AFTER 20 movies featuring various male lead superheroes across a 10-year span, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) finally unveils its most powerful female “heroic warrior” in Captain Marvel.
The DC brand had Wonder Woman back in 2017 that was a financial and critical success, so it’s time for Marvel Studios’ new girl to shine. And on her maiden voyage to go “faster, higher, further baby”, it does at times deliver stratospherically.
Basically, it’s wrapped up in the Marvel formula of putting out a fun, all-round entertaining ride in a tried-and-tested “origin story” package. This time it also serves up a hefty dose of female empowerment.
Oh, and it also functions as a lead up to the highly- anticipated epic confrontation between what’s left of Earth’s mightiest heroes with uber villain Thanos in the Avengers: Endgame movie next month.
Played stoically with abrupt snark by Oscar-winner Brie Larson, the character called Vers is introduced in a sci-fi setting on the planet Hala, which is home to the Kree. She is part of Starforce, an elite team which includes warriors played by Juda Law, Djimon Hounsou and Gemma Chan, who are fighting a war with another alien race called the Skrulls.
On a mission gone wrong, she is captured by the Skrulls who are looking for info buried in her memories. It turns out that the amnesiac Vers was actually a human and ace fighter jet pilot Captain Carol Danvers back on Earth, who is in possession of a great power that resides inside of her.
When she inavertantly crash-lands on Earth, she seeks out an important person from her memory played by Annette Bening.
While on Earth circa the 1990s, she encounters a younger Agent Nick Fury of SHIELD and they form a reluctant alliance to find out the truth about what’s really going on.
Along the way the Skrulls are also in pursuit of Vers/Danvers, who will eventually gain control of her great power as Captain Marvel. She will also reestablish her relationship with her best friend, played by Lashana Lynch.
The movie will surely leave a positive, inspiring and lasting impression on young girls and children to never give up, persevere and dream big. And perhaps for guys, to not take the ladies for granted.
Those who grew up in the 1990s will also be treated to some nostalgic references. The story itself has a few twists and odd-ball turns along the way as it breezes through in about 120 minutes.
Indie movie directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have done a decent job here although the action and fight scenes are not consistently good throughout. It was more thrilling during the earlier part of the movie but as it got to the end, the action was a little ho hum, ironically, despite the great power that Captain Marvel wields. It was an odd sensation considering that Marvel Studios has already put out other movies with some pretty impressive fight choreography.
That said, there are a lots of elements and narratives in this movie that tie into and explain things from other Marvel productions, which make it feel at home in the MCU. And one of the biggest highlights is the relationship between Carol and Fury. The two share a buddy cop vibe that translate well onscreen.
Larson and Jackson exhibit dynamite chemistry and are a joy to see each time they appear together. Maybe it’s due to the two having worked with each other a few times in previous movies, including Unicorn Store, in which Larson also starred, directed and produced.
Jackson certainly kills it in every scene that he is in. The actor has appeared in MCU movies since the beginning with a cameo in Iron Man back in 2008. Here he looks great as the younger Fury, thanks to spectacularly seamless digital de-ageing effects. Viewers will not realise that Jackson is actually 71 this year.
Although the cast mainly pull off their roles well, another standout is Mendelsohn as the seemingly villainous shape-changing Skrull leader Talos. He emotes well, even under thick makeup and prosthetics, and his characterisation is nuanced and also pretty funny at times.
Another scene-stealer is the cute, fluffy orange tabby Goose. There’s more to this feline than meets the eye and it certainly surprised the audience at the screening. ‘Nuff said.
On a rather big side note, it was heartwarming to see the opening Marvel Studio logo montage as a tribute to the late Stan “The Man” Lee, who passed away late last year. It was clear that the man behind the Marvel brand was much loved as the audience reacted with loud cheers and applause. Lee also has a nice cameo that fans will surely enjoy.
So is the movie as good or even better than Wonder Woman?
Probably not, mostly due to the fact that the female Captain Marvel (the original Captain Marvel or Mar-Vell was a man co-created by Lee back in 1967 and shares similarities with DC’s Shazam, it’s complicated) is an obscure comic character unknown to many in comparison. But she’s certainly off to a good start and hopefully her character and role will just get better from here on.
Case in point is Scarlett Johansson and her Black Widow role, which didn’t really make an impact when she was first introduced in Iron Man 2. It was only after the first Avengers movie in 2012 that viewers got to see a more developed version of the super spy, who has since become an indispensable figure in the MCU.
Speaking of which, when are we going to get a standalone Black Widow movie? Hello, Marvel Studios?
Anyway, Captain Marvel is a must-watch to see the early pivot of where the MCU is heading next. As usual, stay in your seat to catch the two post-credit scenes that will whet your appetite for the Avengers: Endgame showdown. Can’t wait!
CAPTAIN MARVEL
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law
Duration 124 minutes
Rating P13