"Captain Marvel" praised in strong first press reactions, so ignore those fake user reviews

Hours before Disney and Marvel Studios lifted the social media embargo on “Captain Marvel,” several media outlets (The Hollywood Reporter, Yahoo!, /Film, and more) began running stories about internet trolls who were already leaving bad reviews for the movie on Rotten Tomatoes despite never seeing it. “Captain Marvel” screened for the first time for select press in New York and Los Angeles on February 19, so while Rotten Tomatoes played home to a number of user reviews, none of them offered any actual validity, other than confirming that toxic fandom remains a major problem.

As it turns out, many of the publications who ran items on the “Captain Marvel” backlash should have waited a couple of hours before publishing those stories, as the first press reactions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe tentpole are extremely strong. The official reaction narrative around the Brie Larson-starring “Captain Marvel” should begin with these glowing press reactions (read: people who have actually seen the film), not the sexist fans spanning the internet with demonstrably false reviews.

Read more IndieWire: Brie Larson Isn’t Letting Her ‘Captain Marvel’ Press Tour Be ‘Overwhelmingly’ White and Male

IndieWire’s Kate Erbland praises “Captain Marvel” for offering a “different and weirder spin on the origin story narrative,” even if the film as a whole “doesn’t break the MCU mold.” Collider’s Perri Nemiroff raved, “The future of the MCU gets even brighter adding Captain Marvel to the mix,” and she said many will fall for Brie Larson’s “sass, strength, and energy in the role.” Nearly every press member who saw the film says Ben Mendelsohn steals the show as shape-shifting Skrull leader Talos.

Read more IndieWire: Jennifer Lawrence Gave Brie Larson a Reality Check After Oscar Win: ‘It Changes Nothing’

Perhaps the best first reaction comes from Mashable deputy entertainment editor Angie Han, who wrote, “Well, Thanos is fucked.” The reaction is a nod to “Avengers: Infinity,” which ended on the cliffhanger of Captain Marvel being called to assist the Avengers on their mission to defeat Thanos.

Read more IndieWire: ‘Captain Marvel’s’ Era-Appropriate ’90s Website Is a Blast From the Past

“Captain Marvel” opens in theaters nationwide March 8. Check out the strong first reactions below.