Captain Marvel has been the subject of much hype and positive reviews about this movie. I just couldn’t give it a high rating, and honestly, I’ll probably not watch it again. So, here we go.

(Photo via bgr.com)

Captain Marvel Plot

Set in the 90s, Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers, known at the beginning of the movie as the Kree alien Vers, as she is kidnapped by the bad aliens- Skrulls- and crash lands on Earth. She meets a young, two-eyed Nick Fury and a young Phil Coulson, who work for SHIELD.

With Fury’s help, she uncovers the truth about what the Skrulls are after; as it turns out, the bad guys aren’t bad, and the good guys aren’t good, and she has to switch sides. She fights against the Kree who enslaved her, and saves the Skrulls, helping them find a new home.

For most of the first hour and a half of the movie, I found myself kinda bored, and also slightly confused. I had the knowledge of the Kree from watching Agents of Shield, but I still felt slightly confused at what was going on.

And having Captain Marvel be an amnesiac slowed down the story- I understand that it was an origin story, but I felt that so much of the time was spent on figuring out who she was, and not enough time developing who she is.

(Did you miss my review of Mary Poppins?)

The best part of the movie was the kick-butt fight scene that she has against her former Kree teammates (set to Just a Girl by No Doubt), but even that was too short lived. And an epic fight against her former mentor was cut short Indiana Jones style when she just decides to shoot him, claiming she has nothing to prove to him.

My biggest criticism of the movie was making her this “feminist” icon that didn’t spend much time actually exploring her powers- the movie is almost over before she realizes she can just rip off what was holding her back.

She is going to play such an essential role (I think) in Avengers:Endgame, and there’s not much more than a few minutes of action to go on this. She is tough because that’s what the movie made her, but it honestly felt a little shallow and inauthentic.

Black Widow is tough because that is her character. She’s been an essential team member since Iron Man 2, and you really buy her story. Nebula is a realistic, highly intricate warrior, and her story is also believable.

They have earned our respect. With Carol Danvers, I didn’t buy her story. This presentation felt like a reaction from Marvel, against criticisms leveled at them for lack of female characters.

And honestly, my favorite part was the mid-credits scene where the remaining Avengers are trying to find out what Fury was up to. It’s all building to Endgame….

Captain Marvel: 6/10

What did you think of it?

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