Captain Marvel Reviews: 10 Early Reactions You Need To See

5. The Direction Is Mostly Forgettable

"The film was directed by the talented indie twosome of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, whose previous work (“Sugar,” “Half-Nelson,” and “Mississippi Grind” being the highlights) is charged with all the verve and humanity that’s missing here. If not for some grounded character work towards the end of the story, their contributions to this $152-million behemoth would seem totally anonymous." - IndieWire

"Under the direction of heretofore indie filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Sugar, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Mississippi Grind), nothing is prepared or built up to, with scenes just slapped on the screen with no less or more weight given to one over another; it's the cinematic equivalent of elementary brick and mortar construction." - Hollywood Reporter

Writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have carved out a fine niche for themselves as talented indie filmmakers, earning rave reviews for their prior dramas Sugar and Mississippi Grind.

So it's a bit of a disappointment to hear that their direction here is mostly anonymous, lacking any sort of personality or directorial signature to distinguish it from a random journeyman filmmaker.

After all, the likes of James Gunn and Taika Waititi have especially proven how strong filmmaking voices can be heard over the grind of the studio machine, but most reviewers seem to be either fairly indifferent to or downright critical of their helming here.