The First Well-written Female Superhero Movie

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2019)

I had to see this movie twice to catch everything.
Feminist ideas are portrayed loudly and proudly, for the first time, in superhero style. In both her actual human life and the delusion the Kree gave her, Carol has men constantly telling her she's not good enough, that she'll never measure up. Her father tells her that she should stay where she belongs after she gets hurt while playing with some boys. In the Air Force, her fellow pilots try to sabotage her self-esteem by saying things like,"You know why it's called a 'cockpit,' right?" It doesn't help that women aren't permitted to fly combat missions, something Carol desperately wants to do. Her Kree mentor/guardian, Yon-rogg, pretends to help her become stronger by teaching her to keep herself in check. He wants her to keep her emotions under control and to fight without using her considerable power. At every turn, the men in her life are either underestimating her or putting her down.
It's not just the men, either. The Kree have an elaborate system set up to keep Carol and her powers contained. Her modified memories, Yon-rogg's "training," and the Supreme Intelligence's "advice" all act to brainwash her, with the express goal of her never realizing her full potential. If she realizes how powerful she really is, they can't use her as a weapon. Worse, she could become a threat to them and the power they hold. They've even attached a failsafe device to her that will physically restrict her access to her power, should the brainwashing not succeed.
The challenges that beset Carol throughout the movie are remarkably well-thought out metaphors for what girls and women have to deal with every day. The Kree's reaction to their discovery of Carol's power, seeing it as a threat, as something that they had to restrain and control, mirrors the way the patriarchy has been attempting to restrain and control women for millenia. Like Carol, women are taught to hold themselves back, to "fight with one arm tied behind" their backs. Carol's most heroic moment isn't when she defeats the Kree and sends them home with their tails between their legs; it's when she discovers the power that she's had all along. When she recognizes the Kree's deception for what it is, and casts it aside, she understands that she is capable of so much more than anyone, herself included, ever thought possible.
This movie only has one real negative, and that's Brie Larson's acting. She can drop the witty one-liners as well as any action star, but in scenes where Carol is experiencing some gut-wrenching emotional upheaval, Ms. Larson just doesn't deliver. Her skills are nowhere near the caliber of Scarlett Johanssen's or Gwyneth Paltrow's, and they need to be. Captain Marvel has been established as not only the most powerful character in Marvel's current cinematic pantheon, but also the only female superhero with her own movie franchise. Ms. Larson needs to represent!