Captain Marvel

So how’s the first female solo film from the MCU? Weak. The idea of casting Brie Larson as Carol Danvers didn't work for me, and the only actor I like in the whole film is Annette Bening, because she's great. Otherwise, it's just another piece of the puzzle. The action is unclear, and the appeal to little girls and their dreams is obviously overdone. I was hoping for more of a 90s vibe, but other than the video rental and the use of "Just a Girl" by No Doubt, it’s really not great. (2019-03-07)

While the world was trying to hate on the lead actress for answering a question she was asked during an interview, I was patiently waiting. Brie Larson is and will be her own person, and I am grateful to everyone involved for daring to cast her in the highly anticipated origin story of a new character. She has been my long-awaited Marvel character for years, and finally seeing her in a suit on screen is a small celebration for me. The movie stumbles a bit at the beginning, lacking a stronger conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls, but the earthly atmosphere, enhanced by the presence of Coulson, the irresistible Goose, the brilliantly authentic 90s atmosphere, and most importantly, the realization that this is essentially Avengers 0.5, works on all levels. Even without a deep exploration of the main superhero's character, who is somewhat dragged down by her life circumstances in the past and present, she becomes closer to the viewer when finding her purpose and her true self. (2019-03-08)

Captain Marvel is a film that, like its protagonist, seeks its true identity and is not very successful in doing so. In its better moments, it is a fast-paced buddy movie with a digitally facelifted Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson in a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt, thus rather an extended episode of The X-Files (but without the mystery). In worse moments, it is a sterile space/soap opera (but without a sufficiently detached view). The overarching “detective” framework, in which Vers searches for who she really was/is, has an original exposition (Carol is a more or less “burnt-out” superhero from the beginning; she only fulfils a role that is not her own), though the development remains very predictable. In addition to that, it does not raise enough questions that would maintain our curiosity (which is even truer of the second of the two origin stories, following the inception of the Avengers). Its rhythm, characterisations and (towards the end) CGI are grating. The story arc is mediocre, the environment is nondescript and, with the exception of some surprising background music, the action scenes are generic. The emancipation storyline approaches naivety and literalness (when the heroine has to stand on her own two feet, then she stands on her own two feet, in several consecutive shots, culminating for the sake of certainty with the declaration “I don't have to prove anything to you” – for its unforcedness, the scene in which Brie Larson walks through a video rental shop among VHS tapes with 1980s hypermasculine action heroes is far more telling). The problem lies in the fact that, in its old-school simplicity, Captain Marvel is not as consistent as the formally and stylistically much cleaner Wonder Woman. Other than Brie Larson, the film’s main value added, thanks to which it is not (by a slim margin) the weakest Marvel movie, comprises an orange cat and the cameo of Stan Lee reading the Mallrats screenplay. 65% (2019-03-06)

When I went to see this movie, I was like curious George. Does Marvel really plan on saving the entire superhero universe with one female heroine that has emerged out of nowhere? Brie Larson didn’t feel right to me even on posters. She looked awfully... plastic. But was I wrong! Captain Marvel is a wonderful movie. It has a bit of everything and it’s in fact a beginning of the term “Marvel”. While watching it I didn’t feel like I was watching a superheroine, it felt more like a decent sci-fi. This was due to the great effects which not only looked as if they were from Star Wars – they probably do have something in common with Star Wars since they were supplied by the same studio. Add in some emotions, jokes and allusions, which the creators will serve you indirectly or only in form of a look of one of the characters, plus some plot twists which are very well made in this movie. Even concerning Brie, half-way through the movie I was sure that there couldn’t be a better superheroine. Marvel has justly beat DC once again. My relationship with Marvel has been formed gradually but it is all the more intense now... Captain Marvel is almost a genius insertion between two Avengers movies. It couldn’t have been planned better. (2019-03-27)

I can hardly find a less charismatic superhero in the Marvel franchise (yes, I take into account Ant-man, Wasp and Scarlet Witch). Which is multiplied by the fact that Captain Marvel is inherently uninteresting; she has no weakness, her ability (s) are too “great", uninteresting in nature and visually manifested purely through CGI, or as soon as she takes action, Brie Larson literally disappears for several long minutes at the expense of some confused flashing animated hero with long hair. And that's a shame, because even though Brie isn't completely convincing, she still, like Carol, at least gives the impression that there's something in her. Nevertheless, despite all of the above, it is one of the best Marvel origins ever. It´s well-paced, Jackson, the characters around Carol do their job “to the fullest", the nineties stylization also fits, and especially thanks to Skrulls, it has a “heart" that is often ignored in Marvel movies. (2019-03-16)