Review: Captain Marvel is a blast of fun and adventure
Welcome to the MCU, Carol Danvers…
★★★★½
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. (IMDb)
The time when a female-fronted superhero movie can just be considered on its merits and for what it has to say can’t come soon enough. Captain Marvel deserves to be talked about as a story and an experience. And yet, we’re still not at the place where we can’t really ignore the hateful trolls attempting to tank the film’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score simply because the movie’s hero is a woman, or how box office pundits still question if female superhero movies can be successful (they can and are, conversation over), whether this character is a “Mary Sue” (she’s not), or whether she’s vulnerable, likeable, or feminine enough. Superhero stories with men in the lead role simply don’t have to deal with this kind of discourse.
Nonsense like this just gets in the way of us having a healthy conversation about this movie too, and makes it harder to honestly discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I found it a great deal of fun and feel it makes for a stirring and engaging introduction to the character of Carol Danvers. Other may disagree, but I think directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have done a great job balancing smaller emotional moments and big spectacular action scenes to deliver a terrific cosmic adventure here. Not only is it a gripping film in its own right, it expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and adds a new player to the conflict that’ll occur in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame.
Higher, further, faster
Set in 1995, we follow Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), who we initially meet under the Kree name Vers. The alien race of the Kree are engaged in a war with the shapeshifting Skrulls, and Vers is part of a skilled military team led by commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Dealing with her own amnesia, she finds herself stranded on Earth after a skirmish with the Skrulls and begins to see that she had a past on the planet. She’s joined in the ’90s by a digitally de-aged Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury (the effect is incredibly convincing), and there’s a couple of appearances from Clark Gregg playing a younger take on Agent Coulson.
Welcome to the cosmos
Larson is tremendous in the lead role and more than carries the film, it’s easy to see how she’ll fit in with the Avengers in Endgame. One great aspect of Captain Marvel is that it really expands the cosmic side of the MCU with the Kree, Skrulls, and much more. The Kree leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) makes for a more interesting character than you expect, while Djimon Hounsou and Lee Pace reprise their roles from Guardians of the Galaxy. Beyond Larson, the supporting performances — especially Jackson, Mendelsohn, Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau (one of Carol’s oldest friends), and Annette Bening as the “Supreme Intelligence” (the AI spiritual leader of the Kree) — are excellent. Casting in Marvel movies is consistently great and this is no exception. The film really delivers as an exciting adventure that makes small but noticeable changes to a typical origin story structure. It’s a blast of ‘90s-style cinema that has a strong and well-judged mix of action and humour.
Marvel’s first female-fronted movie
While I do wish we could all move beyond some of the more tired talking points around female hero movies, I do want to recognise how important and momentous this is, and how great it is that kids can look up to this hero and be inspired by her. It shouldn’t be understated that it’s a big deal that Marvel has finally given its huge audience a film with a woman in the lead role. The studio has taken its time to get here and should’ve done it sooner. What’s great is, as with Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne and Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, the character gets to have a great deal of complexity and personality. Carol is someone we can respect, relate to, and root for. She’s also a character that doesn’t come with the kind of historical legacy that Wonder Woman has, for instance, so it’s refreshing to see that Captain Marvel gets to wear a functional armoured costume that feels more like something Captain America would wear than it does the skimpy outfits the DCEU’s Amazonians end up sporting.
It’s funny, compelling, and powerful
This is a smart movie, and in many ways it’s more poignant and meaningful than you may expect or notice on first viewing. Marvel continues to rely on independent filmmakers with a clear tone of voice. While this sometimes follows a familiar template, the perspectives of Boden and Fleck do shine through. Its central theme is about emotions being a strength rather than a weakness, and it also deals with the struggles of those who appear different effectively. We also don’t have to go through some of the obvious steps in origin stories. From the off, Carol is capable, skilled, intelligent and human. Her growth is about uncovering truths and breaking through barriers others have created for her. Captain Marvel is also a huge amount of fun. You’ll have heard about how Goose the cat is a real scene-stealer (it’s true, he gets a lot of fun moments), but there’s sharp dialogue, great gags and a brilliant buddy comedy dynamic between Larson and Jackson for much of the film.
Verdict
Another rousing hit for Marvel. Captain Marvel is a poignant, moving, and uplifting film. It’s a movie with a lot of heart and soul, and some terrific spectacle and action.
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