“CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD” (2025, 119 min., directed by Julius Onah)
“Captain America: Brave New World” is the big screen debut of Anthony Mackie as Captain America and a test for the franchise’s endurance after the departure of Chris Evans at the wheel.
It’s safe to say the film does not pass with flying colors, be they red, white or blue. The latest “Captain America” film isn’t a brave new world so much as a worse version of the same old thing.
Mackie has previously flown across superhero screens as The Falcon, but “Brave New World” marks the first time he has led a film on his own. Not a single one of the film’s five credited screenwriters did Mackie’s debut any favors. Despite its star’s best efforts to bring life to the script, “Brave New World” is bland, unmemorable, and, worst of all, frequently boring.
Check out our review of rom-com slasher “Heart Eyes” here.
“Brave New World” is, at minimum, competent and legible. At times, there are even moments that recommend it. For one, Harrison Ford joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the newly elected president of the United States. Ford is wonderful in the part, conquering comic book dialogue with a genuine commitment towards finding character in the lifeless script.
More importantly, Ford-as-Ross is the Red Hulk in this film. It’s hilarious. The swing is impossible to take seriously, but Ford’s face rendered in wrathful red CGI could wind up one of the most memorable movie moments of the year.
Check out our review of “Companion,” a robot love story gone wrong, here.
Virtually everything else in “Brave New World” is rote action movie nonsense. Put plainly, the punches lack panache.
They say a captain should never abandon his ship, but I hope Mackie’s Captain America makes it off of this sinking vessel. Maybe his turn with the mighty shield will have a better shot in “Avengers 5.”
Rating: 2/5
“PADDINGTON IN PERU” (2024, 106 min., directed by Dougal Wilson)
I watched all three “Paddington” films in one day. I wouldn’t recommend it.
That’s not because the movies are bad. On the contrary, the first two are delightful. “Paddington” is bright, colorful and energetic moviemaking, while “Paddington 2” is just as good, if not better. The duology set an incredibly high bar for family film fare. Their message of love, found family and good manners are just as memorable as their titular character and his marmalade sandwiches.
Check out our review of Best Picture nominee “Nickel Boys” here.
Despite the success of the first two entries, writer-director Paul King deigned not to pursue a third “Paddington” film, instead pivoting to the equally whimsical “Wonka.” Living up to the legacy King left behind was going to be a tall order no matter what. “Paddington in Peru” is a lackluster attempt to do so.
Granted, the last “Paddington” film was released 2017. For audiences who haven’t seen Paddington on the big screen in seven years, the shortcomings of “Paddington in Peru” may be harder to spot. There is a nostalgic pleasure in visiting with the same actors portraying characters they’ve inhabited for a decade – with the notable and gutting exception of Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, in many ways the soul to Paddington’s heart in the first two movies – and Paddington is too lovable of a character not to enjoy spending another two hours with him.
Check out our review of Best Picture nominee “The Brutalist” here.
The problem is that “Paddington in Peru” is too deeply reliant on the goodwill its predecessors built to have a voice of its own. With King’s distinctive vision turned toward other projects, new director Dougal Wilson had an opportunity to bring England’s favorite bear to new places. But though the threequel eschews London for Peru, it still manages to find the exact same ground when it came to story, moral and tone. It’s odd to call a film an imitation of its own franchise, but “Paddington in Peru” is oddly jealous of “Paddington 2.” Its twists come right out of the first’s playbook, its catchphrases are stale and even the big climactic speeches feel deflated of any emotional wallop.
“Paddington in Peru” is a decent vacation, but it never truly carries you away.
However, even the most uninspired “Paddington” film is a winning one. Maybe I wouldn’t want to watch all three movies in one day, or rewatch “Paddington in Peru” anytime soon, but I’d turn out for a new adventure with this red-hatted bear any day of the week.
Rating: 3/5