About as Dull as Marvel Gets

Rating: 4/10 (6 March 2019)

Politics aside, Captain Marvel is about as cookie-cutter as Marvel has gotten and feels almost dated. The trailers didn't provide any additional hype for me going into this movie, but I was still interested in meeting this character before Endgame. It's easier to talk about this movie by breaking it down piece-by-piece.
Pros:
1. The entire supporting cast. Sam L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Lashana Lynch, and even the cat, named Goose, are the best part of this movie as they definitely give great performances.
2. The 90s nostalgia. Being a 90s guy, I was obviously happy seeing all the 90s references and feeling once again.
3. Danvers and Fury's chemistry. Some of the best moments of the film come from solely seeing these two play off each other.
Cons:
1. Action. It's pretty lifeless and doesn't have any of the excitement usually found in MCU movies, especially coming off the clever fight scenes in both Infinity War and Ant-Man & The Wasp.
2. Brie Larson's Captain Marvel. I can see what the production team and Brie were going for in this performance, but in all honest it didn't work. She came off as frustratingly cocky at some points and robotic at others. However, I do feel with better direction and writing in Endgame, her character can be redeemed as this somewhat feels like a writing problem and Brie's lack of experience as a comedic actress. The end credits scene showed promise in Larson's Captain Marvel character.
3. Plot. The plot feels eerily like a Phase 1 Marvel movie, in a bad, dated way. It has a feeling like Captain America: The First Avenger, arguably the worst of the origin stories in Phase 1. The jumpy, amnesia structure doesn't really do anything for me either.
4. Lack of MCU charm. Even with a fun Nick Fury, Larson's performance, an insanely inept explanation we never needed (I will not spoil it) that rivals how Han Solo got his name, and the overall feeling of "fluff" make this film feel wildly unnecessary other than simply introducing the character.
Overall, Captain Marvel showed promise at points, but definitely ranks near the bottom of the MCU hierarchy, probably only ahead of Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk thanks to Mendelsohn's villainous performance. Hopefully, this character can be redeemed come Endgame.