The latest chapter in the MCU has finally arrived. Captain Marvel has never appeared, but it feels like she’s always been here. The film seamlessly brings Brie Larson’s Carol to life. Rather than the gigantic showdown that was Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel straddles a line between the cosmic and down to earth moments, brilliantly.
It must be complemented that it mainly ignores and sets up it’s own world, rather than relying on the already stacked Marvel Universe, with no Avengers popping up here and there. It is an origin story for the Avengers, Nick Fury and how it all start and is full of twists and turns that are better left unknown.
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is a Kree soldier who struggles with memory loss – with her memories flashing before her, Carol gets glimpses into the past but everything remains confused and unclear. On a mission to exterminate some rogue Skrulls, Carol gets taken by Talos (Ben Mendelssohn) and is extracted for information on a certain mysterious doctor. As the war between the Kree and the Skrulls rage on, Carol finds herself on Earth – in the 90’s. Where she meets a young Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), who helps her on her mission to stop Talos and his army.
The film is absolutely hysterical. Brie Larson is quirky, charming and incredibly smooth – for my money, perfectly cast. The combination of Larson, Jackson and surprisingly Goose (The cat) marks a wonderful team who similarly are all very confused and humorous as their journey goes along. Captain Marvel is hilarious, with sharp snappy one liners from Carol to the never better Nick Fury heightening the usual Samuel L Jackson charm to another level.
The film’s plot is full of twists and turns. Events will not go the way you expect, I have a strong admiration for the careful crafting, that meticulously builds up the unexpected turns of the film. The film does not suffer from the Black Panther problem, the CGI is seriously great. Perhaps one or two blips, but entirely minuscule as any tentpole CGI-filled film contains. The de-aging technology is flawless, you will be utterly convinced with Samuel L Jackson and Clark Gregg throughout. I forgot about it at one point.
Unlike a lot of Marvel films (excluding some), this film’s visuals and colour palette are sumptuous. A genuine joy to look at, with the impressive direction to the beautiful colours of space. Captain Marvel is a film full of colour and life. Additionally, the editing is rather impressive. Zoning out of the real world, we get flashbacks through various montages that eventually builds up to one bone-chilling scene that will send chills up your spine.
It is a real showcase for Carol who is now the reason why I am even more excited for Avengers: Endgame. Just to see more of Brie Larson in a role that looks like she had a sheer blast playing. The balancing game acts as a way for us to embrace both sides to Carol, a fearless test pilot and super-powered hero that herself brings warmth and tenderness whilst also being very impulsive.
Captain Marvel is full of hysterical funny moments, gorgeous visuals and is an action packed spectacle. It is one of Marvel’s best films, Brie Larson is perfectly cast as the relentless “Avenger”.
4.5/5 Stars
Ben Rolph
