Film Review: Captain Marvel (2019)

Dir: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Chan, etc.
Runtime: 2hr4min
Rating: PG-13
Spoiler level: Anything major will be marked under a ‘Read more’!

Captain Marvel, the latest origin story in the extensive Marvel Cinematic Universe, follows the titular heroine (Larson) in the pre-Thanos snap world as she confronts her mysterious past and attempts to save countless lives from a danger that threatens more than one world.

The last few Marvel films we’ve gotten – Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp – have all subverted genre tropes in an effort to stave off fatigue and prevent audiences from getting bored. Following these films, while also being the prelude to the hotly-anticipated Avengers: Endgame, is no easy feat, and makes it difficult to impress the folks who expect these films to keep getting bigger and better. Captain Marvel treads familiar ground and largely sticks to a known formula, but offers up a couple of surprises and manages to give a fresh, 90’s-infused twist to the standard superhero origin story as we are introduced to the fearless heroine who might hold the future of the Avengers in her fire-shootin’ hands.

This film starts off a little slow, in large part thanks to some info-dumping that drags the opening out a bit – but it levels out once the focus is centered on “Vers,” as our butt-kicking former pilot and current badass is known. It might be tough for some audience members to connect with Captain Marvel at first, since her introduction comes a few weeks before the most anticipated film in the MCU’s history, and this installment takes us back to an era before Nick Fury’s eyepatch instead of moving the overall narrative ahead. It does reference other Marvel films, but thankfully avoids obnoxious fan-service levels of pandering. The frequent 90’s references, nods to a bygone era that fans my age know so well from our own childhoods, do start to feel a little tired at times. Blockbuster and slow loading screens were a nice touch and hit some comedic notes, but once I saw Troll dolls and a Koosh ball, it got old.

Larson plays the role of Carol with an affable charm, tossing out jokes in the heat of battle one moment, then slamming enemies into walls with her photon rays the next. But there’s also a softness to her, especially when it comes to her lost past; she may be a great fighter, but she has demons to face, though she manages to avoid drowning in the same angst that many an Avenger has succumbed to. Her personality slides easily into a rapport with a young Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, as the two team up to keep power from falling into the hands of a dangerous foe. The de-aging used on the actors (both Jackson and Clark Gregg) in order to make them fit into the timeline isn’t a major distraction except for a couple of dodgy moments, which is a credit to both the makeup and special effects teams. The cast overall is great, both lead and supporting – and a couple of familiar faces pop up, who viewers might not have expected to see.

The narrative hits familiar beats – a hero struggling with her identity, a villain who seeks retribution, intergalactic battles, blue people, you know, the usual standard fare – but just when it seems that it’s going to be the same-old, same-old, a wrench gets thrown into the mix that makes the story veer off onto a new track. The fight scenes are cool, the drama compelling, and the pacing smooths out after the first half hour or so. So while there might be some turbulence at the start of the film, it doesn’t last long, and Captain Marvel transforms into a thrilling ride that aims to add another vital piece to the puzzle that is the MCU.

As a female who has seen just about every Marvel film on premiere night since 2010, and who wrote one of her film class final papers on Black Widow in The Avengers – I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing a strong woman kick ass on the silver screen. And Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel can duke it out with the best of them. All that remains is to see what part she plays in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame – and I’m confident she will be a shining torch of hope for the future of the MCU.

Overall rating: 8/10

SPOILERS BELOW, BEWARE!

I gotta say…. it was smart to cast Ben Mendelsohn, because he often plays a baddie. It was a good misdirect that I almost fell for, but, knowing what we know about the Kree and Ronan the Accuser from previous films, the snippets of Lee Pace had me smelling a rat. Still, I liked the twist with the Kree and the Skrull, even if I found it a bit predictable.

Also, that scene where Carol slams through the Kree ship is fantastic, especially with the music. A+.

Also, that post-credits scene tho. Come on, April!