Satisfying yet unbalanced

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2019)

This review was written on 03/08/2019.
No doubt, any MCU connection after several months of silence is anticipated for any fan who has followed the inception of the universe since 2008. This movie at this time is nonetheless subject to controversy given the potential interpretations of its politically-driven agenda.
"Captain Marvel" to be honest, was enjoyable and satisfying. Though I did not have high expectations for a movie introducing a new character shortly before the greatest upcoming movie of the MCU, this movie was very well a good addition and worth the time.

*****Beware, SPOILERS AHEAD*****

The Stan Lee tribute in the introduction is an indescribable satisfaction. Thoughtful, considerate and a strong way to begin.
CHARACTERS/ACTING:
Brie Larson was a good choice. Her depiction of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers was well played, with a strong physique and lovely smile. Nonetheless, whether it is an acting problem or a scripting issue, she didn't really balance being serious, under threat, silly, and humorous. The interchange between these expressions was too quick and lacked subtlety that it weakened her role and ridiculized the seriousness of some sequences. Many moments shared resemblance to Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr) debut, namely the first flight of the Mach II (the "whoooooo") and her first flight. He, nevertheless, was not dodging an alien invasion at the time and his expressions were concordant.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appeared too happy, lacked being serious and mostly appeared silly - a side we are not acquainted to. In the entirety of the movie, he did not have a leading role (understandable), but was unfortunately depicted as a damsel in distress.
The Skrull soldiers as a whole appeared too comical. Their spirit in most their fights was unserious and unfortunately ridiculous, posing the question if these are muppets or the terrifying Skrulls we anticipated.

STORY:
The enigma who is "Vers" and its slow reveal was very well scripted, yet might have been fast forwarded at the end. Throughout the movie, unlocking her memories and her transformation from a fighter pilot to a Kree soldier was satisfying and unprecedented. Being taken hostage at her first mission is a bit disappointing though.
The evolution of the plot and the later twist was great, completely unanticipated, but might have been short on emotions reflective of purpose.
As for the long-anticipated story of how Nick Fury lost his eye, this was extremely disappointing: no pain? no agony? no strong comeback line? Such a useless, big, unsung loss. We're talking of the same eye referred to in the Winter Soldier movie.

IN-MOVIE MESSAGES:
There is no denying the movie was strong on femininity. No doubt historically, women have not received their due rights easily and without fight, and this movie has a take-home message that Captain Marvel's powers lie in the oppressions she suffered from her male comrades. Nonetheless, women's rights were never an all-female initiative. This movie might have attempted to make Nick Fury as this supporting man, but the duo between him and Danvers seemed unbalanced, rendering him mostly dependent on her (of course he's not as powerful, but you don't need powers to be a hero right?). As a fan of this genre, gender never mattered nor it will. It is the heroes' developments, challenges, lessons and aspirations that leads to their grandeur and significance - NOT their gender. As such, the stress on solo female power was a bit excessive - none of the previous MCU characters ever hinted on a male exclusive domination. Nevertheless, though it started out strong on this, the movie's progression tuned it down and focused on what we are more accustomed to: heroism.
SUMMARY:
The movie adds up to the collection of a decade of a universe in the making. Judging it, one might forget that this is an origin story film. One might have also forgotten that the last origin story was several several several years ago (2011: Captain America the first avenger; Black Panther was introduced in Civil War with the main guys). Judging it using the same criteria as the Avengers for example is therefore, unfair.
It is understandable that its timing in a period where half the universe is wiped off and where the Avengers are shattered, makes us more judgmental on its content as we ask ourselves where was she during the attack on New York and were all the challenges the avengers previously faced not "emergent" or worth a page?
Nonetheless, her role in Endgame is yet to be determined, as after all, she is merely the product of one infinity stone. Thanos possesses six.