dave Gonzales, co-author of the book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios," had similarly mixed thoughts: "I've seen a lot of bad movies, and this movie isn't bad (as a matter of fact I like final Red Hulk VFX), but it isn't exciting, it isn't thrilling." He suspects that reshoots, rumored to have been carried out in response to a disastrous test screening, are the cause of many of its problems, and feels bad for Mackie and director Julius Onah, calling it a production that "sells out its creatives." He compared its overstuffed nature to "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and wonders if, like "Ultron," it might play better after seeing its follow-ups.

Much more enthusiastic in her assessment, Nadya Martinez, aka GothamGeekGirl, called the movie "an explosive, exciting and powerful start to Avengers 2.0" on X. Fellow X user Erik Davis was also impressed, writing: "It excels in its Red Hulk and its many hand-to-hand (or hand-to-shield) fight sequences." This new installment, he says, "definitely feels like the beginning of the next chapter for Captain America, with the film laying groundwork for what's to come in the MCU – both later this year and beyond."

"Captain America: Brave New World" opens in theaters on February 14.