Weakest Marvel film since Age of Ultron, for me. I watched it in 3D iMAX and felt it would be no different watching it at home, which is not a feeling I've had with a Marvel film for quite some time. They made Captain Marvel way too smug and trite - Larson walks around for the whole film with this silly, knowing half grin on her face and an overconfidence that distances you from the character. I really feel they need to stop doing this with female leads in these films, but in this instance, and because of the assumed power level, the other character in these comic films who has that same stupid exterior is Superman, which is part of the reason his films, and general showing in anything is a letdown.
Let the female lead act like a person rather than a poster girl for empowerment. It's fair enough and clear what they are doing for girls and teenage females, and the fruits of that labour will probably show themselves in 10 years or so, but for an adult audience, that whole angle is contrived and leads to detachment as these Mary Sue characters make the film they are in redundant on numerous levels. They didn't even bother to give her an opponent, a final boss or any kind of struggle in this except the cliche of battling oneself, which is a trope done better in countless films.
Further to that, her powers and capabilities weren't explained, at all, for the fact it was a film to explore and explain away the character, the exposition, contextual to the wider Marvel universe, simply wasn't there. What they've put out is not a bridge for her to make her debut in the next Avengers, nor to battle with Thanos: as far as stated, she can fly 'halfway across the universe'; shoot beams from her arms; glow; look smug, but what else? Without giving her an opponent in this film, they left a void you can assume a Rey-like quality of just being able to pick up, overcome and do anything, because female empowerment. It's lazy writing and there's no need for it.
Because of the way the character has been written, allied with her having no opposition in the film, you are left to your own devices a lot of the time as the world she is in is not immersive, nor do you care because you know Mary Sue won't just win through, she'll absolutely smash it, to the point it's a non-contest - like Superman only becomes interesting when a villain of his own level enters the fray and his smugness is replaced with actual doubt and fear, so too will be the case for Captain Marvel and I feel in an ideal world, she'd get a second film where she's not just smashing through Kree minions, but actually encounters opposition that gives you a better sense of the character and any emotion to/for her. The other heavy-hitters in the Marvel films have been padded out and they've had foes that have smacked them about (a lot) and they've overcome actual adversity rather than a bit of mental gymnastics. This character needs the same otherwise it/she will be a very lazy deus ex machina in the upcoming Avengers movie who the audience is to just to accept will win the day, because.
I could go on, but it feels like a rant, which it actually isn't. The film is an average popcorn flick. It's not good, but it's not terrible, either. It's a 5/10, for me.
