There was a time when I couldn’t even imagine going to see a movie based on a Marvel comic book character. Let alone going to see their 21st film! That’s right! It’s time for another Marvel Cinematic Universe movie release: first up for 2019 is Captain Marvel. Set in 1995, the story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after the Earth is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien worlds. One-part origin movie for the character and one part moving the universe forward with filling in blanks from other films in series, another great movie in the Marvel film series.
(Some minor spoilers below, but not much more than what you’ve seen in the trailers already.)
We meet Carol on the home world of the Kree Empire, Hala. She’s part of an elite Kree military team, StarForce,who have been waging a war against the Kree’s mortal enemy the Skrulls. During a mission she is captured, and the Skrulls unknowingly unlock her memories of a life she had before becoming the warrior that she is. Crash landing on earth in 1995, she meets SHEILD agent Nick Fury. They both team up and try to search for answers about the alien invasion and the life she had before the Kree. They fall into a game of cat and mouse between two waring alien worlds, with Carol and the earth right smack in the middle. Gaining her memories back, she becomes who she has always been: Captain Marvel.
From the first frame the movie is fantastic. This is one of the better Marvel origin films and one of the better films in their franchise. This one moved up the ladder quickly into my top ten. Captain Marvel delivers on so many levels: plot, characters, cast, effects, humor, heart, and action. The directors, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, should be very proud of the feat they accomplished. They made Carol an amazing character for the screen and made her entry into the Marvel Universe an easy transition to come into Endgame in a few months. Leaving this movie gives you a feeling of hope and joy.
Brie Larson is astonishing as Captain Marvel. She understands the character right from the start and she gets better with every scene. She is strong, funny, cocky and unapologetic, a great marvel character with heart and flaws. Can’t wait to see her interact with Tony Stark! She won’t take any of his BS. She’s a perfect addiction to the Marvel films.
Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury: at this point I assume it’s like putting on a second skin for him to return to such a great character portrayal. Larson and he have an amazing chemistry together and are very fun to watch on screen. The work so beautifully together I hope to see more of their adventures in the future.
As usual with a new Marvel movie we get some new characters and great new actors to take on iconic roles. Here is no exception. Adding to the film are Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, the Skrull leader, and Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau, Carol’s oldest friend from her past. Both are excellent. Mendelsohn conveys so much emotion through his full Skrull head and face prosthetic. Lynch is wonderful as Carol’s BFF who is her lynch pin back on earth. Without her Carol doesn’t have a past. Both actresses worked well together. Side note for nerds: Maria Rambeau is mother to Monica. Monica is played wonderfully by Akira Akbar. In comics Monica was the Captain Marvel of the 1980’s who went on to be the character of Spectrum. It’s another fine example of the filmmakers reading and knowing their universe inside and out, just adding so much more flavor to an already perfect mix.
Of course, with all the good there must always be the bad: Jude Law as Yon-Rogg. Not really the villain per se, he does some evil things and is definitely one of the main antagonists for our hero. But he’s given some depth that you understand what makes him the villain. His reasons for doing bad things aren’t black and white and leave you without the question; does following orders make you the bad guy? In war everyone’s hands are bloody. Nevertheless Law is great in the role. He commands you to watch him and his every move. As does Annette Bening. Her role is small yet very important, and she makes her every scene memorable for sure. She also has great chemistry with Larson.
Due to the time line and the fact that this is set in the past, before our present-day drama in Infinity War/Endgame, we get to see some returning characters: Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser and Djimon Honsou as Korath, both reprising their roles from Guardians of the Galaxy. But nothing was more satisfying than seeing Clark Gregg return as Agent Phil Coulson. We meet Phil at the beginning of his SHEILD career get a taste of his support and trust of Fury.
The action in the movie is top notch and there is a lot of it too! Carol likes to get into trouble. Very much “hit first ask questions later.
The fight scenes are great and have a remarkable choreography. And the space-fight scenes are also impressive. The CGI-to-actor flows seamlessly without notice. Carol is a badass. And when she takes to flight and destroy whole ships with one blast you feel just how powerful she is. Cannot wait to see her take on Thanos!
As far as I’m concerned Marvel has a time machine and they use it for the movies. In Captain Marvel we get to see a very young Sam Jackson. The de-ageing tech is getting so good, you’d swear that you’re looking at Sam Jackson from 1995. The CGI on him was astounding. Now, the CGI on Clark Gregg was good. Not as good as Jackson, but it’s passable.
Now there will be some unfair comparisons to Wonder Woman in reviews in the next few weeks. These are two totally different movies. Just because they’re both being led by a strong females doesn’t mean we as fans need to compare. There is no comparison. Each is positive and negative in their own way. Where Wonder Woman is a wonderful film that has one of the best scenes in film history, the movie falls apart in its third act, where Captain Marvel has a solid three acts. That’s it. There’s no need to be negative towards the other fandom. And I think Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman would be the best of friends. There’s room at the table for both.
Overall this is a great movie. Captain Marvel makes her presence known in the Marvel Universe. She is a force to be reckoned with and I cannot wait to see what else Marvel has in store for her. She proves why she stands next to the other Avengers.
