In global theaters, 'Captain America: Brave New World,' the next chapter of the Marvel cinematic universe, whose fate seemed predetermined even before its release. Read on in our review to see if fans' fears were confirmed.

Former General Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), known as the Hulk hunter and initiator of the Sokovia Accords that split the Avengers, comes to power in the US. He intends to strike a strategically important deal with Japan, India, and France, allowing the countries to jointly develop adamantium on the Celestial Island.

Five months later, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and his partner Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) prevent an illegal sale of alien metal. In gratitude, the president invites them to the White House for a social event with international partners. Wilson insists that his friend and mentor Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) be on the guest list.

The latter suddenly opens fire during the head of state's speech. Sam tries to convince Thaddeus that his comrade was set up, but he removes him from the investigation, accusing him of bias. The US allies threaten to pull out of the deal if Ross fails to restore order at home and convince the Japanese side. Now the newly minted Captain America must unravel this web of secrets and save Isaiah from unjust punishment.

It's no secret that Kevin Feige's company has been doing poorly in recent years. Of course, there are rare bright spots, like the third 'Guardians of the Galaxy', but nothing similar is on the horizon. There was James Gunn, but he slipped away to competitors through Marvel's own fault. Fans of the once-thriving media empire can only content themselves with fan-service frenzy with Reynolds and the sterile output from the main conveyor belt.

Not to mention the slew of Disney+ series, without which it's impossible to understand what's happening in the feature films. The scandal with Jonathan Majors, who fell into the millstones of 'cancel culture,' added fuel to the fire. Now the MCU bigwigs have to improvise, hastily turning Doctor Doom into a replacement for Kang the Conqueror as the main villain. In short, no one expected anything good from the new 'Captain America.' And when news of delays, reshoots, and angry focus group reactions started pouring in, the internet prematurely buried the film.

If anyone still harbored hope that 'Brave New World' wouldn't be as bad as predicted, we hasten to reassure you: there have been worse projects in Phases Four and Five. But there's no reason to sing its praises either, and the phrase 'good enough for one watch' can hardly be considered a compliment.

Julius Onah planned to make a film in the style of the previous patriotic superhero installments. The black-and-white logo instead of the usual colorful intro seems to announce that what follows is not just any comic-book attraction, but a real political thriller! The Russo brothers flirted quite successfully with this genre in 'The Winter Soldier' and 'Civil War'. The fourth installment, if you will, was lucky to come out after the change of power in the US. It would have been even more authentic if it had hit theaters on the eve of the elections.

There's an opinion that a bad political thriller is easily caught being biased. Surprisingly, 'Brave New World' can't be branded as propaganda with a specific addressee. If you want, you can draw parallels between Harrison Ford's character and Donald Trump (an assassination attempt on a president obsessed with rare earth metals), but I'd bet those associations are unintentional. Because it's impossible to determine the party affiliation or ideological bias of Thaddeus Ross. Whether that's good or bad is hard to say.

The only conclusion viewers can draw after watching the fourth 'Captain America' is that Earth-616 isn't very good with geography. Otherwise, it's impossible to explain this nonsense about countries claiming Tiamut's head. The Celestial, awakened in the finale, surfaced and got stuck somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Consequently, only countries in that region can lay claim to its adamantium deposits.

Roman Kovalev

'Eternals' — The Boldest and Most Specific Marvel Film Since 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

On November 8, the film 'Eternals', directed by Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao, hits theaters. In the West, the film has been called Marvel's worst project. In fact, it's the best MCU film for

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For instance, France, with its overseas territory Réunion, is a legitimate party to the deal. The US, as usual, joined the division by right of the strong—this is also stated outright. But why did Japan, washed by the Pacific Ocean and located thousands of kilometers from the disputed object, get involved in this border dispute? It would seem like a classic Hollywood blockbuster goof that could be overlooked if half the plot weren't tied to the conflict between Americans and Japanese.

However, seriously discussing such matters in the context of the MCU isn't very practical. Therefore, let's focus on the artistic and entertainment aspects. Essentially, the new 'Captain America' is not so much a sequel as a reboot or, if you will, a legacy sequel designed to capture the changing of the guard. So, the former Falcon, Sam Wilson, spends the entire film questioning whether he's worthy of wielding the vibranium shield. It's hard to imagine a more boring and banal character arc!

However, the temporarily retired Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wasn't known for expressiveness or complex internal conflicts either. Despite the change in the title holder, the image of Captain America has undergone almost no changes. He's still the same ostentatiously righteous soldier, acting according to his conscience and not always in line with regulations. It gets ridiculous: Sam also has a friend who, while under hypnosis, plays into the antagonist's plans. Thank goodness the latter doesn't end his tirades with a cry of 'Hail Hydra.'

The villain's identity was not revealed during the promo campaign, and to avoid spoilers, we won't do so either. We'll only note that his appearance on screen is unlikely to fill you with indescribable delight. Marvel bosses keep pulling characters out of the archives that no one objectively cares about anymore. Moreover, the return of this villain to the franchise turned out to be extremely absurd. Was it worth intriguing viewers so much if, in the end, the mysterious enemy turned out to be just another pseudo-genius with a god complex and a worn-out motivation? He would have fit much more naturally into the army of discarded heroes under Cassandra Nova's command in 'Deadpool & Wolverine.'

As for the action scenes and humor, alas, there's nothing to cheer you up here either. Throughout the runtime, there is exactly one truly funny episode where a widely known character drops by. We assume you can guess which one. For the most part, the film continues the course toward realism and seriousness set in 'The Winter Soldier.' The battle sequences, often grounded and intimate, don't take your breath away, and the CGI in large-scale scenes leaves much to be desired. The final battle with the Red Hulk, teased in the trailer, deserves particular ire—it's one of the least memorable climactic fights in the entire franchise.

In short, Make Marvel Great Again didn't happen once again. 'Captain America: Brave New World' turned out to be a second-rate and, most importantly, simply unnecessary spectacle. Yes, Julius Onah's film has hooks for future projects in the cinematic universe, but honestly, this future, visible through script clichés and bland ersatz-Avengers, doesn't bode well for us. Except that 'The Fantastic Four' by Matt Shakman still inspires some optimism.

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