Being a child of the 80s, I actually like Captain Marvel. The arc (and hair) feels lovingly nicked from a bunch of 80s flicks and feels right at home alongside them.
(And I have a massive amount of Goose/Chewie merch. Obviously.)
With Marvel becoming more confident in its general revenue base and streaming platform... despite all the accusations of formulaic behaviour (or perhaps to spite it), they're not just sitting back and cranking out the machine. They're starting to use that to play with storytelling - and not cautiously either.
Comic books can be used to tell all different kind of genre stories with the same set of characters you're used to, throwing them into different situations. And I love that they're doing that in the MCU now. Though it's not all looking promising.
Herewith some opinions for you to hate me for:
Loved Loki. Packed in some mind-bending stuff, but also took the time to flesh out characters, do slow scenes and humour, and let Hiddlestone show off a full range. And dialled-back, serious Owen Wilson was a bit of a revelation.
Wandavision: kind of an odd curiosity till Ep 4: After which it absolutely kicks in. Again, giving Olsen and Bettany a lot to work with - loved the Theseus/Trigger's Broom bit, as well as Kat Dennings... and KATHRYN HAHN, who was robbed, ROBBED at the Emmys. (As soon as I say that, you're gonna start singing it, aren't you?)
What If: uneven, but a lot of good stuff in here. Being a Peggy/Atwell stan I *love* that she got to kick epic amounts of ass. And dropping THAT Twilight Zone-worthy ending to the Strange Supreme ep takes an awful lot of courage for a kid's platform. (Even though they have The Walking Dead in the UK. Not with Mickey ears either.)
Shang-Chi: haven't seen it yet as have to shield for a bit, but reviews have been stellar for script, actors and action.
Black Widow: waiting for D+ to drop this. It looks like a decent Bond movie rather than hugely original, but who doesn't love a decent Bond movie?
Eternals: ...um.
Er.
Well.
Yeah.
Looks a bit, y'know... [looks left and right and whispers] ...Inhumans. But, with Chloe Zhao in charge, it's also going to look gorgeous.
Spidey NWH: dunno. Could be good: could be yet another bloody Sinister Six attempt, which feels lazy.
DocS:Multiverse Of Madness: billed as the first Marvel Horror movie, with setups from Wandavision (and possibly What If), and directed by Sam Raimi? src=shutupandtakemymoney.gif
Let the flaming commence.