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Captain Marvel Review Thread | 79% Rotten Tomatoes

Stephen Home

Stephen Home

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Tremorah said:
So this is a BP situation where the movie has big cultural signifigence but is pretty mediocre when viewed purely as a movie?
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BP has a good script and a good story. They just need to actually spend the money on final fight scene and not make Bilbo Gaggins a CIA. That part is just dumb. Other than that it's a fine movie. There is nothing wrong with the fundamental of the story and the characters.
 
Kusagari

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Oct 25, 2017
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Black Panther excels because of the characters.

They feel the most fleshed out and real of any movie in the verse.
 
SuperHans

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Oct 27, 2017
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Saw it this morning. Loved it.
Music was great.
Carol was a very likable character.
Good action and nice surprises throughout.

I enjoyed it more than Black Panther, Ant Man, or Spiderman.
 
Aprikurt

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Oct 29, 2017
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I'm not ranking 21 films again, but Marvel is worthy of Top 10 for sure.

Honestly the future of Phase 4 (I know they're not doing phases supposedly, but whatever) with an Avengers team of Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man is pretty damn exciting.

Captain Marvel exploring the deepest depths of the universe, becoming more powerful.
Doctor Strange bending reality and taking on metaphysical threats on a scale hitherto unknown.
Black Panther expanding Wakanda and its politics, maybe clashing with Namor or someone on his level
Holland's Spider-Man growing into adulthood, unrestricted by the artificial eternal youth of the comics.

And maybe a Watiti Thor sequel, alongside Eternals, Black Widow, Guardians 3, Ant-Man 3, and OH YEAH Fantastic Four and X-Men, and the absolute litany of characters they'll bring alongside their inclusion.

God DAMN.
 

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Loved it. The payoff was so good. Didn't see any problems with Captain Marvel, the character and how she was played. I loved that she was a soldier, and wasn't wisecracking all the time. Would be cool to see her and Captain America bonding / relating to one another.
 
CloudWolf

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Oct 26, 2017
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Tremorah said:
So this is a BP situation where the movie has big cultural signifigence but is pretty mediocre when viewed purely as a movie?
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Nah, Black Panther is a much better movie than Captain Marvel. BP has an outstanding script that is held back by a garbage third act, this movie is very mediocre scriptwise.
 

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CosmicGP said:
Yeah agreed on the unearned aspect. If I were to point out any negatives, that would be it. The final fight in the third act
when she gets her full powers feels so easy and unearned - all she had to do was recall the times in her life she 'rose' against adversity (all shown in quick cuts! -_-) and bam! unlimited power!!!!

I feel like in more capable hands, it could have a really memorable and satisfying moment in the movie, but it was just a nice light show for me.
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The moment in your spoiler, I honestly liked that since it resonates with the core of this movie.

The moments I'm talking about are the dramatic scenes after the Black Box recording. That whole moment between Carol and Maria is supposed to come off as a woman lost and angry being comforted and energized by her best friend, but the film doesn't give us enough of their dynamic to make us feel like this moment comes off as genuine. Carol's dialogue feels cliched and doesn't match the emotion Lashana Lynch is bringing to the encounter. When they talk about how important Dr. Lawson was to their development don't fit because we barely see any of their time with her. When Carol quips about why Minn-Erva never hung out with her ad Minn-Erva says she never liked Carol, that makes no sense because we never see any examples of this dislike. There's a few more moments like this, but they're the biggest reason why the film is a bit disappointing.

And with all that being said, the movie is still alright. It's a fun blockbuster that tries to be something different in the MCU. I love the moments when Fleck & Boden bring their indie sensibility to the dramatic scenes, which is a majority of the end of the 2nd act and the conversations between the main characters.
 

Deleted member 20986

Oct 28, 2017
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Kegels said:
Is the actor supposed to figure out the character in a way that the directors and writers didnt?

I guess Marvel is running a pretty loose ship on set?
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I think it only works in Tom Hardy's case in Venom, where he's more aware of what movie he's in than the director/writer themselves..... LOLOL


torre_avenue said:
The moment in your spoiler, I honestly liked that since it resonates with the core of this movie.

The moments I'm talking about are the dramatic scenes after the Black Box recording. That whole moment between Carol and Maria is supposed to come off as a woman lost and angry being comforted and energized by her best friend, but the film doesn't give us enough of their dynamic to make us feel like this moment comes off as genuine. Carol's dialogue feels cliched and doesn't match the emotion Lashana Lynch is bringing to the encounter. When they talk about how important Dr. Lawson was to their development don't fit because we barely see any of their time with her. When Carol quips about why Minn-Erva never hung out with her ad Minn-Erva says she never liked Carol, that makes no sense because we never see any examples of this dislike. There's a few more moments like this, but they're the biggest reason why the film is a bit disappointing.

