Captain Marvel Review.

And so, begins Disney’s takeover of 2019.

After ten years, twenty movies and one snap, Marvel has finally given the world it’s first female led film. It’s been a long time coming. Considering the number of talented actresses on the studios roster it’s crazy that it took so long for us to get here. Captain Marvel faces pressure coming into its release weekend. Not only does it have to deal with the pompous idiots who refuse to accept a female superhero, if you’re one of those ‘fans’ then please read no further into my review. There’s no place for sexist fans here.  Captain Marvel also faces the pressure of being the MCU’s first film of 2019. That’s a lot of pressure considering that 2018 was the studios most successful year to date. We all know by now that the superhero bubble won’t last for a long time. Nor should it. These films have been providing me joy for the last ten years now. It boggles my mind to think that I’ve been going to see these films in cinema since I was nine.  With Endgame coming in just a few weeks, there’s one question that needs to be answered. Well, there’s a billion questions to be asked, but one that needs to be answered right now. Is Captain Marvel the superhero to lead the MCU in a post-Thanos world? While far from the MCU’s best. Captain Marvel may be the hero we need in 2019.

Captain Marvel follows Carrol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she becomes one of the universes most powerful heroes when earth is caught in the middle of a battle between two alien worlds. This is a film which feels straight from Phase 1 of the MCU. While it doesn’t reach the heights of last years Black Panther. Captain Marvel is a good, sometimes great origin story.  The origin story is always a tricky concept to nail. It’s hard enough to introduce one human hero. When you are trying to explain to your audience a new galactic world, things can get sloppy. The first Thor and Doctor Strange films were held back by having to do this. It’s hard to introduce so much information to your audience without feeling like you’re pandering. Captain Marvel does a solid job at explaining the new lifeforms. The first act of the film focuses on the space side of Danvers. Known as Vers on her home planet of Hala, Danvers and her fellow Kree soldiers hunt down the evil shapeshifting Skrulls. This part of the film feels identical to the opening minutes of Thor. It’s a little bit confusing at times as the film doesn’t do a great job at explaining what’s happening to those who aren’t die hard comic fans. There’s a lot of mythology to the Kree so it’s understandable that it glosses over it. Once the second act brings the action to Earth, the film gets going. Danvers is joined by the returning Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as she tries to uncover the secrets of her past. The buddy cop portion of the film is a blast. Danvers and Fury bring the laughs due to the actors’ terrific chemistry. The final act of the film is for the most part brilliant. It features a battle scene which is an all timer for this universe. Unfortunately, the last few minutes attempts the worse kind of fan service which left me leaving my screen with a sour taste. I found it hard to remember that I enjoyed the majority of Captain Marvel.

Brie Larson is wonderful as the titular character. It’s been a common problem is the MCU that actors don’t nail their first outing as their hero. Hemsworth, Cumberbatch, Olsen and Johansson all took more than one film to settle into their roles. That’s not a problem for Larson. When not kicking ass in the action scenes, Larson is effortlessly charismatic as Danvers. She’s got the comedic chops, emotional range and all-round acting abilities to make the film her own. Any character who wears a Nine Inch Nails top has my backing until the end of time. Danvers goes through the amnesia story which we’ve seen a million times before. Thankfully, Larson sells her characters turmoil well enough that you won’t get frustrated that you’ve seen it done before. Larson makes the wait for a female outing worthwhile. A big worry of mine heading into the film was that Captain Marvel would be overpowered. I don’t want her to show up in Endgame and defeat Thanos like it’s nothing. What we get is a character who isn’t invincible. Captain Marvel can be defeated unlike Superman who has similar powers. I’m excited to see the characters powers explored more in the future. Larson could very well become the MVP of The Avengers.

