Walking out of the theater after seeing Captain America: Brave New World last night, I couldn’t help but think about the Vulture article from this week quoting an anonymous crew member who worked on the movie. “I think everyone on the crew knew this is probably not going to be a good film,” they said. Based on the review scores, it’s hard to argue with this crew member, as Brave New World is currently the third lowest-rated MCU movie to date, per Rotten Tomatoes.
So why aren’t I deeply offended by this mediocre comic book movie?
I’m as frustrated as anyone that Marvel fully lost its groove after Avengers: Endgame. What the studio achieved is still almost unfathomable—building a cinematic universe with a clear, thrilling, and conclusive ending to its first act. But for anyone still on the ride in Phase 5, what exactly did you expect from the fourth Captain America movie?
Everyone in the cast brought enough energy to power this movie through weak stretches, which is much more than I can about many of the Marvel movies of the last four years. Anthony Mackie shines in the leading role as an underpowered but determined Captain America, Danny Ramirez returns as the fun sidekick Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumbly continues to imbue Isaiah Bradley with the necessary gravitas, and Harrison Ford was clearly game for anything.
I understand that Marvel’s repeated lowering of my expectations is partly to blame, but I was not nearly as bummed last night as I was after seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Thor: Love and Thunder, or Eternals. In fact, I had a pretty good time!
First, the story was coherent, which has become a SHOCKINGLY uncommon occurrence in the MCU (see: Secret Invasion). I also appreciate that the movie ignores the multiverse altogether to focus on an Earth-bound story with familiar, relatable stakes. I can’t wait for Secret Wars, but not every hero needs to be getting yanked into alternate realities in every movie.
I also thought the fight scenes were entertaining, if mostly uncreative. Compared to the CGI slop fest of something like Quantumania, there are seemingly real human beings doing stunts here. I would have loved to be blown away by eye-popping fight choreography instead, but Brave New World certainly cleared the low bar I’d set for it.
That got me thinking: Am I the problem for lowering my expectations to a level the current MCU can actually meet? Or are critics just so sick of Marvel that their feelings about the franchise on the whole, and even its impact on the industry, are bleeding into their reviews?
Looking back through the 35 movies of the MCU, there have been significantly higher highs and far lower lows in virtually every phase. And yet, this is being referred to as “Marvel’s rock bottom” and the film that solidified Marvel Studios as a “giant slop machine.”
I do think we should expect more from art, artists, and the bazillion-dollar corporations that front the money for these projects. I do not think Captain America: Brave New World is a great movie, fine art, or terribly interested in delivering a thoughtful message.
But I’m also not sure what detractors of this specific movie—every one of them with entirely valid criticisms of the film—even want from a Marvel movie anymore. Marvel Studios has released 13 movies since Avengers: Endgame. How many more do you need to see before you either check out and find something else to do with your time or accept the new normal? This doesn’t apply to critics who have no choice but to see and share their opinions on every major theatrical release, but it certainly applies to the average moviegoer.
I’m not sure if Marvel Studios will ever return to the glory days of the late 2010s. I don’t know if Avengers: Secret Wars will butcher one of my favorite comic book storylines ever written. But I do think now might be a good time to take a step back and reevaluate our collective relationship with a series of comic book movies that don’t always work.
