Anthony Mackie’s New Movie Is Being Review Bombed for 2 Different Reasons

Following its theatrical release last Friday, Anthony Mackie‘s newest action movie, Desert Warrior, is getting review-bombed on IMDB. This comes ahead of Mackie’s long-awaited return as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday, which will arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026.

Desert Warrior currently has a 1.9 score on IMDb, making it the lowest-rated movie that Mackie has ever starred in. IMDb users from around the world have been giving the movie low ratings. At the moment, the film has already garnered reviews from over 5K users. A large portion of that consists of 1/10 reviews, equivalent to 73% of 3.8k users. In addition, it received middling reviews from critics and moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes (31% Tomatometer, 64% Popcornmeter).

Why is Anthony Mackie’s Desert Warrior movie getting review-bombed?

One of the main reasons Desert Warrior is getting this kind of negative reception is the involvement of the Saudi-backed production company, MBC Studios. Many critics have called out the film as propaganda for Saudi Arabia’s goal of rebranding their image by investing in entertainment and sports. The film had a whopping $150 million budget, making it the most expensive movie to be produced in Saudi Arabia. Interestingly, some of the reviews are from IMDb users from Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE. They are questioning the creative team’s decision to tell the historical story in English, while also criticizing the casting of white actors to play Middle Eastern historical figures.

On Letterboxd, one of the users who gave the film a half-star rating called it a “total disaster” and “insulting” due to its historical inaccuracies. “The most ridiculous part is that the movie is entirely in English. As a Saudi, it’s a joke that I have to read Arabic subtitles to understand a story about my own environment and my own people. Our language, the participating tribes of Dhi Qar, and our Bedouin culture are our identity and pride. We inherited this history, and seeing it presented this way is a complete insult.”

Before it had its world premiere at the 2025 Zurich Film Festival, Desert Warrior took nearly a year to film and over three years to complete its post-production due to several setbacks. Per Deadline, this included creative conflicts between director Rupert Wyatt and MB Studios, which led the filmmaker to exit during the film’s post-production process. Besides Mackie, the movie also stars Aiysha Hart, Sharlto Copley, Ghassan Massoud, Ben Kingsley, Numan Acar, Sami Bouajila, Lamis Ammar, and Géza Röhrig.

Source: Comingsoon.net