Captain Marvel The Rotten Tomatoes/Critic's Reaction Thread

Just for fun, and some perspective, let's remember that this movie is a solo hero origin, something that is slave to probably the most well-worn and limiting formula in the genre (and just about any genre, outside of rom-coms, lol), certainly more so than the sequels and group films. So let's look at how it's faring against Marvel's other solo hero origins:

1.) Black Panther (97%) - which I feel barely counts here since we got to know him and he had a whole arc in a previous film before it.
2.) Iron Man (93%)
3.) Doctor Strange (89%)
4.) Captain Marvel (83%) - for now, obviously
5.) Ant-Man (82%)
6.) Captain America: The First Avenger (80%)
7.) Thor (77%)
8.) The Incredible Hulk (67%)

It's in a perfectly good place, imo, especially when the difference between 10 percentage points on RT hardly means anything when watching the actual products - hell, I enjoy all those other origins below Doctor Strange, minus TIH (and this film, obviously since I haven't seen it yet), more than Doctor Strange.
 
It's fine, but people wanted more Avengers, Guardians, BP, Homecoming debut numbers. Strange is also in the 90's with a 7.3 avg.

It is very rare for a solo superhero origin film to get a score above 90 on RT these days

1. Antman = 82

2. Thor = 77

3. Captain America first avengers = 80

4. Incredible Hulk = 67






even what many consider to be one of the greatest superhero origin films of all time Batman begin only gets a 84 on rt. people forget that critics at the time really did not like Batman begins as much as the fans did ( I remember when its RT score was barley 80 at one point lol )


the movies that the did hit above 90 either skipped the origin story or found a cleaver way to present it. I really believe that civil war did black panther and spider man homecoming a huge favor by introducing them in that movie. because of that both those films were allowed to hit to ground running without ever getting bogged down by trying to tell an origin story. even wonder woman benefited by showing up in bvs before she was ever in her own film.
 
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Just for fun, and some perspective, let's remember that this movie is a solo hero origin, something that is slave to probably the most well-worn and limiting formula in the genre (and just about any genre, outside of rom-coms, lol), certainly more so than the sequels and group films. So let's look at how it's faring against Marvel's other solo hero origins:

1.) Black Panther (97%) - which I feel barely counts here since we got to know him and he had a whole arc in a previous film before it.
2.) Iron Man (93%)
3.) Doctor Strange (89%)
4.) Captain Marvel (83%) - for now, obviously
5.) Ant-Man (82%)
6.) Captain America: The First Avenger (80%)
7.) Thor (77%)
8.) The Incredible Hulk (67%)

It's in a perfectly good place, imo, especially when the difference between 10 percentage points on RT hardly means anything when watching the actual products - hell, I enjoy all those other origins below Doctor Strange, minus TIH (and this film, obviously since I haven't seen it yet), more than Doctor Strange.
No love for Homecoming? Although I suppose it's more of a first solo, than an origin.
 
No love for Homecoming? Although I suppose it's more of a first solo, than an origin.
Nah, there was nothing "origin-y" about it to me. We didn't get his origin, it was more - "how Peter Parker continues to be a hero and further learns from mistakes." It even had the bit from Spider-Man 2 where he becomes too complacent and over-confident about being Spidey. Everything about it felt like a sequel, imo, which it technically was. They made a point to skip the origin story altogether because they knew we'd seen that character's origin twice in the last 15 years already.
 
My personal faves and the ones I revisit the most are the origin entries. Doctor Strange, Thor, Ant Man, Panther, and Cap 1 are probably the five I watch the most. Really connected to Strange and Thor 1, absolutely love the messages and motifs of those films.
 
Nah, there was nothing "origin-y" about it to me. We didn't get his origin, it was more - "how Peter Parker continues to be a hero and further learns from mistakes." It even had the bit from Spider-Man 2 where he becomes too complacent and over-confident about being Spidey. Everything about it felt like a sequel, imo, which it technically was. They made a point to skip the origin story altogether because they knew we'd seen that character's origin twice in the last 15 years already.

I've kind of stopped grouping films into the "origin" label nowadays. I mostly use the term franchise starter. More applicable. My ranking of the solo franchise starters:

1. Black Panther 8.5
2. Doctor Strange 8
3. Thor 8
4. Ant-Man 8
5. First Avenger 8
6. Iron Man 8
7. Spider-man: HC 7.5
8. Incredible Hulk 6

Top 7 are so damn close though, they switch around a bit constantly.
 
My personal faves and the ones I revisit the most are the origin entries. Doctor Strange, Thor, Ant Man, Panther, and Cap 1 are probably the five I watch the most. Really connected to Strange and Thor 1, absolutely love the messages and motifs of those films.
Yeah, I've mentioned a lot on here that I prefer the more streamlined, solo, character-driven entries over the big group extravaganzas (both in movies AND comics), so a lot of my faves are origin movies as well.
 
