Not Great, But Certainly Not Horrible Like Many Say

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2019)

Captain Marvel is the newest MCU movie highly anticipated by some, and dreaded for others. This film has been getting a lot of backlash on social media long before it even came out due to the main actress, Brie Larson, being an open feminist spouting controversial comments on Twitter. The makers even admit the film is a feminist piece. Honestly I could care less about all of that. Both sides of the spectrum I find highly toxic and stay away from. I'm not highly knowledgeable with Captain Marvel comics, as I've never read them. So, I'm judging this film solely as a film on its own.
So, is the film worth all the animosity it has garnered? The Short answer is no. The film is fine. It's harmless. In fact, I enjoyed it. It's not great. It's far from being the best MCU film, but it's not horrible or even the worst in the line. I can say I like Captain Marvel more than Iron Man 2 and Spiderman Homecoming, the two MCU movies I flat out don't like. I think it's better than Iron Man 3. I would put it on the same tier as the Ant Man films and the second Thor movie (yes I like that film). It's a movie that's quite entertaining when watching it, but plays things quite safe, and not especially memorable. I was struggling to think if I liked this as much as Black Panther, but I still have to say I like that film a bit more.
There's a lot this film does well. The effects and cinematography look great. The acting I thought was fine. I didn't have a problem with Brie Larson's performance. Regardless of her political views, I liked her in King Skull Island and I liked her here. Samuel L. Jackson as a younger Fury was a welcome addition. He's the best part of the movie in my opinion. It's nice to see him be a main character in one of these again. Although, the big revelation we get about how he lost his eye we got was pretty lame I thought. It was cool to finally get the Skrulls in the MCU, even if their origins are quite different here.
On the other hand, the villains are incredibly lame and forgettable. The big twist you could see coming a mile away. The action is okay, but nothing great. The final climax especially felt a bit underwhelming.
Overall, Captain Marvel does not deserve the visceral hatred it's been getting. It's a fine entertaining film, especially if you want a good female superhero movie. It's nothing special for Marvel films. It's not quite as good as Wonder Woman was, but compared to the dark ages of female superhero flicks like Supergirl, Catwoman, and Electra Captain Marvel is a godsend.