And with all that being said, the movie is still alright. It's a fun blockbuster that tries to be something different in the MCU. I love the moments when Fleck & Boden bring their indie sensibility to the dramatic scenes, which is a majority of the end of the 2nd act and the conversations between the main characters.
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Yeah I think all of that ties back to how much of her past is just shown in brief flashes. I guess that's why Minn-Erva and Carol's scenes resonated the most with me because we actually get to hear them talk.

Side note: Maria's part in that scene was probably the heaviest bit of acting anybody in the movie had to do... heheh
 
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demosthenes

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Oct 25, 2017
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torre_avenue said:
The moment in your spoiler, I honestly liked that since it resonates with the core of this movie.

The moments I'm talking about are the dramatic scenes after the Black Box recording. That whole moment between Carol and Maria is supposed to come off as a woman lost and angry being comforted and energized by her best friend, but the film doesn't give us enough of their dynamic to make us feel like this moment comes off as genuine. Carol's dialogue feels cliched and doesn't match the emotion Lashana Lynch is bringing to the encounter. When they talk about how important Dr. Lawson was to their development don't fit because we barely see any of their time with her. When Carol quips about why Minn-Erva never hung out with her ad Minn-Erva says she never liked Carol, that makes no sense because we never see any examples of this dislike. There's a few more moments like this, but they're the biggest reason why the film is a bit disappointing.

And with all that being said, the movie is still alright. It's a fun blockbuster that tries to be something different in the MCU. I love the moments when Fleck & Boden bring their indie sensibility to the dramatic scenes, which is a majority of the end of the 2nd act and the conversations between the main characters.
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I agree, I think a short montage of her time on hala could have helped.
 
Ocarina_117

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Oct 26, 2017
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I didn't fall inlove with BP as much as the general public, but damn - third act aside, that movie is FAR from mediocre.

Great set design, good villain, top tier sound track, great early action sequences, brilliantly acted and some of the best new characters in the MCU.
 
TimeFire

TimeFire

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Nov 26, 2017
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Movie is pretty alright, although script is pretty wack. Brie Larson is charming but I didn't get a grasp on Carol's character. I feel like I don't really know her too much even after the movie. I also didn't find her very likable as nothing seems to actually faze her so she's not very sympathetic.

Ending was fun tho. Space action schlock is always fun
 
Kin5290

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CloudWolf said:
Nah, Black Panther is a much better movie than Captain Marvel. BP has an outstanding script that is held back by a garbage third act, this movie is very mediocre scriptwise.
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I found Black Panther to be much weaker scriptwise. Did you know that W'kabi and Okoye were married? Blink and you'll miss it. The fact that Zuri doesn't kill the wayward uncle is a hugely missed opportunity which makes the betrayal that T'Challa feels, and Zuri's eventual sacrifice, much weaker. T'Challa's own relationship with W'Kabi is poorly fleshed out which renders the latter's betrayal pretty weak as well. And of course the 3rd act brawl was just a hot mess.

Captain Marvel by comparison is much stronger with its characterization and relationships, especially the critical ones.
 
Timbuktu

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Kusagari said:
Black Panther excels because of the characters.

They feel the most fleshed out and real of any movie in the verse.
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To be fair, BP had benefit of being set up in Cap A's movie, where he is arguably more compelling than his own movie. It was given the space to develop Killmonger, the setting and the side characters. Homecoming also had that benefit.

Maybe they could have also done that with CM. Fury could have mentioned her before.
 
Cuburger

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chezzymann said:
Its interesting how imdb seems to be more immune to review bombing. Lots of movies youd think would have a horrible rating like the last Jedi dont
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Actually, if IMDb has been able to be immune to review bombing now, that wasn't always the case. They used to be the site where "fans" try to manipulate user scores most. I remember The Dark Knight getting review bombed in a positive direction to make it the top reviewed movie of all time at a time when the community there was more about thoughtful movie criticism, and the top movie ratings mostly reflected that instead of being purely a popularity contest for mainstream audiences seeking validation.

After that, I remember seeing more bigger campaigns like that by fans, either to prop up a movie they loved or teardown a movie they hated, and it definitely created a more tribal fanboy mentality that spilled into the forums as well until they eventually decided to shut them down.

