Actaully a disapointment

Rating: 5/10 (9 March 2019)

For those thirsty for a new hero in the Marvel Universe we finally get our first female solo hero movie, a landmark many have waited for, but is the anticipation answered with a film that the Marvel banner can truly feel proud of? Oscar winner Brie Larson takes on the role of Carol Danvers, better known in the hearts of comic hero fans as Captain Marvel. She is supported by a strong cast and has the top-notch production value we have come to expect from a Marvel/Disney production, but mixed in is some disappointing elements that made me walk out of the theater feeling more disappointed than marvelous.
Normally its here that I speak a little about the plot tying to give you a sense of what the film is about without revealing big shocks & surprises, but I find myself unable to even being able to give any hints because the story is so convoluted with flashbacks and plot twists, even from the start of the film. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck decide to jump right in, feet first into the film without much subtext or background which caused me to begin the film in a dazed and confused state. I wasn't sure if I had missed important details or if my questions were too early to ask. Much of the riddles are answered in rather disappointing reveals and when I say disappointing, I mostly mean in a comic book fan sort of way. Its obvious that the filmmakers of today for Marvel pretty much want to scrap everything we were told in the 70's and 80's and just accept that this is a new day in these characters ways. The mythos of many of the backgrounds of these characters have been drastically altered to surprise us old fans in a way that may be too much to understand or enjoy. But putting that criticism aside there are some other flaws with the film.
Surprisingly for me, one of the biggest problems is Larson herself. She is certainly a talented and gifted actress who has a natural screen presence but her charisma and humor are a little off in this film. She didn't strike me as funny, nor was I captivated by her as a hero. The humor complaint is actually a constant for this film. It simply wasn't as funny as your average Marvel film and the jokes either come off as flat or canned to me. Even the often-reliable Samuel L. Jackson never hits his usual stride in this movie. I will say the cat is as advertised but even that joke gets a little stale quick. The most disappointing cast member for me has to be Annette Bening who just comes off as completely out of sorts in this movie.
What I really found to be a problem is the obvious social commentaries throughout the film. As much as they were disguised in the subtext of a galactic superhero film, they were pretty obvious and did more to make the story a disaster than make honorable notions about bravery and loyalty. The #1 element I find in bad hero movies is the lack of a good villain and sadly this film has a villain problem.
I have often wondered if Marvel could make a disappointing film and with "Captain Marvel" I got my answer, a resounding yes. The best thing I can say about the film is the Stan Lee tribute that opens the film. A touching tribute that starts a very disappointing movie.