Captain Marvel

Rating: 4.25/5

Maybe not as enthralling as past Marvel outings, yet Captain Marvel is still an entertaining and exciting film experience. 

In the mid 1990's, a Starforce member who goes by the name of Vers (Brie Larson) is on a rescue mission against a race of shapeshifting aliens known as Skrulls. When Vers is abducted by the Skrulls, she is forced into a machine devised to pull memories from her brain, but she breaks free before the Skrulls are able to learn everything her mind has to offer. In the chaos of her escape, Vers finds herself crashing down into planet Earth. Knowing the shapeshifters won't be far behind, Vers knows she must be acutely aware of any human being that seems off or out of sorts. With the help of newly acquired companion, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Vers must work to regain the memories she was reminded of by the Skrulls while trying protect the innocent people of Earth.

Of all the films in the Marvel catalogue, Captain Marvel seems to one where the reviews and opinions are incredibly divided. When I first saw this in theaters when it was originally released, I wasn't sure what my thoughts on the film would be. After leaving the theater, I remember liking it, but being slightly underwhelmed by it. Upon my most recent viewing, I have to say I enjoyed it a bit more. Even though I feel Captain Marvel had a few more pacing and predictability problems than other Marvel movies, it is still an entertaining time overall. It's got a plethora of 90's nostalgia to make any millennial happy, and it's full of excellent chemistry between its' lead and her costar.

There has been much debate over the casting choice of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, but I personally feel Brie Larson did a great job at embodying the energy charged heroine. At times, her quips don't feel as naturally placed as other characters' have in past Marvel films, but I think that's more the fault of the movie's timing and not the actress' skill. Her physicality and acting prowess trump any of the few flubbed attempts at comedy, and her performance added to the already intense hype that surrounded the upcoming Avengers film when Captain Marvel came out years back. Aiding in her already impressive portrayal of Danvers, are any scenes in which she shares the screen with Samuel L. Jackson. It's become fairly common knowledge that the two had a real bond on set, and that certainly comes through in their acting. The best scenes in Captain Marvel are between the ones where Carol is kicking butt and taking names, and the ones where Carol and Nick's companionship is on display. 

The only real negative thing I could say about Captain Marvel is that I wish it had more physical action for Carol rather than CGI based fights. Given the amount of training and effort Brie Larson put into the role, I expected a bit more hand to hand combat. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely moments where we get to see all the hard work and skill Larson acquired and perfected, one viewing of the train scene proves that, but after, her intense strength appears to be almost forgotten and turns into mostly special effect enhanced power. I know that computerized effects are necessary to portray Carol's full potential, but it would have been nice to see Larson's training put to more use in the final act. Perhaps Marvel is saving the best of Danver's real life power for her next title feature and we've just seen surface of what she can do; because to be honest, that wouldn't surprise me. From the glimpse I saw in this movie, Brie Larson and Captain Marvel are not to be trifled with; with or without superhuman powers. 

This movie is ripe with girl power and I love it. I'm a female and not even someone who is overly vocal about such topics, but even I couldn't help but be swept up in the message brought out by Captain Marvel. It clearly empowers women not to be afraid to show our strength and to stick up for ourselves against the never ending barrage of comments that are so frequently thrown at us about not smiling or other like minded nonsense. Captain Marvel may not be the best origin story in the MCU, but it's refreshing for the most part and a great installation into the hopefully growing new trend of female focused superhero movies.