Hello, Movie Buffs!
Directed and co-written by Anna Boden (Sugar) and Ryan Fleck (Sugar) as well as co-written by Nicole Perlamn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider), and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, Good Dinosaur); Captain Marvel (2019) is the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the war between the Kree and Skrulls, a race of shape-shifting aliens, Vers (Brie Larson) is a well-trained warrior who poses a unique set of special powers that not even the Kree understand or poses. Despite losing her memory and forgetting her identity in an unknown accident 6 years prior, Vers is eager to make use of her special powers and finally convinces the higher-ups to send her on her first mission against the Skrull. However, things do not go as plan and sooner rather than later Vers crash lands onto Earth, where she discovers a strong connection to her past and uncovers the truth behind the accident. Where did her powers come from? What does this make her? Or more accurately who is she? And what else has been kept hidden from her?
As aforementioned Captain Marvel (2019) is the most recent installment in the MCU franchise and is the first MCU installment in 11 years that has a female lead character. The trailers in no way accurately convey the films true intentions. Sure, we get a few hints here and there as to what we might expect but none of it fully prepares you for the full scope of the film.
First, let me start off by saying that, aside from a few other types, I detest films that try to shove feminism and political agendas down people throats. Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for equal rights, whether it be racial based or gender-based. However, this isn’t the 1960s nor is it the 1920s or ‘30s, this is 2019 and I personally believe that by now we should have not only learned from those who came before us but also learned to be better then them too. In most instance we have and in others, we are still learning but learning is a part of life and perhaps the next generation will be better than us.
While Captain Marvel is a woman, the film itself is not filled with bloated and unnecessary feministic and political nonsense, which could have easily been shoved into the script based on her gender. In fact, the film even goes so far as to avoid the topic completely. Rather than saying "you're only a woman" they chose to say "you're only human", which eloquently promotes human kind empowerment and deserves major praise for having the balls to do so.
Secondly, this is not your run of the mill origin story. There is no “So many years earlier” nonsense, rather they managed to find a clever way to deliver the backstory in a way that was both exciting for fans of the story and educational for those who knew next to nothing about Captain Marvel. Now there were some predictable moments but when you’ve seen as many films as I have, then you become well versed in noticing familiar plot points. Nevertheless, and without spoiling anything about the film, Captain Marvel is an engaging origin story unlike any of its predecessors, as it is both action-packed and funny. Captain Marvel is superior to Captain America 1, Iron man 2 & 3, Thor 1 & 2, Ant-Man, and the Hulk; and at the same time, it is inferior to GOTG 1, The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Ragnarok, and Infinity War. Like the GOTG films, this film perfectly introduces and ties in so many new concepts, worlds, aliens, heroes, and villains in a way that both fits in with the MCU storyline and expands on it as well.
Thirdly, as a superhero, Captain Marvel powers are more closely related to that of DCU’s Superman, allowing her to surpass both Thor and Hulk, who are widely considered to the two most powerful Avengers. Also considering that Endgame still has a powerful and seemingly unbeatable foe like Thanos, Captain Marvel’s introduction into the MCU appears to be even more crucial to the series than any other superhero before her. However, while she appears to be all powerful, MCU producer Kevin Feige shared that the team has also thought long and hard about what kind of weaknesses she should have in order to make her more relatable and human. Regardless of what they come up with in the future, the connections between this film and the upcoming Endgame are exciting and build on the already high anticipation.
The visual effects are excellent and seeing this film in IMAX only elevates to an already stunning film; my favorite is the touching tribute to Stan Lee in place of the standard Marvel intro of pages flipping. Most importantly, since this is an action film, the visuals only add to the impressiveness and believability of the action sequences. The music score also adds to film by being, aside from the GOTG films, one of the best MCU soundtracks I have ever heard. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise that further sells the film’s ‘90s setting.
The cast performances were spot on. Brie Larson (KONG: Skull Island, Room) is spectacular as Captain Marvel in that effortlessly knows how to portray a wide range of emotions both subtly and clearly. Once again, Samuel L. Jackson is outstanding as Nick Fury, his chemistry with Larson is great and it’s incredible how they were able to digitally de-age both him and Clark Gregg (as Agent Coulson). Ben Mendelsohn (Robin Hood) is brilliant as Talos/Keller, Jude Law (The Crimes of Grindelwald) is excellent as Yon-Rogg, and Lashana Lynch (Still Star-Crossed) is superb as Maria Rambeau. The supporting cast – Annette Bening, Gemma Chan, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace & Akira Akbar – is just as impressive.
Overall, Captain Marvel (2019) is not only the latest installment in the MCU franchise but it is also a mind-blowing and entertaining film that stands on its own and expands upon a complex storyline. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are just two more directors who have given MCU fans another unforgettable story. While it does center around a woman lead characters, the story actually focuses more on human empowerment, which clearly takes balls to do. On top of that, it refreshingly defers from your typical origin story. The visuals are impressive, the action the realistic, the music is a pleasant surprise, and the cast performances are solid. Captain Marvel is without a doubt a must-see film that I highly recommend you see in theaters, especially in IMAX. Also, don’t forget to stick around for two crucial credit scenes.
Final Vote --- 9.5 of 10 stars
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MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (viewing order)
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (TBA)
Movies Similar
Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Avengers (2012)
Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers 3: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers 4: Endgame (2019)
Black Panther (2018)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (TBA)
Hulk (2003)
Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Thor (2011)
Thor: Dark World (2013)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
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