Captain Marvel [IMAX]

Comparisons will be inevitable, so let’s just say that “Captain Marvel” ain’t no “Wonder Woman”, and Brie Larson did not have the screen charisma of Gal Gadot. But it definitely landed the ending unlike WW which petered and crashed out in the end. The film ran on first gear throughout and only untill the last act did it rock out. But that was awesome! And you know you are in trouble when the best character on screen is named “Goose”. Larson’s hero moment was worth it (and justified the IMAX) but getting there, the first two acts suffered a major dearth of emotionality or audience empathy. “Captain Marvel” can be best classified as a Buddy Cop Comedy meets Intergalactic Drama, but Larson was never really dramatic nor funny. She appeared wooden most of the time and constantly seemed blanked rather than confused/unsure (as good as “Room” was, Cate, Saoirse or Charlotte should have won that Oscar); and her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson seemed forced. There were plenty of quips strewn around but most did not land. There were chuckles but no laugh out loud moments. The writers (all 5 of them! - and it clearly showed) definitely were no Josh Whedon or even James Gunn. It is always neater when the writer(s) and the director(s) are the same. Also the action sequences were uninspiring and the bit with No Doubt’s “I’m Just a Girl” was no GOTG. As for the rest of the cast, every MCU film really ought to have Ben Mendelsohn and Annette Bening in it, and also Agent Coulson, they almost instantaneously make every scene better. Well, stay for the mid-credits scene, that tied into “Infinity War”, and also the post-credits scene which...(let it be a surprise).