Captain Marvel (Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, 2019).
Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel in the 21st instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The initially confusing plot finds amnesia suffering Vers (Larson) crash landing in 1995 Los Angeles. Caught up in a war between alien nations the Skrulls and her own people the Kree, the Skrull are soon in pursuit of Vers. Attracting the attention of SHIELD agent Nick Fury, Fury enlists Vers in an attempt to stop an alien invasion. In the process she learns of her forgotten past, of her part in the Kree-Skrull conflict and determines to harness her superpowers and put an end to the war.
This first Marvel movie to centre on a female superhero is a welcome, some would say overdue, edition to the MCU. As such, it was bound to draw comparisons to DC’s recent Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017) but in truth, the two movies are quite dissimilar. Captain Marvel does not carry the weight of Wonder Woman, arguably the best of the DCEU series. Nor is it the game changer that MCU entries Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) and Avengers Endgame (Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, 2019) proved to be. Rather co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, along with co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet have fashioned a fun and thrilling sci-fi action, which is happy to acknowledge its comic book roots. This is one of the the lighter entries in the MCU, but is none the worse for it and features some genuinely funny moments (including some unexpected comedy hi-jinks with a cat!).
Captain Marvel acts as an origins story for both Danvers and SHIELD head-honcho Nick Fury, seen here as a low-level SHIELD bureaucrat. There is a nice chemistry between Larson and Samuel L Jackson (returning as Fury) and the pair make an entertaining double act. Digitally de-aged 25 years, Jackson somewhat inhabits the uncanny valley. Although slightly distracting at first, midway through it was no longer noticeable and in no way detracts from his fine performance. MCU movies have previously attracted the biggest all-star casts since the 70s disaster movie epics and this series entry is no exception. Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou and Jude Law all impressive in their respective roles, but the movie really belongs to Larson and the appealing sense of gutsy naivety she brings to the role.
As always in the MCU, the hundreds of millions of dollars budget is right up there on screen to see. Aside from the minor quibble concerning Jackson’s de-aging process, the effects, costumes, art design are all top quality, with both otherworldly cityscapes and 1990s Los Angeles rendered with complete believability.
This first Marvel movie to centre on a female superhero is a welcome, some would say overdue, edition to the MCU. As such, it was bound to draw comparisons to DC’s recent Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017) but in truth, the two movies are quite dissimilar. Captain Marvel does not carry the weight of Wonder Woman, arguably the best of the DCEU series. Nor is it the game changer that MCU entries Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) and Avengers Endgame (Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, 2019) proved to be. Rather co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, along with co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet have fashioned a fun and thrilling sci-fi action, which is happy to acknowledge its comic book roots. This is one of the the lighter entries in the MCU, but is none the worse for it and features some genuinely funny moments (including some unexpected comedy hi-jinks with a cat!).
Captain Marvel acts as an origins story for both Danvers and SHIELD head-honcho Nick Fury, seen here as a low-level SHIELD bureaucrat. There is a nice chemistry between Larson and Samuel L Jackson (returning as Fury) and the pair make an entertaining double act. Digitally de-aged 25 years, Jackson somewhat inhabits the uncanny valley. Although slightly distracting at first, midway through it was no longer noticeable and in no way detracts from his fine performance. MCU movies have previously attracted the biggest all-star casts since the 70s disaster movie epics and this series entry is no exception. Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou and Jude Law all impressive in their respective roles, but the movie really belongs to Larson and the appealing sense of gutsy naivety she brings to the role.
As always in the MCU, the hundreds of millions of dollars budget is right up there on screen to see. Aside from the minor quibble concerning Jackson’s de-aging process, the effects, costumes, art design are all top quality, with both otherworldly cityscapes and 1990s Los Angeles rendered with complete believability.
The highest grossing movie of 2019 on its theatrical release, although since knocked into third place by Disney’s The Lion King (Jon Favreau) and MCU successor Avengers Endgame (the current all-time box office champ), it is safe to say we will see more of Ms Danvers on the big screen, both individually and as a key player in the next-gen Avengers movies. Captain Marvel’s connection to the Avengers ‘Infinity Saga’ is fairly loose and is only really touched upon in the closing credits. As such, the movie works as a stand-alone entry, your enjoyment of which should not be hampered by not having seen the other movies.
While Captain Marvel isn’t necessarily among the very best Marvel origins stories, it is still much better than what the rest of mainstream Hollywood currently has on offer. With a much needed injection of feminism into the MCU franchise and a healthy dose of 90s nostalgia, it is an entertaining, intelligent popcorn blockbuster that bodes well for the future of the Avengers movies post-Endgame.
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