Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language
Runtime: 2h 4 min
Review:
Captain Marvel is a solid if bland origin story. That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had but the plot does telegraph some of the biggest reveals. At the center of the film is Brie Larson who is typically a strong performer. Here though, she's mostly wooden and she never really gives her character much personality. As such, the titular character and star isn't all that interesting for the majority of the film. Thankfully the supporting characters give the film a lot more life. Sam Jackson finally gets his proper due in the MCU by giving us a look at Nick Fury as a young SHEILD agent. The film is at its best when it pairs Larson and Jackson in a sort of buddy comedy, which really gives the film some life. The real surprise though is a Ben Mendelsohn who brings a lot more to the table than you'd expect. His character looks like a standard baddie but there's much more depth at play than at first glance. Throw in a scene stealing cat and you get film that's better in it's final act than it was in the previous two portions. The soundtrack is bound to make certain people nostalgic even if it plays like a copy of "Now that's what I call Music 90s." Ultimately the film does a workman like job of checking all the boxes on a origin film but with a clever feminist twist even if it's not a natural or organic as say Wonder Woman.
B-
Captain Marvel is a solid if bland origin story. That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had but the plot does telegraph some of the biggest reveals. At the center of the film is Brie Larson who is typically a strong performer. Here though, she's mostly wooden and she never really gives her character much personality. As such, the titular character and star isn't all that interesting for the majority of the film. Thankfully the supporting characters give the film a lot more life. Sam Jackson finally gets his proper due in the MCU by giving us a look at Nick Fury as a young SHEILD agent. The film is at its best when it pairs Larson and Jackson in a sort of buddy comedy, which really gives the film some life. The real surprise though is a Ben Mendelsohn who brings a lot more to the table than you'd expect. His character looks like a standard baddie but there's much more depth at play than at first glance. Throw in a scene stealing cat and you get film that's better in it's final act than it was in the previous two portions. The soundtrack is bound to make certain people nostalgic even if it plays like a copy of "Now that's what I call Music 90s." Ultimately the film does a workman like job of checking all the boxes on a origin film but with a clever feminist twist even if it's not a natural or organic as say Wonder Woman.
B-