I’m astounded by the appalling reviews for Marvel’s lowest-rated live-action movie, which scored even lower than Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter. While the greatest Marvel movies dominate Hollywood, that wasn’t always the case. Before the MCU timeline redefined superhero storytelling with billion-dollar blockbusters, Marvel properties had a history of lackluster adaptations. The most glaring example was so critically panned it makes Marvel’s other infamous misfires look like masterpieces by comparison.
Before the 2000s and the MCU, DC dominated superhero cinema. Batman and Superman both boasted movie and television franchises for over half a century. Marvel struggled to compete, with a handful of made-for-TV and straight-to-video movies. Perhaps the most infamous was released in the 1990s and holds the worst Rotten Tomatoes of any live-action Marvel movie.
1990’s Captain America Movie Has A 6% Critic Review Score On Rotten Tomatoes
The 1990’s Captain America currently holds a 6% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, a near-unprecedented low for any superhero film, let alone one starring a character as iconic as Steve Rogers. Directed by Albert Pyun and starring Matt Salinger (son of legendary author J.D. Salinger), Captain America (1990) was a straight-to-video oddity in the U.S. despite being made as a theatrical release. It bounced around international markets, quietly debuting in the shadow of other failed superhero attempts of the era.
Captain America was intended for a US release in 1990, but was delayed until 1992. Meanwhile, the UK screened it in 1991. This has led to the movie being accredited to all three years.
It’s not simply a case of age or genre expectations; even cheesy, low-budget horror or action films from the ’80s and ’90s can earn some retroactive appreciation. Captain America never did. The audience score sits a little higher – 19% – but that still represents a staggering lack of support for a character who would later headline some of the most acclaimed entries in the MCU. For comparison, Sony’s Madame Web, which was eviscerated upon release, boasts a 54% audience rating.
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The Captain America reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are particularly scathing and entertaining. Tim Brayton from Alternate Ending writes, “Outrageously, excruciatingly dull, dragging out its 97 minutes to a point that time itself more or less ceases to have any meaning.” While Zac Hecstand from Film Inquiry suggested “The 1990 Captain America shows the viewer, and any aspiring filmmaker, how not to make a superhero movie.”
The 1990’s Captain America Tomatometer Score Falls Below Many Of Marvel’s Least Successful Movies
To give a sense of just how low this is: even among the most critically ridiculed Marvel-associated films, Captain America (1990) lands below the bottom of the barrel. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe offered three of the most notorious, with Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and Madame Web. Another often cited is Marvel’s worst movie in 2015’s doomed Fant4astic, which garnered only 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. Captain America (1990) sits safely beneath all of these.
|
Movie |
Critics Score |
Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Captain America (1990) |
6% |
19% |
|
Fantastic Four (2015) |
9% |
18% |
|
Madame Web |
11% |
54% |
|
Kraven the Hunter |
15% |
73% |
|
Morbius |
15% |
71% |
These three modern disasters were panned for lazy plotting, uninspired performances, and underwhelming VFX – yet somehow, each of them fared better than the 1990 Cap film. It’s not like people give newer films a pass – if anything, audiences and critics have grown harsher over time. The fact that Captain America scores worse despite having the benefit of nostalgic hindsight speaks volumes. It’s not that expectations were too high – it’s that the movie really is that rough.
Why The 1990’s Captain America Movie Has Such A Low Review Score
Nearly everything went wrong with Captain America (1990). Firstly, the budget was embarrassingly low for a superhero film. With reported production costs around $3 million, the movie couldn’t even dream of competing with the likes of Batman (1989), which had a budget of $35 million and a visionary director in Tim Burton. The Captain America film instead leaned heavily on cheap sets, awkward costuming, and often laughable special effects.
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The Red Skull, Cap’s arch-nemesis, was inexplicably changed from a German Nazi to an Italian fascist, a confusing decision that didn’t improve the story and only muddled the historical context. The character design was wildly inconsistent – he goes from disfigured supervillain to plain-faced mob boss halfway through the movie. The editing is clunky, the acting flat, and the dialogue ranges from wooden to absurd. Even the action scenes are baffling.
All of these factors contributed to Captain America’s abysmal critics scores. It is worth noting that the number of critic reviews is relatively small – just 17 – which is low compared to modern releases that can accumulate hundreds. That said, these reviews span decades and come from professionals revisiting the film both before and after the MCU boom. The fact that it hasn’t garnered even one in five positive reviews is particularly damning.
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Moreover, the film suffers from how poorly it’s aged. There’s a retro charm to some ’90s productions, but Captain America (1990) doesn’t even feel like a fun relic. It’s dated in a way that feels more depressing than endearing. Compared to cult favorites like Flash Gordon or The Rocketeer, it lacks flair, coherence, and heart.
1990’s Captain America Review Score Shows How Major The MCU Captain America Movies Really Are
When Captain America: The First Avenger was released in 2011, it had the weight of the MCU behind it – but even then, expectations were high. Cap is a symbol of idealism and moral clarity, which can be tricky to portray without coming off as corny or one-dimensional. Chris Evans managed to pull it off, and the Russo brothers later elevated the character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, proving he could be the emotional and ideological core of the entire MCU.
These films didn’t just succeed, they excelled. The Winter Soldier sits at a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Civil War boasts 91%. Even The First Avenger, often seen as the “least” of the trilogy, has a respectable 80%. Contrast that with the 1990 version, which not only failed to represent the essence of Steve Rogers but nearly doomed the character’s cinematic future.
That such a low point could be followed by such tremendous highs is one of the great comeback stories in superhero history. The 1990 Captain America isn’t just a bad movie – it’s a fascinating reminder of how far superhero cinema has come. It proves that characters as iconic as Captain America require the right context, the right tone, and yes, the right budget. Without those elements, even a symbol of American heroism can fall flat on his star-spangled face.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
- Release Date
-
July 26, 1991
- Runtime
-
97 Minutes
- Director
-
Albert Pyun
-
Matt Salinger
Steve Rogers / Captain America
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