CAPTAIN MARVEL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2015, Brie Larson impressed critics and audiences with her Oscar-winning performance as Joy in the moving drama, Room. Larson had previously given solid performances in films such as Short Term 12 and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. However, her performance in Room earned her recognition and she has since given further solid performances in films such as Free Fire and Kong: Skull Island. Larson has also recently made her directorial debut with a comedy titled Unicorn Store that is set to be released on Netflix in April. There seems to be no end to her talent and that is further proved with her portrayal of the titular superhero in the much anticipated Captain Marvel.
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.
It doesn’t seem like it’s been three years since Larson was announced to be portraying Captain Marvel when she appeared at San Diego Comic Con in July 2016. Since then, there has been a lot of anticipation surrounding her performance and the film itself. Fortunately, Larson doesn’t disappoint and gives a strong performance as Captain Marvel. In the beginning, her character is known as Vers, a member of the Kree species who begins to have strange memories that she can’t remember. Over the course of the two hour runtime, we learn more about Vers, her strengths, weaknesses and background. Larson captures her fierce and brave personality and proves to be a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As is the case with most films in the MCU, Captain Marvel features an ensemble cast, including Samuel L. Jackson as a young Nick Fury, Jude Law as Yon-Rogg and Annette Bening as Wendy Lawson. It was interesting to see Fury’s life before he created the Avengers Initiative and how he lost his eye. Law is known for portraying likeable and charismatic characters so it was interesting to see him play against type as the villain. Similarly, Ben Mendelsohn is known for portraying the antagonist, however, while in the beginning his character, Talos, a shape-shifting Krull, is seen as the enemy, we see a different side to him. A memorable character is a cat named Goose who Fury bonds with. Goose also brought a lot of comic relief into the action packed film. Those unfamiliar with the Captain Marvel comic books will assume that Goose is just a cute cat, however, fans of the comic books will know that that isn't the case. Because I haven't read the comic books, I was very surprised when Goose was revealed to be a Flerken, which is an alien creature that resembles cats. Unlike the common Earth cat however, they possess cognitive intelligence and can lay eggs. Their mouths contain pocket dimensions used to store and hold almost anything; they can also teleport and summon tentacles with fanged maws from their mouths to attack and consume with.
Speaking of action, there are a lot of great sequences throughout Captain Marvel. The most memorable occurs early on in the film, where Captain Marvel chases a Krull, who is in disguise, onto a train. It’s thrilling and captures Marvel’s strength and refusal to give into her weaknesses.
As is the tradition with films in the MCU, there are two mid and post credit scenes. The mid credits scene is an exciting tie in to the upcoming Avengers: Endgame and the post credits scene isn’t necessary to watch, only for those who want to see more of Goose.
Many people have said that the weakest aspect of Captain Marvel is its story as it follows the same path of similar origin based films set in the MCU. While, at times, it is fairly predictable, I found the story to be empowering and inspiring as it’s revealed how Captain Marvel became known as the powerful superhero. When she was growing up on Earth, we see that she was always belittled by the people around her, saying that she’s weak. However, she soon gains strength and becomes increasingly powerful. Captain Marvel isn’t saying that women are more powerful than men, it’s saying that women are equally as powerful as men. What I've noticed with most superhero films is that the female character serves as a love interest for the main protagonist. I found it refreshing that the writers of Captain Marvel, Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, decided against adding in an unnecessary love interest for Captain Marvel.
Late last year, the creator of Marvel comics, Stan Lee, tragically passed away at the age of 95. Before his death, Lee filmed cameos for Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home. Aside from his cameo appearance in Captain Marvel, the film pays tribute to him in the Marvel Studios logo at the beginning. It’s a heartfelt tribute to a man who leaves behind a legacy and a collection of comic books and superhero films that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Captain Marvel is directed by Fleck and Boden, who previously worked together on indie films such as It’s Kind Of A Funny Story and Mississippi Grind. While there must have been a lot of pressure throughout production to create a feature that matches the quality of the previous films in the MCU and meets people’s expectations, I think that the directors have succeeded. It’s action-packed, tells a meaningful story and does justice to Captain Marvel’s character. I can't imagine fans of the original comic book being disappointed with what Fleck and Boden have created.
Overall, Captain Marvel is a strong addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and features an impressive performance from Brie Larson.
8/10
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