A fun but somewhat middling Marvel release

Rating: 7/10 (15 March 2019)

There has been a lot of buildup and hype leading to the release of Captain Marvel, the MCU's first female helmed solo film. There has also been a large and very loud pushback in certain quarters of the internet. Depending on who you listen to, this movie is either a bold new chapter for Marvel, unlike anything that's come before, or the worst thing the studio has ever done. In reality it's neither. It's a good, highly entertaining popcorn flick, but maybe not the groundbreaking, genre shifting epic it was sold as.
I'll say up front that Brie Larson's titular performance is probably the best thing Captain Marvel has going for it. Maybe it's the hair, or maybe her pluckiness and irrepressible energy, but throughout the movie she really reminded me of Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. I don't know if that was intentional, but if anything, it really enhances the experience. Her cheerfulness and (over)confidence in every situation are infectious and breath life into a lot of the material. And though this is one of her first forays into action, she handles herself quite well in the fight scenes.
Samuel L Jackson is great too as a younger, less experienced, but no less badass Nick Fury. It's really interesting to see him genuinely shocked by something, or even momentarily wonder if he's in over his head. And we may not have been asking for the story of how he lost his eye, but boy do they ever give us a good one. I was a bit disappointed that Ronan the accuser didn't have a bigger role, but at least he's set up as a major villain the inevitable sequel. I also thought Phil Coulson could have used a bit more screen time, though he does a good job with the rookie schtick in the time he has.
J really liked what they did with the cat. Goose gets a lot more screen time and way more plot significance than I was expecting, and it is glorious. There are few things better than watching Nick Fury cuddle and sweet talk a cat, except for the aliens' reactions upon meeting it. On second thought, the cat may be the best part of the movie.
Plot wise there are some huge surprises. So huge I didn't believe them at first. Purists might complain about how far some of them stray from the source material, but it's hard to argue with the impact. The movie also doesn't waste any time getting started, throwing us- and Carol- into the action almost from the get go. If you've seen the trailers then you probably already know that she doesn't have the clearest memories of her previous time on earth, which drives much of the plot for the first half and generates some excellent fish out of water comedy.
The soundtrack is quite good, featuring some of the best of the 90's, from Nirvana to TLC, always used at just the right time. The 90's nostalgia is also played off well, but there's not as much of it as the trailers would suggest. Most of it is packed into the first act, after which it just drops off, along with a lot of the humor to be honest.
The movie isn't trying to be dark and gritty or anything, but for much of the middle act it mostly stops trying to be funny. Or deliver any action. Which is okay, because this is where it focuses on character development and the big plot twists, but somehow, they never quite generate the level of pathos or shock that they should have. Honestly, most of the time we're in Louisiana, the pacing and the direction just feel kind of slack.
Thankfully the humor and the action pick back up for the third act, leading to a rousing battle and a very satisfying beatdown of the bad guy, even if it never quite reaches the heights of the first act. Which is a real shame. As fun as this movie is, and as many good ideas as it draws on, too many of them are never fully developed, leaving the unshakeable feeling of missed opportunities. And I was honestly expecting the project to bring more originality in terms of narrative structure and tone. Not every superhero movie is going to reinvent the genre, but several of Marvel's recent entries have each put a new spin on the formula, beyond "this time the hero's a woman."
But like I said earlier, the action is good, the acting is better, there are some good laughs, and the cat is awesome. So even if Captain Marvel doesn't live up to the hype or mark a clear step forward for the studio, it's still a fun and mostly satisfying action blockbuster. And definitely stay through the credits.