Good, as expected from Marvel, but it is a weaker MCU film

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2019)

Captain Marvel is a good movie. The best and worst part about it is a return to the original superhero film style. Modern MCU films rely too heavily on subversive unexpected humor that ends up being expected since it is used so often. This movie returned to the roots of a mostly serious action film with fitting humor throughout, which felt quite refreshing. Additionally, the linear but also non-linear storytelling was a very interesting concept. However, it also felt stale at the same time because the major plot points and twists were all predictable and/or overused.
Larson managed to act well without ever truly shining, though I feel that is the writer's fault and not Larson's. She is quite convincing with all of the arrogance and swagger of an Air Force pilot, but she's never given any deeply emotional scenes to explore her character's depth. At one point, her character says something along the lines of, "I've been fighting this whole time with one arm behind my back," and that line perfectly summarizes the film's conflicts. There is never really a point where it appears that Captain Marvel is overwhelmed, physically or mentally. This lack of weakness plus the lack of emotional depth results in a character that isn't quite as relatable as many of the other MCU titular characters. Whenever Larson is on screen with Mendelsohn, Lynch, or Jackson, her performance is overshadowed, largely because the writers gave their characters more emotional depth, though Larson certainly shines when on screen without any of those three.