Captain Marvel Film Review
Space invasion, big car chase, truth be told… not bad
There’s a new captain in town and her name is Captain Marvel…
She just doesn’t know it yet. We get to find out at the same time that she does.
Her origin story is told through a series of flashbacks, kind of like Memento by Christopher Nolan. Not exactly original, but an original origin story for the MCU.
The origins of Nick Fury and even the whole Avengers initiative are also told here for the first time. It’s not often that the MCU has a chance to revise their own history and they jump on the opportunity Captain Marvel provides here.
Some changes will displease fans, but some people were never going to like Captain Marvel no matter what. More on that here…
I enjoyed Captain Marvel. It was a fun film. One revelation, which was a real eye-opener, was a bit of a letdown for me. However, the other twists and surprises more than made up for it.
The Story
Captain Marvel is set in the distant past…
Not really… the ‘90s weren’t that long ago if you ask me. I still remember wearing Nirvana T-shirts and eagerly awaiting the next punch-up after school. Spoiler alert: It never happened.
The ‘90s represent a time in my life where I was trying very hard to be a badass. Not true for Captain Marvel, who’s already a badass when the film begins.
She’s part of an elite group of Kree soldiers who appear to have one mission and one mission only, to exterminate all Skrulls.
Who are the Skrulls? Another alien race who have one nifty advantage. They can shapeshift to look like whoever they want…
Captain Marvel takes full advantage of this ability for comic relief and some genuine surprises. Comic book fans will also be salivating at the promise of things to come. Could any of these heroes be a Skrull???
Back to the story… when our titular hero lands on Earth she starts remembering a life she once had there. That’s not a spoiler, it’s all in the trailer.
A young Nick Fury is there to help her along the way as she uncovers her past while trying to stop the Skrulls from invading her newfound home planet.
The Cast
Much has been said about Brie Larson and her portrayal of Captain Marvel, even before the film came out!
Those worried that her character would be as bland as the trailer made her out to be have nothing to worry about. Her character is actually one of the best things in this film.
Larson imbues personality and humour to the role. She’s actually quite likeable. I know… who’d have thought?
The only problem I have with the character isn’t Larson’s fault at all. The character is just too powerful. She’s so overpowered she makes the rest of the Avengers feel redundant.
Perhaps that’s a sign that the original lineup may be retired after Endgame. We don’t need two captains in the MCU, do we?
Samuel L. Jackson returns to play Nick Fury, but unlike the version we see in the trailers for the upcoming Spider-Man film, he’s a totally different spy here.
Fury doesn’t take himself too seriously, he has a fondness for cats and is quite jokey in the film. A far cry from the jaded character he eventually becomes. Cats would do that to a person…
The buddy cop chemistry he has with Larson is pretty neat too. They’ve got good banter. I just wish they shared a Pulp Fiction moment here…
Or here…
They seem like ol’ friends having a good ol’ time, but no one seems to be having as much fun as Ben Mendelsohn as Talos…
Mendelsohn and Goose, the cat, are standouts in this film. Mendelsohn, in particular, gets some seriously funny lines. His delivery is gold.
Rounding out the cast is Jude Law, Annette Bening, Lee Pace, and others. They’re not really in it that much. This is truly the Larson and Jackson show.
Technical Aspects
Captain Marvel features some of the most impressive special effects you’ve ever seen in a Marvel film, but it’s not in the action scenes. It’s in the de-aging of Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson…
They’ve wound back the years and it mostly looks great on the big screen. Especially Fury, who’s getting thrown around like a man in his 20s. Jackson’s currently in his 70s. No easy feat…
The music of Captain Marvel is an ode to the ’90s. You’ll hear Nirvana, No Doubt and Garbage. The latter was an actual band, not a description of the music that was around at the time. Sure, some of it was garbage, but have you heard of Cardi B?
Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have crafted a surprisingly funny film that doesn’t rank that high compared to the rest of the MCU films, but doesn’t rank at the bottom either. It’s right in the middle.
And that’s fine with me. Part of the problem is that these indie directors have failed to insert their own visual style to the film. It doesn’t have a unique voice.
Perhaps that’s the tradeoff for being part of the MCU moviemaking machine. Then again, James Gunn and Taika Waititi didn’t seem to have any trouble adding their own personalities into their respective Marvel films.
As a result, I’m not really bothered if they changed directors for the sequel. I can’t say the same for Black Panther.
Final Thoughts
Despite not being quite as good as I would’ve liked, Captain Marvel is far from a bad film. It’s thoroughly entertaining and funnier than I first expected. The jokes about how slow the Internet used to be are incredibly funny.
The cast are in good form, no matter what form they come in, and there’s plenty of action along the way. All the stuff you need in a good superhero flick.
As for Captain Marvel herself, I hope people will give her a chance after this. I left the theatre excited to see how she’ll interact with the rest of the Avengers. We got a glimpse of that in the new Endgame trailer…
Make sure you stay till the very end credits. Captain Marvel has a mid-credit and post-credit scene. The first you won’t want to miss out on.
Captain Marvel may not be the marvel I was hoping it could be, but I like the direction the character is going. Happy to take orders from this captain any day of the week…
3.5 out of 5 references to the ‘90s
Thanks for reading, for another film starring Samuel L. Jackson…
*All images courtesy of Marvel Studios.