IMDb probably has realized that enabling that toxic mentality as well as leaving it open enough that it can easily be abused is just going to ruin the entire purpose of what you allow audience engagement for in the first place. They just learned the lesson years before RT realized it's a problem they can no longer turn a blind eye towards.
 
Luminish

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How's the movie in comparison to the source material?

I've been worried about this film because I remember hating the source material because everything about Mar-Vell was terrible, and basically everything in the story involved Mar-Vell.

Edit: Or at least the cartoon adaptation in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I remember the comics being similar but I only dabbled in them.
 
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Van Bur3n

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Oct 27, 2017
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Kinggroin said:
screenshot_20190309-080klh.jpg
Updated my MCU ranking on Letterboxd.

I feel good about it.

https://letterboxd.com/kinggroin/list/mcu-ranked/

Edit: Need to revisit Thor. I feel like I'd like the first one more now
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You really just put Fitst Avenger at the bottom. I don't even know how to smell you after witnessing that.
 
Wally_Wall

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Oct 26, 2017
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My list is fairly similar except I'd swap Guardians, move SM:HC and Civil War way down and bump Ant Man and CA:FA up.
 
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Gustaf

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Oct 28, 2017
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seeing how captain marvel did the half of alitas entire run on a day or two makes me happy

not because alita was bad and didnt deserved better, but because of that stupid "alita challenge" that the morons tried to do
 

Paresh

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Oct 31, 2017
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CP is definitely not the worst MCU movie by any means. Anyone who says it is is being dishonest. It is actually super mediocre especially given the stunning recent MCU releases. It reminds me of the early Capt America/Thor/Hulk movies where Marvel were trying to figure out their formula. That's what's so weird about this movie. Marvel knows what works so why this movie lacks magic is beyond me. Maybe it was reshot to death and they tried to take it down a different path but the story and narrative is a bit all over the place. This did not come across as a roaring high budget modern superhero movie. Something unintended seems to have happened here that didn't effect the other recent MCU movies. Also the constant 90s music gave me Suicide Squad music video vibes that didn't work well for me.

I'm going to have to watch it again at some point and read more reviews to confirm my thoughts. Overall after the amazing Ragnarok and Infinity war it feels like a letdown.
 
Kin5290

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Paresh said:
CP is definitely not the worst MCU movie by any means. Anyone who says it is is being dishonest. It is actually super mediocre especially given the stunning recent MCU releases. It reminds me of the early Capt America/Thor/Hulk movies where Marvel were trying to figure out their formula. That's what's so weird about this movie. Marvel knows what works so why this movie lacks magic is beyond me. Maybe it was reshot to death and they tried to take it down a different path but the story and narrative is a bit all over the place. This did not come across as a roaring high budget modern superhero movie. Something unintended seems to have happened here that didn't effect the other recent MCU movies. Also the constant 90s music gave me Suicide Squad music video vibes that didn't work well for me.

I'm going to have to watch it again at some point and read more reviews to confirm my thoughts. Overall after the amazing Ragnarok and Infinity war it feels like a letdown.
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I found Captain Marvel to be in the better half of Phase 4 movies behind Infinity War and Thor Ragnarok. It certainly is one of the best "origin"/introductory movies IMO.

The thing that confused the critics I guess is that the movie begins in media res Carol's character arc.
 
SmokingBun

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I really don't understand why MARVEL would half ass it with a flagship character
They should have tried for a stronger script and directed by someone like Kathryn Bigelow

Like I will enjoy Carol's presence but don't think audiences will have the same reaction they do when they see Steve Rogers on screen
Which basically means Carol needs her WINTER SOLDIER/RAGNAROK moment

And just to add on, yeah even Dr Strange demands a stronger horror based 2nd film

EDIT:

The BLACK WIDOW film would at least have to be JOHN WICK or ATOMIC BLONDE caliber in terms of action, you can't always depend on the Russo's
 
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Gold Arsene

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I'm only gonna rate the "origin" movies.(I'm not including Spider-Man here as he was established as being active during Civil War.)

Iron Man>Black Panther>TGOTG>Ant-Man>Captain Marvel>Doctor Strange> Captain America>Thor>The Incredible Hulk

That being said I genuinely like them all. Even if I'm not going to rush out and watch the non Iron Man related Phase 1 movies any time soon.
 
Addleburg

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Nov 16, 2017
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Saw it last night with my gf. I went in with middling expectations, and I found the film to be ok. Not great, not Thor 2 levels of bad - just ok. Definitely my least favorite Brie Larsen performance so far (I'll admit to not having seen Basmati Blues, though), but I put that more on the script.

