This is an above average MCU movie. It is not to women what Black Panther was to blacks. It has a strong female lead, Vers, who isn't overly sexualized. It is a satisfying MCU movie, but not ground breaking. If this had come out five years ago, or even before Black Panther, it may have resonated more. After 21 MCU movies you know what boxes are going to be checked. This movie hits them all and leaves you feeling satisfied.
The movie takes place in the early 1990s, so only the in-credits scene ties it to Avengers Infinity War/End Game. It is playfully fun interacting with 1990's California. The sound track is awesome. The fight scene during No Doubt's Just a Girl is synced up so well. Most of the fight scenes are small scale and easy to follow unlike some of the massive battles in other MCU films.
Rambeau and her daughter are great. I hope there is more of them in End Game. This is a diverse cast of good guys that should be replicated in other movies.
Four stars is what this movie deserves. It is better than average, but it isn't a true standout like Black Panther or Thor Ragnarok. Those are two of the best MCU movies because they broke out of the mold in two different ways. This is an origin story movie, and if you didn't see it between Infinity War and End Game, you wouldn't be missing out. The cat is also cool, not as good as the cat in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but better than any cat in Bohemian Rhapsody.
***Spoilers***
I love cats, but this one is featured way too much. They talk about it being normal for so long that you know that can't be true. Just having a cat in a super secure government facility is enough to tip you off. I was surprised when the cat did the tentacle swallow, but I wasn't surprised that it wasn't a normal cat.
Vers?!?! How is that pronounced VEERS or VIERS? Danvers is not Danviers!!!!
If this is the big feminist movie, why have the penis size scene? Fury takes an awkwardly long time with the lifted sheet. 'All men have penis envy' or 'all men compare dick size' seem like cheap tropes to put into the movie. This scene should have been circumcised out of the movie.
In the scene where Vers goes to the Supreme Intelligence is it her first time? Also why does the on-screen text say "A.I." Is this a god like entity that can manifest itself into whatever it wants, or is it a purpose built AI program meant to be an advanced interrogator? Was the entire thing built to read Vers mind and find out the coordinates of the beyond light speed engine? The Skrulls clearly have a memory jogging machine to try and achieve the same goal.
The use of flash-backs/faded memories leaves the audience one step ahead of Vers for most of the movie. This took me out of the movie a bit because I knew what was going to happen next. Amnesia is hard to do and it wasn't done well in this movie.
The first Vers and Yon-Rogg fight scene sets up the last fight scene between them. In the first fight I didn't realize Vers was the only person with her power. It still didn't make sense that she wouldn't use it in combat. It was a setup scene for when she can't use her power because of the handcuffs. It still felt odd to restrain the woman. It took so long into the movie for Vers to actually use her full potential. It doesn't make a lot of sense that she wasn't used to further the genocide by wiping out scores of Skrull in multiple battles.
Genocide. The Kree are committing galactic genocide! The Skrull are identified as refugees. That is a difficult topic to approach and this movie glances over it. The take home message is that genocide is bad because the people who are being murdered are people too, that just want a place to live. This movie is set around the time of the genocide in Bosnia. Maybe there was a better way to address the killing and displacement of Skrull. I don't recall any mention of the Skrull's home planet. It is convenient that Vers never questioned where the Skrull should end up. She can be lumped in to any number of high level soldiers on the losing sides of most wars. Is she really that innocent? Does talking to your enemy one time, and helping them, atone for all that you have done? I guess Iron Man was an arms dealer...
Lastly, I saw this movie the same week that Senator Martha McSally revealed that she was raped while serving in the Air Force. There was a recurring flashback of Vers being on the receiving end of sexist comments about the 'Cock-pit'. The only reason Vers and Rambeau were flying the experimental aircraft was because they weren't allowed to fly normal aircraft. It made me wonder a little bit more about the backstory of their time in the Air Force. I don't think the movie intended for the viewer to think about rape, but I did. The Air Force was heavily involved in making this movie and has a major issue with sexual assault right now. This movie shows how women are marginalized in the Air Force. I fail to see how this movie should encourage women to enlist.