Film: Captain Marvel
Starting: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Jude Law, Annette Bening
Director: Anna Boden
Review: Klep Napier
Rating: 3X’s out of 5X’s
In her first appearance on the big screen the new heroine of the Marvel universe packs one hell of a punch and proves that she can stand alone while standing beside the men of Marvel! #CaptainMarvel stars Brie Larson as "Carol Danvers", an American Airforce pilot who is struck with an incredible energy blast during a mission gone wrong, leaving her not only with a complete loss of memory but also with extraordinary powers! With no recollection of her past she awakens to what seems to be a normal life as an alien solider, training to fight an intergalactic war between her race "The Kree" and their longtime enemy "The Skrull", a shape shifting race that can clone as any living being. Things get interesting when Carol crash lands back on Earth where she is met by a young S.H.I.E.L.D agent by the name of Nick Fury. Having flashbacks of a different life Carol becomes torn between her unknown past and well known present as she teams up with Fury in stopping an invasion from the Skrulls all while trying to piece together who she really is! Although this film presents the familiar Marvel formula, Captain Marvel sets itself apart with a strong female lead. The film is set in the 1990’s so it places itself as a prelude to the modern “Marvel Cinematic Universe” after the coming of the first Avenger, Captain America. So here’s where it works, true Marvel fans will drool over seeing an adolescent yet blooming S.H.I.E.L.D and all it’s well known Agents as they witness their first Alien encounter! Even SHIELDS most well known Agent Coulson was there for the action. The links to the larger cinematic universe are all there so pay attention to dialogue and the backgrounds and your bound to catch something. This film is loaded with tons of action while everyone gets their fair share of shine, including "Goose the Cat" who in my opinion is the films MVP. The positive encouragement for young females to be strong and stand up for themselves is written all over the screen that's heart warming as well as empowering. As for that Stan Lee Cameo you ask? Yup it’s there, and geeks will roar with excitement for it! Now of course we wouldn’t be CritiX if we didn’t address some losses. First, this is a period piece where you will tend to forget about the period. Going in we knew it took place during the 90’s however you tend to forget and could take it as a film set in present day with Carol just having a retro sense of fashion. The soundtrack tried to remind you of when it is, but it’s easily forgettable. The pace was great but as 10 year long MCU fans, throwing an origin story to establish a new character in the mix just before the final act may seem a bit out of place. It feels like Marvel took a step backwards in order to cram in this amazing character, a uniquely shaped puzzle piece that really doesn’t fit into an almost complete puzzle. No matter how excited you are to get to (Avengers: End Game), be prepared to focus entirely on Captain Marvel for the entire 2 hours taking it's sweet time making sure you get to know exactly who she is. Nothing within the actual movie ties you into Avengers: End Game except for the pay off during the end credits! Well worth the wait. Overall this film is fun with Marvels usual witty humor, explosive scenes, and is actually quite memorable. Director Anna Boden is brilliant in styleization! We do believe the film does serve it's purpose within the MCU. We can’t wait to see more of Captain Marvel. Next up End Game!
Oh and don't forget to stick around for the two post credit scenes 😉
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