First, my short history of disappointments with popcorn action flicks aimed at women:
1) Ghostbusters. I so, so much wanted to like that movie. I went in fully prepared to laugh and cheer. Unfortunately, it just was not very good. I did neither, or maybe a little chuckle somewhere. On the other hand, it was also not so bad as internet dudes would angrily claim. But it left me with a longing for a good, solid action movie with a female lead, made for woman moviegoers in mind, no stupid stereotypes, not concerned whether some lame dudes who can only tolerate women in fiction if they satisfy their infantile fantasies like it or not. Like, I have money here, look, and it's just as good money as those dudes' money is, and I'm ready to throw it at any movie that even wants to try to be for me. Why are there no takers???

2) Wonder Woman. Marketed as a feminist superhero movie, I was sure it would be awesome. Gal Gadot kicking ass! Woohoo! In fact, I sort of expected the film to heal not only the disappointment caused by Ghostbusters but also the resentment caused by 5000 years of patriarchy. While the latter was admittedly a bit far-fetched and even unfair demand on a Hollywood action film, it did not even fulfill the first expectation.

Yes, Wonder Woman portrayed as physically strong, but what does it help when she's hopelessly naive, in need of constant handholding and guidance from her all-male squad, and goes through the whole movie with her mouth irritatingly half-open in child-like wonder, as the camera presents her delectable body from every angle. There's no feeling of sisterhood, no connections between women, as Diana is safely flanked by guys on all sides.
One bird does not summer make, and one girl does not a satisfactory woman-relevant film make.
WW was directed by Patty Jenkins, but the story was by Zack Snyder and it shows. I can't decide if Wonder Woman was a half-hearted and timid attempt to appease the female audience of superhero movies, but without actually committing to it, or was it a cynical and calculated marketing move?

But whatever. We have Captain Marvel now, and don't need to concern ourselves with half-baked substitutes. Truly, all my longings have been satisfied, and I am content. The third attempt to fulfill my movie needs was successful, and as an extra special treat I did not even have the imagination to wish for, it struck smack in the middle of 90's riot grrl nostalgia too. I've been on a Garbage-Hole-No Doubt-Belly-Tori Amos-PJ Harvey etc etc loop for two days now, remembering my teen days or at least the most exciting musical bits.

Like probably every woman who has seen Captain Marvel, I've been basking in the glorious feeling of *finally* having watched a superhero movie that was MADE FOR ME. FOR ME, a middle aged woman, damnit! My needs catered to, my nostalgia, my hero! This has never happened before. And I am a multitude, there are millions and millions of me. We are all smiling now.
It feels good. A feeling of finally getting to sit in the best seat of the movie theatre, in the middle of the row, looking at the screen without having to crane my neck uncomfortably, and just simply enjoying the movie. Not being pushed to the side, not having to perform some weird choreographies to placate the fragile dudes, not being reminded every few seconds that I am not the core audience of this film.

As for the movie itself, it's a solid 8,5 stars out of ten – in the alternate universe where superhero movies have always been made equally for all genders. Here it's ten thousand shiny Hala stars out of ten. I will now squee a bit, because I can.

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel is, sigh, I can't even begin to describe. She's everything.
Carol Danvers is the coolest and most amazing girl friend anyone could want, ready for crazy adventures, there for you in hard times, and regular times too. There's no stupid romantic plot, but instead there is friendship, which I argue is the most basic and most important building block of female experience and one that seems to elude  – or scare? – male script writers. Carol's bestie Maria Rambeau is very relatable. At Marvel cinematic universe female friendships are far and few between, which is of course no wonder since female characters are so rare (except for in Black Panther). In MCU, that is, there are literally hundreds of female characters to be mined in Marvel archives. I grew up with X-men comics, and despite the name there was no shortage of female heroes there, so it's been extra annoying having to deal with Avengers where the perhaps most boring female hero Black Widow has been completely overshadowed by her cool, charismatic male colleagues.

Carol Danvers is also hot. In a realistic way, if such a thing can be said of anything in superhero genre. So cool and so hot at the same time. I lose coherence because she's so cool-hot in her leather jacket and NIN t-shirt driving her motorcycle. I want to hang out with Carol, I want to marry Carol, I want to *be* Carol, I want Carol. Everything at once.
While she's personally confused about the weird memories surfacing in her brain, she's not professionally confused, even when crashing on an alien planet. She's up for banter with Nick Fury right away, no standing uncertainly mouth open with Carol Danvers and constantly shifting weight like poor Diana / Wonder Woman. Captain Marvel gains control of her cosmic-scale powers and delights in them, and it's wonderful and fun, not a cause for freaking out and having to impale that dangerous threat to universal order as with Dark Phoenix in some X-men flick whose name I forget. Captain Marvel's powers are not the stereotypical "girl superhero powers" ie. telepathy, invisibility, seductive poses or what have you remaining at the bottom of the basket after guy superheroes have first picked all the cool powers. No, Captain Marvel blasts baddies with the force of suns, and don't we all feel a crackle of force around our fists when she does it!

Young Nick Fury is delightful, as is the cat. 90's tech and style nostalgia is on point. Some things could have been better foreshadowed, but all in all, TEN THOUSAND STARS for Captain Marvel!