Captain Marvel Review

Captain Marvel (2019)
PG-13 | 2h 4min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 8 March 2019 (USA)

Synopsis: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Spoiler Free Review: I will say I was a tad confused at first. About the character not the film. We had Captain America and an entire Marvel Universe of people. So Captain Marvel seemed to just combine those two into a character that thus far had never been mentioned in any of the earlier films. None of that really matters when it comes to this film though. I just felt like sharing.

Captain Marvel the movie may not go down as one of the best and brightest but it sure was a lot of fun to watch; eventually. Ranking aside I think it vital that Marvel have a super hero film with a standalone female character. And to have it release theatrically on March 8 2019, International Women’s Day… coincidence? I doubt it. Kudos regardless.

Arguably the best D.C action film to ever release is Wonder Woman. I guess I wanted to walk away from this one with the same feelings. It is also arguable that DC movies can’t hold a bat candle to Marvel. So this one should have been a slam dunk.

The film starts with a barrage of information and characters which can be overwhelming. In the first 40 minutes of the story you may find yourself confused and even frustrated by what you are seeing. But stay with it and it will all clear up by the end. If I can give you any guidance it would be to not stress out so much on the info that you can’t relax enough to enjoy the last 2/3 of the flick which is a whole lot of fun! Just take in what you can, get your footing, then go for the ride.

The history of Captain Marvel/Vers (Brie Larson) is as much a mystery to her as it is the viewer. Her past is hazy and full of dreamlike visions that could be fact or fiction. She is a Kree, an alien race at war with another alien race, the Skrulls. When a battle between the two races sends Vers crashing to Earth she knows it is her mission to save Earth from the Skrulls and their agenda. It is here that she teams up with a young Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Shield to try and get answers.

Captain Marvel takes place in the mid 90s which adds much to the pop culture humor and music. Some of these fall flat but for the most part doesn’t distract from what is happening. It is fun to see Jackson “Benjamin Buttoned” into a younger version. Plus there are a lot of origin references to what we later get in the Avenger films. I am sure MCU aficionados will glean far more from this that I did.

I am a huge fan of Brie Larson and was excited to see her in this role. It took a tick or two to start tracking with her rhythm and mannerism. But by then end she is just as fantastic as I anticipated and I cant wait to see more. We are familiar with Jackson’s Fury from the past films but the younger gentler version here is almost charming. He seems relaxed and not nearly as uptight. But then again this is all new to him and Fury is obviously enjoying the excitement.

Not including the early scenes this could be the best balanced non-Avenger Marvel film. Although it certainly felt like a Marvel film there were many times it had a Star Trek vibe – that is meant as a compliment – to it. The alien races and interstellar travel helped that for sure. The makeup and costumes were solid and the special effects were unmatched. This elevates the action and peril and again makes the last parts of the movie sizzle.

I am not sure yet were this one will fit in to my ranking of Marvel films. It was very enjoyable and you will love Larson as Carol Danvers. The solid supporting cast including Jude Law, Lashana Lynch, and Annette Bening rally around Brie and Samuel to create a marvelous ensemble. To say it was better than Thor isn’t fair to Thor. It is easier to be better with years of tech and story lines under your belt. It is better than the Ant-Man flicks – which I loved – but for different reasons. Bottom line it is a great addition to the franchise and wets our appetite for Avengers: Endgame. It goes without saying that you need to stay through the credits and catch the final tease clip. It is yummy.