Don't let the trolls deceive you, this is a competent Marvel movie

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2019)

I felt that I had to provide a fair review for this movie, as the trolls are definitely dragging down this movie unfairly. Captain Marvel is well-made and entertaining. It is a good movie. But is it a great movie? Well...
It certainly has great parts. Brie Larson brings a likeable and relatable feel to the character, a more human portrayal to a superhero than some of the cheesier alternatives we have had recently. She and Samuel L Jackson have good chemistry, and the dialogue is as sharp and witty as we've come to expect from Marvel. The pacing of the story is also crisp, and I never felt bored. This is a feat as the movie moves through a lot of plot beats and introduced whole new worlds and characters not yet seen in the MCU without ever being confusing and it delivers exposition smoothly. The special effects are good, as are the action sequences, particularly the climatic battle. There are some fun visual gags and scenarios the characters find themselves in. I particularly enjoyed the fish out of water scenes when Carol first lands on Earth and goes about the business of an interstellar warrior in a very matter of fact way. And the cat. Stole every scene it is in.
What lets the movie down more than anything else is the fact that it had to tell a very specific story. We have only had a couple of cosmic MCU movies so far, but where Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor Ragnarok were given free reign to explore the possibilities of intergalactic society, and Black Panther able to imagine a whole new world for its characters, Captain Marvel is very much grounded to the Earth. The writers were required to produce an origin story for Captain Marvel, introduce the Kree-Skrull War, and set up for Avengers Endgame. And while they did a good job of this, I left the experience wanting more. Like its protagonist, the movie is shackled for the majority of its run time until the climax, only exploring its full potential right as the story is wrapping up.
There are some other minor criticisms such as the 90s jokes growing tired quickly and some scenes not landing with the full emotional force that they could, as the movie has to move to the next scene to get through everything. The movie had a tough act to follow with the phenomenal Thor Ragnarok, Black Panther and Infinity War preceding it. But it is by no means a bad movie, and it is definitely at the better end of the MCU movie spectrum. The people who rated this movie one-star have a clear agenda, so don't let them persuade you. I would give the movie a solid 7.5/10, but as the IMDb rating system does not allow half-stars, it gets 8 from me. It is a competently made movie and deserves the benefit of viewing. I only hope there is a sequel where we can see what Carol Danvers is truly capable of.