The Best Origin Story in a Long While

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2019)

The title of my review really sums up my opinion. Marvel know their stuff. Some might say that this is a by-the-numbers movie and to some extent it is. The thing is that Marvel know just where those numbers should go and they get it right every time.
Most origin stories get stuck in the past with a large chunk of the movie being devoted to that (eg Wonder Woman). Not so with Captain Marvel. It starts telling a story and intersperses brief flash-backs to give us context. We discover who Captain Marvel is, just as she discovers who she is.
The runtime of just over 2 hours is perfect. No fluff (looking at you again Wonder Woman). There is a good mix of action, intrigue and humour. There is two plot twists, which I thought were well done. I also like how the movie was properly tied in with those that came before it and how CM's absence in the MCU has been explained.
So why didn't I give it a 10? It is possible that I am judging it a bit harshly. Perhaps to some extent it suffers as it stands in the shadow of Infinity War and the highly anticiapted Endgame. At the moment I feel that it is not as good as GotG or Thor: Ragnarok or Infinity War but those are very high bars to clear. Let's see how CM does in Endgame. I might revise my rating then.