The full review embargo for Marvel Studios' latest Multiverse Saga adventure, Captain America: Brave New World, lifted earlier today, and the first wave of verdicts were not especially positive.
Though some were won over by Anthony Mackie's (Sam Wilson) big-screen debut under the Captain America mantle, the movie came in for quite a bit of criticism from the majority of press (and influencers) who managed to catch an early screening.
Brave New World hit Rotten Tomatoes with 47%, and while the score has risen slightly since more reviews were added, it's not by very much.
Based on 101 reviews, the latest MCU film currently sits at 52%.
If the score stays below 60%, Captain America: Brave New World will become just the third Marvel Studios movie to be hit with the dreaded green splat on the review aggregator, after Eternals (47%) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (46%).
It's difficult to tell if negative reviews will have any impact on the movie's box office performance. They certainly won't help, but the latest global estimates were pretty strong, and Brave New World could take in as much as $200 million worldwide over President's Day holiday weekend.
Have a read through some review quotes below, and let us know if you plan on seeing Brave New World when it officially releases this Friday.
IGN gave the movie 5 out of 10, and concluded their review with: "Captain America: Brave New World feels neither brave, nor all that new. Recycling The Winter Soldier’s political thriller structure (and even specific plot points) is no way to set Sam Wilson apart from Steve Rogers on the big screen, but the actors are here to save the day."
Deadline's Pete Hammond seemed to enjoy the movie a little more: "Director Julius Onah (Luce) and a boatload of writers provide plenty of opportunity for Mackie to show his strengths although Evans’ Steve Rogers is a tough act to follow. That fact is even alluded to at one point, but watching Mackie taking Sam Wilson into the big leagues is a game effort with room to grow."
THR was... not a fan - "Unfortunately, Captain America: Brave New World proves a lacklustre Marvel entry that feels as if its complicated storyline has been painstakingly worked out without a shred of inspiration" - and nor was Collider, who feels Brave New World has "more in common with Sony's disastrous attempts to make its own Marvel movies than it does with the prior entries that turned the MCU into what it is today."
Some UK critics were even harsher. The Daily Telegraph gave the movie 2 stars - "It’s hard to imagine Brave New World rallying the Marvel fanbase, not least because it gives them so little to rally behind. It feels less like a film than something you make when you can’t think of one, but your deadline is looming regardless" - and The Times awarding just 1 star: "The MCU has eaten itself into a bloated, constipated stupor. The possibility for clear and uncomplicated storytelling has been neutralised by the kind of relentless exposition that 34 previous movies and 11 MCU TV shows now, unfortunately, require."
Empire Magazine felt the fourth Cap movie deserved 3 stars, however: "Pacy and punchy, this is a promising first official outing for the new Captain America, even if some awkward and inconsistent moments hold it back from greatness."
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Captain America: Brave New World also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.