My girlfriend who was more excited than I was to see it couldn't stop ranting about it on her way out. I was surprised it let her down so much.
 
Ryuelli

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Oct 26, 2017
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Just got home after seeing this. I thought it was okay, definitely a middle tier marvel movie. Origin stories are usually my favorite, but after seeing this I still don't feel like I know Captain Marvel all that well, which is weird because I thought the MCU has done a great job at introducing characters so far. I didn't find any of the characters memorable at all.

My first thought after seeing it was that I would have really liked to watch a buddy-cop MCU movie with young Agent Colson and Nick Fury.
 
Prototype Viktor

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Timbuktu said:
To be fair, BP had benefit of being set up in Cap A's movie, where he is arguably more compelling than his own movie. It was given the space to develop Killmonger, the setting and the side characters. Homecoming also had that benefit.

Maybe they could have also done that with CM. Fury could have mentioned her before.
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can't mention a nuke when you are in a war of guns and webbing

Kinggroin said:
screenshot_20190309-080klh.jpg
Updated my MCU ranking on Letterboxd.

I feel good about it.

https://letterboxd.com/kinggroin/list/mcu-ranked/

Edit: Need to revisit Thor. I feel like I'd like the first one more now
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i dunno what is this with Guardians 2 in the top 20
 
Kin5290

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SmokingBun said:
We could have gotten an amazing Vision Vs CM fight and then Wanda stops it with, "NOT MY BOYFRIEND YOU HARLOT!" lol

On another note, funky JUST A GIRL song during the climactic battle was a poor choice, agree with the DT guys, should have been a powerful hero theme instead
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That sounds like a terrible idea.

"Just a Girl" was great, the only problem was that it didn't kick off when the Kree soldier was thrown into the jukebox.
 
Prototype Viktor

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SmokingBun said:
We could have gotten an amazing Vision Vs CM fight and then Wanda stops it with, "NOT MY BOYFRIEND YOU HARLOT!" lol

On another note, funky JUST A GIRL song during the climactic battle was a poor choice, agree with the DT guys, should have been a powerful hero theme instead
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they left that on the floor once they tried to Guardians and leaning into the 1990's of it all. Didn't work for Guardians and didn't work more in Guardians 2.

still liked the Nike commercial they made in the film
 
Metallix87

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The movie started off on the wrong foot, but once Carol got to Earth, the movie soared. I loved this film. Probably my second favorite MCU origin film behind only the original Iron Man.
 
immortal-joe

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SmokingBun said:
We could have gotten an amazing Vision Vs CM fight and then Wanda stops it with, "NOT MY BOYFRIEND YOU HARLOT!" lol

On another note, funky JUST A GIRL song during the climactic battle was a poor choice, agree with the DT guys, should have been a powerful hero theme instead
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Could not agree more. This was a prime example of how much impact music has in such sequences, as the song sucked the intensity and excitement right out of the scene.

I also continue to be baffled at how they still can't come close to the fight choreography from Winter Soldier.
 
UltraMagnus

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I thought Bree was good and she'll fit in just fine with the MCU ... but I thought the script was kinda lacking and boring at times. Some of the jabs at 90s computer tech were funny though.
 
Vectorman

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Oct 25, 2017
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Watched it. It was alright. The family wasn't feeling it either. For all of the hype that they wanted for this character, this script was a terrible one. Brie and Co. did their best but this movie felt off with some terrible dialogue/plot decisions. Felt like this movie suffered because of the lacklauster start but it sorta got better towards the end. I was already keeping expectations low but it still felt like a middling film to me unfortunately.
 
Ichi

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Kinggroin said:
Lol, BP isn't a masterpiece or anything, but mediocre? Staaaahhhp.
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It isn't a masterpiece or golden globes Oscar sag level, god no. Can't wait until that delusion ends.

It's culturally significant, sure. Doesn't make it a great movie. Crazy Rich Asians is the same thing but I don't see anyone flipping any tables when people call that movie for the mediocre movie that it was.
 
toastyToast

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Oct 26, 2017
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Movie was lightweight. Carol wasn't very compelling, not that I'd blame the actor. The only person I enjoyed was Ben Mendelsohn.
 
UltraMagnus

UltraMagnus

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toastyToast said:
Movie was lightweight. Carol wasn't very compelling, not that I'd blame the actor. The only person I enjoyed was Ben Mendelsohn.
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I thought the cast was overall pretty good, but you can't really do much if its not on the page. Noticed the movie had like 3 screenwriters and like 3 other story credits ... that's usually not a good sign. Good cast, average script.
 
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