Second Tier Marvel Movie - fun but there are flaws

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2019)

Captain Marvel probably sits somewhere in the middle of the MCU for quality. It's entertaining for the most part; but it also had the opportunity to be so much better. For one thing the central character is not very well defined, and we are left feeling she's a major guest star in a Nick Fury movie rather then on her own solo outing.
The first 30 minutes or so are going to lose a lot of the audience, as it, frankly, is not a very good opening. It's all very well to begin in media res, but Star Wars it isn't. The execution is confusing and tends to be jarring.
Thankfully things do improve once we hit Earth, or C-53 as it's known here. Sam Jackson and Clark Gregg turn up very quickly and immediately lift the film a notch or two. Jackson has never been cookier in the MCU than here, and his "de-aging" is amazing. Stars need never grow old again after this. He seems to have better chemistry with a CGI cat than Ms Larson, though. The cat is genuinely hilarious.
I liked the Skrulls, too. Always have since reading Fantastic Four no 2 when I was a little kid. Unfortunately, after Thanos, the main villians here are a bit of a snooze. And Jude Law is as boring as he always is.
Brie Larson is very solid in the lead role, but frankly she isn't given enough interesting things to do; we know little from her past life other than a few hints in rapid flashback montages. We don't get even the full on Captain Marvel til near the end, and the final fight is pretty limp.
Overall I enjoyed it though, especially the middle section of the film, which was witty and entertaining. More character development next time for Carol, please. Now bring on Endgame.