Better than I expected

Rating: 4/10 (8 March 2019)

I am happy to say that I enjoyed this more than I expected to.
After a certain cast member's racist and sexist comments leading up to this, I was afraid the MCU would let politics seep into the movie.
I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get that feeling at all.
I love movies about strong female characters when they are well done without pushing politics. See wonder woman for the perfect example of how to properly do that... This movie was no wonder woman, but it tried and I never felt like I was being fed any kind of identity politics, which many of us were afraid of due to the lead-up to this movie. You don't need that, just show a well-written female character overcoming hardship, kicking butt, and people will get behind them. It's simple, but some movies just can't resist getting political these days. Luckily this one didn't.
Brie wasn't great...it took the first half of the movie to "get used to her" is the best way I can explain it. I don't let her actions IRL impact how I feel about the movie or character, or I wouldn't have paid to see it. But I just don't think she was a good casting choice for this character. But, she tried... It wasn't terrible, it just didn't fit for some reason. I have really enjoyed her in other movies so I know she can act. The mix of seriousness and humor with her character just felt off, or forced at times.
I enjoyed the second half and was on board to root for her all the way by the finale. There were zero stakes for her in the movie though, except for a few refugees she was fighting for. She's so overpowered and takes nearly zero damage, you never felt like she was in real danger. I don't mind her being OP like crazy, but they should have balanced it a little better with a better villain. She needed more of a challenge IMO. Not a huge deal, just something I noticed.
The rest of the cast was good. The de-aging was well done. I liked the 90's member berries they fed us. Some good tunes, too... I didn't have any issue with the CGI as some others said...maybe once or twice it was a little rough.
This could have been amazing and it could have been a real "woke" mess. It was neither.
I was entertained and don't regret spending the money to see it. 6/10