Boden and Fleck are best known for smart comedy-dramas Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind, and this feels much more in their wheelhouse. Once Danvers gets down to Earth, though, it’s a different story. The directors deliver some solid set-pieces, but there’s a lack of the sort of colourful world-building and dynamic storytelling that propelled more “out-there” MCU stablemates like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok to greatness (the fact that the location title graphics deliberately recall those of James Gunn’s striking space opera only serves to highlight the difference).

In fact, considering the plot involves a conflict between two technologically advanced alien races and is centred around a galaxy-savvy hero with Superman-level abilities, the film’s cosmic element feels weirdly muted. Read more: How Captain Marvel Fights Everyday Sexism Luckily, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have an ace up their sleeve in Larson herself, who’s more than likeable enough to keep us interested, despite the fact that the largely space-bound first act falls surprisingly flat. The backwards, Jason Bourne-style approach to our new Cap’s origin doesn’t always work – it makes for an intriguing mystery, sure, but it also means she’s not exactly immediately relatable by the time we come to realise why we should be rooting for Danvers, it’s almost a case of too little, too late. Not only that, but her Kree teammates aren’t as noble as she first thought, having duped her into fighting on the wrong side of an unjust war… But after a mission gone wrong sees her crash land on planet C-53 (aka Earth), she soon starts to realise that all is not as it seems: Vers is actually Carol Danvers, a human pilot bestowed with incredible gifts.

She’s a member of the Kree Starforce – a group of elite “noble warrior heroes” waging war against the sinister, shapeshifting Skrulls. When we first meet “Vers” (Brie Larson), she’s already gained her powers, but lost her memories.

Aside from all that, though, Captain Marvel deserves credit for attempting to do something different with the all too familiar birth-of-a-superhero story.

Instaling Captain Marvel