Fairly bland even if it has its moments here and there

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2019)

Probably doesn't matter that I watched this film after Endgame, as I doubt knowing that Danvers is not the solution hinted at in the post-credit sequence of Infinity War. Supposedly the most powerful of the characters, and the first major solo character to be a woman, it is surprising that the film doesn't do more or take more risks. That the character continues to disappoint in Endgame is no great surprise now, given how so-so this film is. It has all the budget, stars, effects, and production standards of the wider franchise, but it somehow doesn't come together as a whole - and I'm not entirely sure why.
Larson is maybe part of it, as mostly she fails to have any genuine character. The narrative structure I think made it hard for her to do it, as she is never allowed to be human apart from very brief flashbacks. Outside of this she is powerful and in-charge, which just means she is pretty dull due to lacking humour, risk, danger, or edge. Same could be said of the film as a whole, as it feels incredibly 'safe' in what it does. Jackson and a cat are the high points, otherwise it is not a particularly good standalone film, and certainly does little in the context of the series. I was sort of glad I had not seen it between Infinity War and Endgame, as the moment of those was good, and this might have taken the wind out of it a little.
It is too expensive and slick to be a bad or weak film, but certainly it is not a good one. Even within the MCU it feels like a hollow affair, offering spectacle and noise, but almost nothing in the way of heart, and little in way of humour and thrills.