Review: Captain Marvel

For the nth entry in the Marvel film universe, yet another origin story for an eccentrically costumed character shouldn't be this involving - but this tale of amnesia,  loyalty switching and beginnings (in more way than one) is surprisingly good.  The nuggets of 90s nostalgia help as does being given a first person view of the sheer bafflement of the titular character as they try to piece together their past.

Jackson provides great support as a younger pre-Avengers Nick Fury.  Both are upstaged by Goose the cat who doesn't get much screen time, but has some memorable appearances.

Now her backstory is established, I hope Larson's Captain Marvel is given a bit more depth in subsequent outings. She's undoubtably a woman of action with a touch of snark, but I'm hoping for more in future films.

Verdict: Be warned, you may never look at your cat in the same way again!

Review: How to train your dragon: The hidden world

How to train your dragon has always had a problem in that the entries in the film series have always been a little too far apart for me to be able to rely on my memory of what happened before.  It hasn't proved to be too much of a problem because the charm and story has swiftly pulled me back into the world of Toothless and Hiccup.

Unfortunately, How to train your dragon 3 somehow failed to draw me in this time. It looks absolutely gorgeous and the story of Toothless finding love should have carried real emotional weight - but the plot is weak and the antagonist never really adds sufficient jeopardy.  The whole film is the equivalent of strolling around familiar streets with an old friend as an adult rather than going on a childhood adventure.

I hadn't expect to enjoy the first movie in the series, but was completely enchanted by it. Here the reverse is true; I did expect to love this return to the world of dragons and humans - but I was bored by it.

Verdict: Beautiful looking finale which lacks something.