Twenty-one movies into their cinematic saga, Marvel introduces their theatrical version of Captain Marvel. She’s a profound character, but while Captain Marvel is a fun outing, I can't say her debut film matches that profound standard.

Captain Marvel takes place on Earth in 1995 at a time when Vers (Brie Larson) is training to be a Kree warrior. Her lack of memory stifles her success, but in a mission to stop Skrulls from stealing powerful technology, Vers begins to piece together her identity as Carol Danvers and learns the extent of the war she's now involved in.

Captain Marvel tries to stand on its own while filling in important pieces of the MCU, but some things work and some don’t. Lashana Lynch playing Maria Rambeauand, Danver’s best friend, feels completely irrelevant. Annette Bening’s talent is also wasted on sup-par scripting. And Larson struggles to maintain consistency with Danvers, bouncing between being a likable role model and sarcastic rebel.

But there are two characters that remain consistently entertaining throughout the film. One is Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, who expertly balances seriousness and comedy. Then there’s Goose, the cat-looking Flerken who’s allotted moments of spectacular comic relief.

When Danvers unleashes her full potential near the end, sparks fly and havoc is wreaked on her adversaries. But the glamour of visual effects can’t mask the lackluster narrative that leads to this bombastic conclusion. Captain Marvel might be “higher, further, faster”, but the adjective I wish it had aspired to be is “better”.

Acting and Casting - 1 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?