One thing I promised myself with regards to this movie was I would not get caught up in The Discourse, because there is always Discourse. I wanted the chance to sit with it and enjoy it--or not--on my own terms before the tidal wave of hot takes and bad faith criticism started to roll over everything. This meant pulling back significantly from social media, avoiding any other reviews by professionals and hobbyists alike, and generally turning myself into a virtual hermit more than I generally like to.

Why did I decide to do this? Because not doing so very nearly ruined Wonder Woman for me. It felt like I had a whole two days to actually enjoy the movie, and then all the criticism started to pour in. And because I'm both stubborn and intellectually masochistic, I read A LOT of unfavorable reviews, some of which had salient points worth considering, before I had the chance to write up anything about it myself.


Glowing, floating woman in front of space ship door
Source.

So, it's been two years. We have another female superhero movie from a huge, blockbusting franchise. I refuse to get stuck in The Gauntlet Of Impossible Perfection Superheroines Must Run that their male counterparts do not. It's not fair, and it's not fun. And so far, I've succeeded!

But what did I actually think of Captain Marvel?

( I liked it. I really really liked it. )

HELLO! We made it to 2019 somehow! High-fives all around!

As usual, I'm recapping all the movies I saw in theaters in 2018. As a reminder, this is not a Top Ten, or a Rhoda's Faves list, but every single thing that I saw in theaters. I'm also including Netflix releases that I saw during the week of their initial release, or at least close to it, because well, "new" movies come in multiple formats and access points these days. Which I'm in favor of, by the way!

As is becoming more usual, I saw a few of these on my own this time. I'm slowly getting over my weird hangups about not wanting to go to the theater by myself, and my viewing experience is shinier for it. Huzzah! Actually, going through this list is making me want to rewatch a lot of things, because there were SO many good ones.

Without further ado. . .

( Rhoda's 2018 Movie Wrap-Up Post )

You know, it's not all roses being an internet reviewer. Often, you can guess at least a little how you're going to feel about a piece of media. If you're going into fangirl mode, you scrounge up presale money and plan outfits for opening weekend. Or, if you suspect it's going to grab you by the throat and give you nightmares, you mentally steel yourself until you feel like you can take it in without it overwhelming you. The thing is, this doesn't normally happen in the same movie.

Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 was a curve ball. On April 27, I wore my Captain America shirt all day, and went to the movies right after work. By the time I was driving home I was stunned. I spent most of the weekend buried in fix-it fics and yelling "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO REVIEW THIS?!?!" into the void. Then I said to myself, "Lady, you somehow found a way to review Darren Aronofsky's mother! and finish it in time to have it published in the April edition of Belladonna Horror Magazine. You can handle a spoiler-free review of a superhero blockbuster movie for your DreamWidth blog."

Can I though, world? CAN I?

( No Spoilers )

Let's see if I can do this without spoilers.

SHORT VERSION: Good times! Fight scenes! Character development! Lots of characters--like, LOTS! Man, this franchise is getting crowded. Didn't feel as overstuffed as it could have though. Everyone has their role, and that's good. Oh, and for the record, I'm Team Captain America. Seeing the movie didn't change that.

( Less short version. . . )