Not long ago, a Marvel movie starring Anthony Mackie as Captain America would have been big news. There has been some buzz about the character’s post-“Avengers" potential, about Black representation in the superhero genre (Mackie is the film’s executive producer) and about box-office predictions. But the low-profile February release for "Captain America: Brave New World" suggests something less than a major event.

Sure enough, "Brave New World" turns out to be exactly that.

Compared to some of the studio’s recent misfires (Disney’s "The Marvels," Sony’s "Kraven the Hunter") this new entry is at least passable. It casts Mackie as Sam Wilson, now hoisting Cap’s iconic shield, and Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, who takes Wilson’s old role as the flying Falcon. At the behest of newly elected President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), they must stop an international crisis triggered by the discovery of Adamantium, "the world’s most versatile element." The film features the usual Marvel hallmarks — namely, CGI-enhanced fight scenes and cute banter — and feels competently directed by Julius Onah (Netflix’s "The Cloverfield Paradox").

It also features some major problems. One is a detail-laden script that assumes you’ve seen a lot of Marvel’s streaming content (in this case, "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" on Disney+). Another is the aforementioned CGI, which often looks chintzy. And then there’s the underwhelming villain, Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), a scientific genius who can somehow hypnotize folks into doing his bidding. Trapped in a bunker for years while his brain outgrows his skull, he ought to be wracked with pain and mad with fury; instead, he’s merely peevish, like an accountant who’s been handed the wrong form.

Mackie does solid work as Wilson, a mortal keenly aware that he lacks superpowers. But he’s overshadowed by Ford, who at 82 plays the president almost as energetically as he did in 1997’s "Air Force One." Ross, formerly a hawkish general, now wants to lead a fractured world toward peace, partly as a way to regain the love of his estranged daughter (a briefly-seen Liv Tyler). Of all the actors who tear up in this movie, only Ford does it convincingly. We even buy Ross’ slightly silly transformation into Red Hulk — tattered shorts and all — because the actor so skillfully builds a picture of a man struggling against his rage. (Red Hulk’s first urge is to pulverize a cowering press corps; for Ford, a famously prickly interview, this must have been fun.)

Unfolding within an endless series of generic compounds, complexes and laboratories, "Captain America: Brave New World" feels awfully familiar, but maybe that’s to be expected. After all, when’s the last time a Marvel movie really surprised you?