Captain Marvel is the first female superhero film from Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this flick is much more than a superhero film. It begins as a tale of your usual superhero landing on Earth and starting to save it from aliens, and slowly transposes into a story of the hero finding who she really is.
As revealed in the trailer, there is a war going on between the people of Kree and a group of Skrulls. Instead of showing these sides as black and white, the writers have painted them with a grey shade, which works really well. When planet C-53 (Earth) gets caught in between, they get a saviour and you know who it is.
It is a positive that they don't delve into the personal life of Carol Danvers a.k.a Vers a.k.a Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson). At the same time, all we know about her is that she is rebellious character. At various places we don't know what inspires her to take decisions, because of which, her character arc looks incomplete. She is repeatedly told by her mentor, to not let her emotions overpower her, which comes across as a casually sexist line. But the film does well to convey that "Don't get emotional" is an emotionally manipulative line by itself!
The film is set in the year 1995, and it takes us on a nostalgic trip back in time. The way the people dress, the kind of video games they played, to the vehicles used, everything is relatable. Even the song used in the background where Carol steals a bike is Only Happy when it Rains, by Garbage, and the song released around the same time period that the film is set in.
Brie Larson does really well to pull off Captain Marvel, but what stood out for me was Lashana Lynch's acting. She appears as a fighter pilot and the mother of a kid, and plays her part with utmost subtlety. The portions involving Nick Fury(Samuel L Jackson) and an orange cat brings a lot of light hearted, humourous moments, that guarantee at least a chuckle, if not laughter.
All this being said, the biggest qualm about Captain Marvel is that it wastes a lot of time in the second act, trying to explain the already explained. There has to be ups and downs in the story to keep us on the edge of our seats. However this second act digs a hole too deep, that the third act barely manages to help you get out of it, rather than making the film soar high like Captain Marvel herself.
The post climax scene increases your expectation until it hits a crescendo, and setting you up for Avengers: The End Game. This is not an extraordinary film by any standards, but it does enough to make us want to see more of the marvel-lous superhero in the upcoming film.