Captain Marvel, despite all the hatred and hype surrounding it, is a functional representation of the Marvel formula but an unimpressive one relative to the likes of Marvel’s other projects. 

All of the core elements necessary for a Marvel movie are there: the characters are likable, the action is enjoyable, there’s a nice scattering of funny scenes, and it builds on the lore in a few fun ways. The problem is that these elements aren’t handled as well as they could have been.

One of the biggest problems is that the story begins en media res. You are shoved into the middle of a story that is already happening, filled with unknown characters, not knowing why we should care about the conflict that’s occurring. The biggest problem with the movie is that it tries to tell the story and establish the emotional stakes later. We only learn why we should care through flashbacks later in the movie. 

In terms of the acting, Brie Larson has been heavily criticized for various reasons, the large majority of which have nothing to do with her acting. Any of the criticism of her stemming from political or social reasons is outside of the purview of this article.

Regardless, it must be acknowledged that Larson’s performance is somewhat flat. Considering this is a problem with a number of the actors, this might be more of a directorial problem than anything with the cast.

Samuel Jackson is of course a high note, one of the better parts of the movie. We spend more time with him in this than in most of the other Marvel films, and it shows why he should be getting more screen time in their other projects. Also, the cat is fantastic, and if it is not seen again, I will be severely disappointed. 

All in all, four out of five. 

A solid film but slightly below average for Marvel.