Captain Marvel Black (Movie Review)

The first female-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has some serious heat behind it. And not just from the movie’s detractors.

In less than three weeks, the Rotten Tomatoes page for the movie has been ‘carpet bombed’ with negative user reviews that have driven the score down to an all-time low. Some users cite MCU fatigue or criticize the film’s early trailers, but others have taken to the site to lambast its director and stars for their supposed progressive agenda.

Unlike most MCU movies, which are driven by high-concept plots, Captain Marvel takes a more traditional approach to its origin story. It follows Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a Kree warrior who has earned her place among an elite commando unit led by Yon-Rogg. But while she appears to be a take-no-prisoners soldier, she is secretly struggling to remember her past. This duality keeps the memory-loss tropes to a minimum and allows the film to delve into deeper themes such as impostor syndrome.

As the film progresses, it reveals the extent of Carol’s powers. When she is under threat or takes a beating, she exhibits a binary power that allows her to ‘go supernova’ and greatly increases her strength and speed.

But what really makes Captain Marvel stand out is the movie’s natural on-screen chemistry between Larson and Jackson. They egg each other on for equal parts comedy and action, and the result is the most organic superhero pairing we’ve seen on screen in quite some time.