Captain Marvel (2019)

 

Genre: Action/Sci-fi        Time: 2hrs        Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Quick Summary: Amidst a mission, Vers, a Kree warrior, gets separated from her team and is stranded on Earth. However, her life takes an unusual turn after she teams up with Fury, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

I think this film is very underrated, I really don't think it deserves the hate it gets.

Captain Marvel comes in with a wonderful blast of colour and fun energy. I found it very fresh compared to other Marvel films, and I honestly really enjoyed it. It was super engaging and had a super uplifting tone to it.

The whole memory loss troupe can be overplayed at this point, but this manages to balance it out and really manages to meld it well with brainwashing. Her memories seem to be sporadic and never seem to match up. I liked this as you really felt as if you were in the same shoes as Vers in trying to figure out her life.  Though what is interesting, she never feels lost, since as far as she remembers she feels at home with the Kree. So there is always a conflict about where she really belongs. 

This Film has some thrilling, fun moments. The nods to its 1990s setting are pretty priceless, too, including a wink at Stan Lee’s extensive cameo in the 1995 film Mallrats.

 Brie Larson is a delight throughout, brilliantly expressing her emotions, while clearly relishing Vers' rambunctious personality and the sheer glee of discovering just how powerful she is. Although Captain Marvel is a little slow to start – a ponderous first act is livened up only by a particularly exciting corridor brawl on a Skrull ship where Vers, her hands manacled and powers restrained, still takes down a host of enemies – it ramps up satisfyingly throughout, culminating in a space battle with Captain Marvel at the zenith of her powers, and Larson clearly loving every second.

The start of the film wasn’t particularly engaging as we’re thrown into a new alien world (Hala) and a galactic war between two species without much background. Personally, I really would have liked to explore more of this history, but once the frenetic action slows down and the central relationships begin to form on Earth, particularly between Vers, Fury, and Talos, the film starts to come into its own. Ultimately we get a great origins story told in a refreshing way, yes the usual Marvel tropes checklist was ticked, but the combination of the fun performances and empowering themes really shone brightly in this film.

Overall, Captain Marvel is a solid and entertaining superhero flick, which carries an inspiring and empowering message at the heart of the film. It's fun! It's lighthearted and just wants to have a good time. I honestly think it's a wonderful breath of fresh air compared to other Marvel films.

8/10

‘I’ve been fighting with one arm tied behind my back, but what happens when I’m finally set free?’

‘I have nothing to prove to you.’