Captain Marvel (2019)


The Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

The Cast:

Brie Larson – Vers/Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
Samuel L. Jackson – Nick Fury
Jude Law – Yon Rogg
Ben Mendelsohn – Talos/Keller
Clark Gregg – Agent Coulson
Lashana Lynch – Maria Rambeau
Lee Pace – Ronan
Annette Bening – The Supreme Intelligence
Gemma Chan – Minn-Erva
Djimonn Hounsou – Korath

Certificate: 12A
Released in UK cinemas: 8th March 2019

The Plot:

Set in the 90s Vers (Brie Larson, Room) is neither human nor alien. With fire in her fists, she lives on the Kree planet, Kala. She still remembers flashes of human memories: she was a pilot, she had a best friend with an adorable daughter, and she didn't take crap from anybody. So, nothing too dissimilar from her life on Kree, actually. Vers is fighting an invasion from a shape-shifting race called the Skrull, and Vers' mentor, Yon Rogg (Law, Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald) is training her to control her powers. But when she crash-lands into a Blockbuster store on Earth, Vers learns a lot more about herself, and the enemies she's fighting.

The Review:

WARNING: Contains Infinity War spoilers!

Let's be honest: how many films have been released with a female superhero standing front and centre? Marvel fans will enjoy seeing some familiar (younger) faces: there is of course Fury before he lost his eye (the ever-awesome Samuel L. Jackson); Ronan the Destroyer (Lee Pace) before he...wore make-up, and even a fresh-faced Phil Coulson (the most dedicated S.H.I.E.L.D agent that ever was, played by Clark Gregg). The effects are to achieve this are seamless; we've come a long way from an 80s Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy. Yikes.

In addition, the Skrulls are the more average-looking alien with green skin and pointy ears, but watching them transform is quite hypnotic in its fluidity. Mendelsohn's Talos is the loudest voice in the Krull species, which is kind of disappointing. From the comic books' perspective the Skrull were an evil race, intent on taking over Earth, hidden in plain sight, but they are given far more depth here. If only more of them spoke! Their fear of Goose the cat (the best character in the entire film) is not as unfounded as one would expect.

Law's character appears well-meaning, if a little smug, but the Supreme Intelligence offers more of the other-worldly aspects Marvel fans are used to (thank you, Guardians of the Galaxy). The soundtrack also features some mighty songs from TLC, Garbage, and Hole. Perhaps the Spice Girls was too mainstream, eh?

Though there may be some inconsistencies in the timeline regarding the Tesseract, a casual audience-member can appreciate Captain Marvel as a stand-alone movie. Larson successfully turns yet another “smart alec” Marvel superhero into one who is incredibly likeable. Moreover, Larson and Jackson's goofball chemistry shines loud and clear in every scene they share. Carol has fought hard to get where she is, which makes the final battle all the more triumphant. If Thanos isn't scared of what's coming to him, he damn-well should be.


The Verdict: 4 STARS OUT OF 5 ****

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