Film Review: Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel Powers the Marvel Cinematic Universe into 2019 with A Glowing Success

Last year, Disney’s Marvel Studios raised the bar when it came to the box office. Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther were massively successful. When I heard that there was going to be a movie about Captain Marvel, I was both excited and skeptical. Captain Marvel is relatively unknown to those unfamiliar with Marvel’s literary universe, making it more difficult for a film about her to be successful. Black Panther was another film about a fairly unknown hero to fans of the cinematic universe, yet it succeeded despite that.

Captain Marvel Official Trailer

I tried not to get my hopes too high when going into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) 2019 debut. Captain Marvel obliterated all doubts I had about the studio being able to follow up last year’s success. Fully equipped with incredible special effects, space battles à la Star Wars, a killer soundtrack, and an all-star cast, this film was an incredible start to the 2019 film season.

Being the first live-action film after Stan Lee’s unfortunate passing, I think it was a fitting tribute. There was some controversy about Brie Larson’s casting as the Captain herself, but after watching the movie I can’t imagine any other actress doing a better job. She perfectly fit the part. Samuel L. Jackson is always a delight on film.

With this movie’s mid 90’s setting, Jackson was even more in his element. The film was chock full of 90’s nostalgia. Although the idea of the hero began in 1968 with Mar-vell, I think Disney’s Marvel set this film in the 1990s to line up with their current film timeline. Carol Danvers, this film’s protagonist, took on the helm of the titular hero in 1977, but under the name of Ms. Marvel. Captain Marvel was actually a man, but later Carol Danvers took the name. There are a few different Ms. Marvels in the Marvel universe so it was probably a good idea to differentiate them. Being a bit of an old soul, I enjoyed the little nods to my favorite decade, the time setting didn’t really bother me in terms of accuracy to the comics in that respect.

While the MCU set the bar extremely high in 2018, I believe Captain Marvel met, if not exceeded, that bar. The worst part of the movie for me was the first 20 minutes or so, not because it was bad or anything, only because the exposition part of any story is usually the least interesting. After that, the rest of the movie was incredible. I didn’t want to take my eyes from the screen.

Something I noticed that isn’t always present in these modern superhero movies was the character development. Being an origin story, how they develop the characters is extremely important. This movie did an incredible job of making the audience understand where each character comes from and forms complex relationships between them. That was the most enjoyable part for me, a relatable protagonist is always a winner. The MCU is known for using humor in otherwise serious films. The humor in Captain Marvel was more subtle. There were a few times where I laughed uncontrollably, a nice break from the seriousness of the film.

If the rest of Marvel’s 2019 is anything like Captain Marvel I think it’ll be a great year. Captain Marvel has the potential to be everyone’s favorite superhero and being Marvel’s first solo female protagonist, she is an incredibly empowering female figure for young girls who watch her movie. Not to mention, she is one of the most powerful heroes to appear in a movie. Throughout the film she shows that she is an extremely skilled hand-to-hand fighter. She also displays what appear to be cosmic powers, which in the comics is one of the most formidable forms of power. When Danvers discovers her true power, she is seemingly unbeatable.

I won’t spoil too much so if you want to see how strong she really is, you’ll need to see the movie. I believe Captain Marvel is a must-see for any Marvel fan and would be a great way to introduce someone to the comic universe.

If I were to sum up my feelings about this movie, I would quote the late, great, comic legend Stan Lee, “Excelsior!”.