TOMATOMETER
83%

Average Rating: 7.03/10
Reviews Count: 131
Fresh: 109
Rotten: 22

Latest negative is from I believe SF Chronicle's Mick LaSalle, who is typically a tad odd with CBMs. For example, he gave Venom a Fresh score but IW a Rotten score.
 
I've kind of stopped grouping films into the "origin" label nowadays. I mostly use the term franchise starter. More applicable. My ranking of the solo franchise starters:

1. Black Panther 8.5
2. Doctor Strange 8
3. Thor 8
4. Ant-Man 8
5. First Avenger 8
6. Iron Man 8
7. Spider-man: HC 7.5
8. Incredible Hulk 6

Top 7 are so damn close though, they switch around a bit constantly.
Mine would be:

1.) Iron Man (9)
2.) Black Panther (8)
3.) Captain America: The First Avenger (7.5)
4.) Thor (6.5)
5.) Ant-Man (6.5)
6.) Doctor Strange (6)
7.) Incredible Hulk (5.5)

If CM can make the top 3 I'll be very happy, and I think she's got a good shot because I'm a bigger fan of her character than most of these other mooks, lol.
 
I would say it’s getting harder for any CBM to get 90%+ from critics original sequel prequel solo group or whatnot, some of whom has a built in default rotten button to push when the source material is comics.

The audience source is way more important for studios and by audience score I mean BO it’s a more reliable benchmark when people need to fork out the money than critics review
film awards kind of bragging rights.

Especially at a time when the old guards are exiting, Guardians 3 sank by its own goal and the Fox properties aren’t still on board. If CM had a ho hum BO which it won’t DIS can absorb the JL kind of loss but it will be a headache for MCU. When the weekend comes and CM smashes BO not just the US but in quite a few key markets DIS will breathe a sigh of relief and after the champagnes are popped and drunk, will revisit the money it is paying to critics to see if a bump is needed (okay kidding) so the next one EG will fare better among the mostly white male critics (okay kidding) with a real shot to 90%.
 
I'm obsessed with the final two minutes - him going up the stairs, looking at his broken hands, and his watch, then out the window to that marvelous fricken music. It's the best thing in any of these movies.

Ah, that is one damn good scene.
 
I'm obsessed with the final two minutes - him going up the stairs, looking at his broken hands, and his watch, then out the window to that marvelous fricken music. It's the best thing in any of these movies.

I personally really love the scene that precedes "Have you seen that in a gift shop?"

I think a big reason that one is probably my favorite MCU origin story is because my wife is borderline obsessed with that movie and the Doctor Strange character now. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
 
The ancient ones death speech really resonates with me in that movie it is what props it up in my mind. She also fights like a bad ass
 
Green Lantern was also the first cosmic comic book movie, before Guardians of the Galaxy, it would have counted had they managed to make it great.
If it had succeeded, then absolutely, yes. I was so disappointed with it. I really hope GLCorps happens and is a huge deal.
 
TOMATOMETER
84%
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Count: 135
Fresh: 113
Rotten: 22
 
Green Lantern was also the first cosmic comic book movie, before Guardians of the Galaxy, it would have counted had they managed to make it great.
There were Flash Gordon movies before that and they were about cosmic adventures. The source material was from comics even though it was neither Marvel nor DC.

Old farts like me would remember those good old days we just enjoyed the movies without agonizing over some tomato score. :)
 
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It is very rare for a solo superhero origin film to get a score above 90 on RT these days

1. Antman = 82

2. Thor = 77

3. Captain America first avengers = 80

4. Incredible Hulk = 67






even what many consider to be one of the greatest superhero origin films of all time Batman begin only gets a 84 on rt. people forget that critics at the time really did not like Batman begins as much as the fans did ( I remember when its RT score was barley 80 at one point lol )


the movies that the did hit above 90 either skipped the origin story or found a cleaver way to present it. I really believe that civil war did black panther and spider man homecoming a huge favor by introducing them in that movie. because of that both those films were allowed to hit to ground running without ever getting bogged down by trying to tell an origin story. even wonder woman benefited by showing up in bvs before she was ever in her own film.
Great point about Batman Begins. I love that film.
 
Namor was tied up at Universal and Feige to Ike until 2016. Neither of those projects would have happened sooner even if the studio wanted them in the MCU.

Unfortunate about Namor, he's a superior character to Aquaman imo, but he's pretty much redundant now no matter what they try to do with him. At least to a GA. If Aquaman wasn't a massive hit, maybe, but I think that film delivered the KO to Namor for a long time on film. Certainly as a franchise.
 

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