The supporting cast in Captain Marvel deliver for the most part. Samuel L. Jackson gives his best performance to date as a younger Nick Fury. Seeing as the film is set in 1995 Jackson was way too old to play such a younger version of himself. You can’t recast Jackson! The special effects crew have knocked it out of the park with the de-aging of Jackson. Jackson’s performance as Fury matches the efforts of the effects crew. Fury is more light-hearted than we’ve before. The naivety feels natural to the character as it’s his first mission with aliens. The Danvers/Fury combination is biggest thing going for the film. Their friendship drives through their banter which never feels forced or cringey. I could watch way more adventures of these two. Hopefully Jackson follows this up with another stellar performance in Far from Home. Ben Mendelsohn threatens to steal the show as Skrull leader Talos. Mendelsohn is one of the few villains of the MCU to deliver.  No matter what the role is the Aussie actor never disappoints. He may very well be my favourite actor working right now. Seriously, he’s that good in this. Jude Law as Vers teacher Yon-Rogg gives a surprisingly poor performance. Law who is normally reliable doesn’t seem to know what kind of movie he is. It’s a similar performance to Patrick Wilsons performance in Aquaman, but without the fun. Lashana Lynch as Maria is hampered by the poorer elements of the scripts. Her character is not given enough focus for you to ever connect to her friendship with Danvers.  If you’re expecting to see lots of the returning Coulson (Clark Gregg), Ronan (Lee Pace) and Korath (Djimon Hounsou) then prepared to be disappointed. Bar Coulson none of their inclusions add anything of note. The supporting characters aren’t given enough to do in a film which has so many characters. Larson, Jackson and Mendelsohn’s performances are strong enough to not make this a severe issue.

Marvel have a track record of pulling small directors from the world of film and throwing them into the big time. This might be the most obscure direction they’ve gone with to date. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are on directing duties on Captain Marvel.   The two have worked together on indie films such as Half Nelson, It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Mississippi Grind. None of these films have giant fan bases so I was shocked to see them given this huge opportunity.  Check out Half Nelson if you haven’t yet. Boden and Fleck deliver solid direction on Captain Marvel. There’re no indicators that the two have only worked in indie drama up to this. Their action scenes feel unique and the quieter moments are well directed. Captain Marvel’s biggest hindrance is its script.  Boden and Fleck are joined by Geneva Robertson-Dworet on script-writing duties. Dworet’s only previous writing gig was on last years forgettable Tomb Raider reboot. There are times in the film where the dialogue feels as if they’ve been asked to write the most generic action film dialogue as possible. The script also tries to make subtle hints at race relations and the refugee crisis. While solid ideas they end up feeling like they’re being shoved down your throat. The fan service the film attempts angered me to a high degree. If you’ve been a fan of the MCU since its inception you will no doubt be annoyed. This feels like a film where the studio didn’t give much creative freedom to its directors. The behind the scenes team don’t get their work on screen as naturally as the actors do.

Captain Marvel is a solid addition to the MCU. The acting is wonderful in a way that makes this feel different to any of Marvels other films. There are times where you’ll look at your watch how to see how long you’ve been watching for.  While not the game-changer that I was expecting, Captain Marvel is still better than 90% of the action films we will see this year. At times I’m a little bit too harsh on Marvel. When you’ve been given so many classics you can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed when one of their films doesn’t blow you away. If this film arrived back in Phase 1 then less people would be so criticising of it. Not every Marvel film is going to be amazing. Let’s be grateful for Captain Marvel. Brie Larson is the star we’ve been crying out to have as lead for years. This is a solid start for Captain Marvel. Don’t be mistaken. She is only getting started.

Liam’s Summary of Captain Marvel

Best Moment: The train sequence is 90s in the best way possible.

Worst Moment: You’ll know it when you see it.

Best Character: Talos is Mendo at peak Mendo.

Worst Character: Jude Law whose name is…. DAMN IT.

Watch This if You Liked.

Thor: An underrated superhero film which is weirdly like Captain Marvel.

Half Nelson: Support indie directors.

Die Hard with a Vengeance: More Jackson fun from 1995.

Overall Rating: 3/5