The Reviews Are In: Captain Marvel is ‘Mundane’ and ‘Boring’

With the embargo lifted on reviews for Captain Marvel, we are finally seeing the first true opinions on the film, mostly free of hype. And the news is not good for Carol Danvers, or the woman who plays her, Brie Larson.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter appears to have captured the consensus, calling it “mundane.” A film that promoted itself as a landmark for feminist heroines is being slammed for offering up a boring female lead. Worse yet, many of those criticisms are coming from female critics.

Metacritic’s average of review scores is currently at 66, which translates to either a “D” or an “F,” depending on how you see it. The website itself even characterized the film as “a bit of a letdown.”

Many noted critics took issue with the film.

Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press called the film “average,” saying “I spent over two hours with Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers and I still have no idea what her personality is. Sure, there’s a lot more going on in Captain Marvel, but it’s a pretty egregious failing considering that the creative bigwigs at Marvel had 10 years and 20 films to work it out.”

Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post gave the film a rating of 38 out of 100. “What’s said to be Marvel’s most powerful superhero ever is served Melatonin by Larson,” he said. “There is precious little texture or detail, ups and downs, or emotions of any kind in her performance. The character, even when kicking ass, is a total bore. Such as it is, the film’s best moments are provided by Jackson and a hilarious cat.”

Time’s Stephanie Zacharek said “By the time I got to the end of Captain Marvel…I heard the voice of my own inner superhero, Peggy Lee, whispering in my ear: Is that all there is? The most heinous supervillain of all is Boredom.”

Over at Rotten Tomatoes, where efforts were made to censor criticism of the film, ratings are doing a better, but not great. As of the time of this article, the film rated 85% with 101 reviews in, a solid “B” rating.

Dan Murrell of Screen Junkies called it “A bit of a misstep at a very crucial time,” giving it a 5.3 out of 10.

Mara Reinstein of Us Weekly said it wasn’t quite the feminist manifesto it wanted to be. “It succeeds more as an amusing fill-in-the-blanks Marvel backstory provider than a confident, stand-alone tale of a woman discovering her fierceness,” she said.

Those giving higher ratings for the film seem to be talking up the importance of the film’s feminist agenda. April Wolfe of The Wrap said “Absolutely grounds itself in the ’90s, even evoking a riot grrrl-adjacent feeling, buoyed by a soundtrack that features almost exclusively rock fronted by female voices – a reminder of an era that showed so much promise for brash, loud women.”

Many of the positive reviews come from obscure media outlets. Jenna Busch of “Legion of Leia” said “It’s a rare performer that can get pathos and humor in the right combination, but Larson excels at it.”

Recent comments by Brie Larson criticizing the role of white men in the film’s press tour has sparked a backlash, giving rise to the #AlitaChallenge, in which fans go to see Alita: Battle Angel instead of Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel opens March 8.

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