An overstuffed espionage thriller with callbacks Marvel fans will savor.

The failed emergence of Tiamut on Earth (see Eternals) resulted in Celestial Island, a land mass rich with new resources that India, Japan, and the United States all lay claim to “for the good of humanity.” President-elect Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) has anchored his term to securing a treaty for sharing control of the island, pulling current Captain America Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) into his circle when a stolen mineral sample jeopardizes the agreement. While the mission succeeds, dire implications escalate when exonerated super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and others attempt an assassination during a critical White House event. To prove his mentor’s innocence, Wilson sets out against orders to uncover what’s really happening while President Ross seeks to salvage the situation… in the hopes of escaping the sins of his past (see The Incredible Hulk).

As Phase 5 winds down for Marvel Studios, Brave New World introduces fresh characters, ties up loose ends, and furthers storylines. The Russo brothers defined the most recent Captain America films, a legacy continued by director Julius Onah from a screenplay co-written by Rob Edwards. The trailers couldn’t help but show us sneak-peaks of a hulkish crimson figure, so any Marvel Comics fan worth their salt won’t be surprised by who that is… or even how the reveal will unfold. With the lukewarm reception to the criminally underrated The Marvels before relinquishing 2024 to Deadpool and Wolverine, the MCU needs a hit to further their storyline into future films, with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps coming up later this year. Ultimately, however, this is a Sam Wilson movie, a military-skilled but non-powered warrior as the last active Avenger still in the public eye… as well as actor Anthony Mackie’s opportunity to shine.

Brave New World jumps right into the action with canon characters played by newcomers Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Ramirez, and Shira Haas. Anthony Mackey shoulders the entire film and the required gravitas to keep it grounded with heart and courage instead of superpowers… showcasing his Captain America upgrades while looking more capable than ever since the events of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” There’s a lot of exposition between action sequences, but the crescendos between them fail to build up as interestingly as previous MCU films have, feeling less world-threatening in a story where the world is at stake. At just under two hours, audiences are treated to a solid film that falls short of greatness, perfectly watchable but too focused on what-comes-next rather than happening-right-now in an eerily Iron Man 2 kind of way.

Something Marvel fans often wonder about is who is in charge of universal continuity over missing details ripping fans out of the story. For example, a too-familiar plot complication when normally trustworthy people suddenly act in an untrustworthy manner; in a universe where gods and aliens are real, why would investigators not immediately suspect manipulation? Hawkeye and others in The Avengers fell prey to Loki’s scepter, Wanda Maximoff’s mind tricks, the Black Widows mind-control under their masters, and shouldn’t everyone at least mention a rogue Skrull might somehow be involved? That all happened, folks! Happily, this is the worst of a few too-familiar story choices, lazy scripting or editing that forces things to happen rather than find an interesting or more original reason to move the plot along. Do better, Marvel; we know you can.

The film’s box office numbers might struggle against a current political divide, viewers seeking to escape the real world only to see their heroes challenging the deceptions of a sitting president — bad timing, huh? Fortunately, Mackie shines, the visual effects are fun, and it’s nice to see some proper Hulk-based demolition. With Thunderbolts* closing out Phase 5, we’ll see how all this pays off before things become more Fantastic.

Captain America: Brave New World is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, and the least-fun game ever of “Follow the Leader.”

Three skull recommendation out of four