Great film in its own right & which also plugs the storyline gap

Rating: 10/10 (8 March 2019)

This is a terrific multi-layered film that isn't without some problems. Knowing the MCU I was quite surprised by the turn of events.
So Captain Marvel isn't Kree after all. Her super power source is therefore slightly confusing. We know that on the one hand it comes from the energy core that consumed her. On the other hand, what makes her different is that, er, she's human. That's an intriguing idea but slightly problematic.
Brie did a great job. She's fairly restrained emotionally and the film does the opposite to the normal MCU format: with this one she starts with power and then we get flashbacks. She's also not your typical kickass female lead like for example Angelina Jolie or Daisy Ridley but that's probably really refreshing. I hope in real life she doesn't feel she has to emulate those types. Part of the appeal of this film is precisely the above point: you see her standing after she's fallen. She's a vulnerable girl who nevertheless picks herself up. Macho guys or T-fuelled posturisers who are used to Thor and Thanos aren't going to much warm to that kind of feminine hero but that's always been the thing about MCU: it breaks your conventional mould. Makes you rethink your meme.
In some ways, my biggest problem, then, comes towards the end when we see this all-supreme Captain Marvel zooming into space (without even needing a helmet). It's a long way removed from the little girl lost theme. I'm not totally sure where MCU goes from that because the finale, where she meets the Avengers, is surely going to lead to Thanos getting his sorry butt kicked and, erm, that's it.
Anyway, it's a great film. Some real laughs. Brie is great so are Lashana Lynch and Annette Bening. But the true stars of the film are probably Samuel L. Jackson and ... the cat. No, seriously.