Staying on top of everything the Marvel Cinematic Universe does has become impossible for the average moviegoer. Right from the opening, “Brave New World” needs a blatant newsposition prologue to catch the audience up to how things connect to a movie from 17 years ago, a miniseries from four years ago only a fraction of people watched and a movie from four years only a fraction of people liked.

Full disclosure, this is more of a Hulk sequel than a Captain America sequel with Thunderbolt Ross as a secondary protagonist. And yet, even with the reintroduction of some key players from the 2008 Hulk film, no Bruce Banner. Meanwhile, most of the key figures from Cap’s past adventures aren’t here either. Sure, we get a three-minute cameo from someone special, but that doesn’t make up for the rest of the runtime.

Suffice it to say, this isn’t the same old Cap movie with Steve Rogers, and that’s okay. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the great screenplays and character developments of “Winter Soldier” and “Civil War” that made those sequels so great. While this as the 35th film in the ever-growing franchise has some great aspects, it’s mostly a mixed bag of promises that don’t quite deliver.

It’s been sometime now since Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) has picked up the mantle as Captain America, and he’s finally embracing his title. After a recent successful mission, Sam is summoned to the White House as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) wants to work with him on rebuilding the Avengers.

But trouble ensues when a group of special White House guests attempt to assassinate the president, and one of them is a friend of Sam’s who believes he was framed. Now, Sam and his partner Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon, must race against time to uncover the true culprit and foil an evil plot that, unbeknownst to them, directly involves Ross.

As in the real world, the people of the MCU have their reservations about Sam Wilson as the new Cap. Thankfully, Mackie wields the shield and wears the title well. He still has some of the sarcasm and mischievous twinkle in his eye from his days as the Falcon, but he is a stand-up guy and does what’s right even when facing adversity. Because Wilson’s character is a counselor for veterans first and foremost, so whether working with Ross or taking on rogue baddies, his therapist brain is always figuring out the best way to de-escalate the situation with as few injuries as possible.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t throw down the gauntlet when needed. This world is full of future technology that has made fighting bad guys that much easier, and this Cap is no exception to it. Wilson still has his signature Falcon wings integrated into his Captain America suit, so flying at supersonic speeds to chase down enemy missiles is a cakewalk — but the action is full of CGI with fewer hand-to-hand fight scenes.

Harrison Ford is still great, but he’s not right for this role. With the late William Hurt’s passing, someone had to take it over. But if Ford isn’t going to wear the signature mustache, he shouldn’t be in the movie. Get back Sam Elliot or bring in Stephen Lang and he would have worked a lot better.

Having your movie be literally about a soldier and a president, American politics permeates just about every part of this story. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say much beyond the surface-level talking points. It may have been written before the 2024 primaries and filmed before the November election, but real-world parallels and issues could still be tackled in this fictional setting. A Black veteran is facing off against a hot-headed commander with a controversial past, but nothing substantial is explored because Disney thinks they can’t afford to offend anyone.

The same issues that have been plaguing the MCU since its first grand finale in 2019 are still evident here. Though not the worst installment from the past five years, it’s also not anything particularly special. If this company really wants to get audiences back in theaters, it has to do better than delivering at-home-streaming quality projects.