The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) latest entry has something for Marvel ultra-fans, casual viewers, and cat lovers alike. Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jude Law, Captain Marvel is the twenty-first MCU film and the first to premiere in 2019. It has since grossed $938 million worldwide, making it the year’s biggest opener and the fifth highest initial totaler for any Marvel film.

It’s Larson’s job to carry the film as its protagonist, and she does so with style and confidence. Whether you recognize her from her wildly different roles in Scott Pilgrim or Room, there’s no denying her talent. She doesn’t disappoint as Carol Danvers, delivering a breezy flippant character with a notable vulnerable streak, shuffling expertly between typical Marvel witticisms and genuine character work. She’ll feel right at home with the cast of Avengers: Endgame, where she’s next set to feature. There’s a certain unflappable sarcasm to Carol that’s a joy to watch and makes you think that even Thanos and his snap couldn’t shake her.

The film hops on a recent trend of nostalgia in film and television, taking the audience back to ‘95: Blockbuster Video, Radio Shack and slow-loading computers. In the lead up to the movie, Marvel even launched a retro promotional website that’s worth checking out if only for the memories of past Internet struggle. It’s effective, if a bit tired —and at least it’s not yet another 80s nostalgia kick.

Captain Marvel is a movie that doesn’t quite know how to begin, and as such doesn’t truly find its feet until it crash-lands onto Earth and introduces its supporting cast while kicking the main plot into gear. Larson and Jackson are the film’s revelation—their chemistry is effortless and buddy-cop-esque, and it’s a delight to see just how good Marvel is getting at their de-aging CGI. From there, it’s banter, jet planes, and an excellent Earth-invasion premise with a charismatic semi-antagonist in Ben Mendelsohn.

The film also refreshingly grounds its hero in something different from the usual traumatic backstory: there’s little time wasted on a sob story. Instead, Captain Marvel is all about getting back up when you fall down as well as valuing your relationships with friends and family.

There’s no love interest for Carol, just a best friend and a daughter for whom she cares deeply. “That really tight knit bond is family. This is the love of the movie. This is the love found again. This is the person to go to the ends of the earth to fight to defend. And to me, it’s so natural”, says Larson of the relationship between Carol Danvers and her best friend and copilot Maria Rambeau.

Meanwhile, Maria’s insistence that Carol was the most powerful person she knew before she received her powers echoes the sentiment first approached in Spider-Man: Homecoming: “if you’re nothing without the suit, you shouldn’t have it.” Unfortunately, it’s a theme that Marvel often forgoes in favor of flashy technology and power, as with Peter Parker’s Iron Spider suit and the emphasis on Carol’s immense power as Endgame approaches.

It’s a solid film, one of Marvel’s better origin stories, and more importantly a total blast —worth seeing whether you’re deeply entrenched in Marvel’s ever-expanding cinematic universe or not. Even if you’re not interested in the character of Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel leads directly into Avengers: Endgame and showcases Avengers characters that haven’t been seen on the big screen since 2014 (hello, Coulson!). At the very least, you’ll want to learn how Nick Fury lost his eye.

But if you’re expecting something significantly different from the Marvel mold, you probably won’t find it here. In spite of whatever controversy it might have stirred up from the darkest corners of the Internet regarding its female lead, Captain Marvel doesn’t deliver anything new or particularly unconventional, and doesn’t feel stylistically unique in its direction or cinematography at any point. Its twists and turns are enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. Marvel is in a comfortable spot right now, finding success after success without shaking up its formula and basic structure, forgoing risk-taking. It will be interesting to see how they approach films following the final Avengers, although a slew of sequels featuring already-established heroes don’t look promising.

Then again, Captain Marvel doesn’t need to be groundbreaking to be a success, nor did it promise anything new. It’s enough that it introduces Marvel’s first female lead, neatly sets up the penultimate Avengers movie, and doesn’t disappoint anyone looking for a good time or already invested in the Marvel formula.