As what appears to be the penultimate entry in the Marvel canon proper, “Captain Marvel” comes across as diversionary at best, an origin story that feels overdue on arrival for a character who I can only hope isn’t given deus-ex-machina level importance in the big finale. On its own merits, however, Captain Marvel succeeds at being another one of the franchise’s more average entries, with all of the highlights and pitfalls we’ve come to expect at this point. The movie is fun, and the comic relief is quippy, bright, and funny. Story-wise, however, we are again treated to under-developed villains of coincidence, and a central conflict that almost begs for more exposition, but that is instead clumsily executed and thrown on screen. The result is a movie that appears to touch on many themes (war is hell, war indoctrination, single motherhood, loss of identity) but only does so superficially, as if name-dropping progressive topics while refusing to properly engage with them. I enjoyed the movie, but walking out of it I resented how exceedingly shallow and bereft of emotional content it felt. It’s worth a watch, but don’t expect Wonder Woman.