Movie Review: Captain Marvel (2019)

Summary: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. 

• Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Vers / Captain Marvel. So, without telling her entire story here, I’m going to be brief about who she is. So, she is part of an elite Kree military unit called Starforce. She has superhuman strength and energy projection. You see some other things she can do later. At first, she comes off as a smart ass (which she remains lol) but she is learning how to control her abilities as she can’t seem to not fight without them flaring up. It’s an interesting set up of what her struggle will be throughout the film. As she is a Kree in her mind, she is a strong believer in the truth and justice at all costs and she’s kind of unemotional because her job is to just do her job. She is a great fighter and knows how to think on her feet. She has a quick temper and very aggressive. All which help shape her character. In the comics I have read, I don’t particularly like Carol. She is the person who will make tough choices but sometimes it seems like she does it because it’s her way or the highway when it’s like “GIRL, you can be wrong you know.” But I liked her in this movie. She’s accessible and relatable in terms of her personality. I mean she’s a bit extra, but it works for her character and it helps her arc in the long run. I really liked how she had fun whenever she did her job, she didn’t have this stoic look on her face throughout the movie. There was a lot of talk about Brie Larson not smiling or scowling too much in the movie and I’m like… that’s not Carol’s character. She’s a smirker. That’s what she did throughout the film and it’s just her character. Haters. Anyways, I love Brie Larson. I have always loved her, and I think she was great in the role. She clearly had fun doing the action moves and she is so good at the emotional aspects of the character that I see why she was chosen. Plus, she looks good in that outfit lol.

• Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. We know him as the Director of SHIELD but currently he is a low-level agent. He has both of his eyes in this film lol. He basically is a desk worker and is still optimistic about things. It’s cool to see him before he’s a badass agent with all kinds of backup plans. I think the chemistry he has with Brie Larson is good (so good in fact they did a movie together on Netflix called “Unicorn Store”). It’s because of her that he is really introduced to the idea of superpowered beings and other beings. Him trusting Carol and working with her, is a big part of his character and shows how different he was because we all know Fury is not the most trusting man these days. But it also shows why she is the one he called just before he was dusted in the Infinity War end credit scene. He knows she can help. What can I say about Sam Jackson? I mean, he’s great in this role, he’s great playing a younger version of him. He’s so likable here, plus all the stuff with the cat is hilarious and super sweet. They didn’t even really need to de-age him because he pretty much looks the same!

• Ben Mendelsohn. I don’t want to say much without giving him away, but he plays a dual role in this. He does well at both really and I was a little shocked at the bait and switch they did.

• Jude Law as Yon-Rogg. He is the commander of Starforce and Carol’s mentor. He trains her to use her powers. He has a strong belief in his people and how they do things. He’s a devout warrior, conservative, he doesn’t question things, but he also manages to be a bit inspirational. You can’t help but to like him. You may not trust him but he’s likable. It’s clear that he has a strong friendship with Carol and I think it’s because of his special interest in her his other teammates kind of dislike her, particularly that one chick. Jude Law is a likable guy in everything I have ever seen him in. He can play weird and bad but he’s just so good at it.

• Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau. She is one of Carol’s oldest friends and a fellow Air Force pilot. She has a daughter Monica, who is super cute. She is strong, resilient and she feels like someone Carol would go to first whenever she needs her. She is a badass and it’s clear she was affected when they all thought Carol was killed in a flight accident. They are best friends and it shows. The pictures of them through the years looked like they’d really been friends for years. The fact that she was ready to be ride or die but also was cautious because she has a daughter, made her such a relatable and accessible character. I think many women would think the same way she would. I’ve never seen Lashana Lynch in anything before, but she seems to be a very dynamic actress and my eyes always went to her whenever she was on screen. I don’t know how much of her we’ll see going forward but I would love to see her again.

It’s Pretty Funny. It’s not a constant laughter like Thor Ragnarök or Guardians of the Galaxy but it has a lot of good moments. There are a lot of great moments with the cat Goose. Carol is also funny with her deadpan reactions to some things, or how aggressive she is. Of course, Fury is funny because Sam Jackson is hilarious and with this being a younger Fury, he’s less serious lol. The humor is sprinkled throughout, and it doesn’t feel overdone, out of place, it fits in in the right places.

The Message/Story. Soo this isn’t really an original story. We’ve seen it before just in a different form. That’s fine. The point is to make the familiar journey memorable and fun to be part of. In this, you have Carol who does not remember who she is, she doesn’t even know she’s human. Throughout this movie, she is faced with the reality that what she knows up to this point might not be true. How does she handle it? She must decide for herself. Plus, she also must learn how to stand on her own. Of course, she is powerful, but she’s always held back due to what she’s been told, or the fact that her emotions prevent her from truly understanding her power. It’s her story to figure out who she is and just how she can be on her own terms! That’s a great message, especially for any young girls (boys too) out there trying to discover their power and who they are.

Cool Action. A lot of the action pieces are choreographed well! There are quite a few actions set pieces and I think not only does it look good, but it flows well. The entire last 30 minutes has a huge action piece and Carol has the chance to really show what she can do.

Awesome Visuals! Even if you didn’t like the movie, I would think we can all agree that the visuals were pretty dope. The effects used for her powers was a nice look, it even really reminded me of the material she received it from. There’s a part where she’s blown back by a huge energy and it was put in slow motion and it was a close-up of her face and that entire scene was cool personally. I also enjoyed the look of when she went into that mind thing lol. Then of course towards the end when we see her in her suit, the way they changed the colors, and all the technology in her suit. Not to mention, whenever her hair took on the power as well and it was floating upwards. Gosh it was just so cool!! When she came through that one door and her hair…DOOOPPE!! lol

Cons:

LOTS of exposition. I don’t necessarily think the movie is slow, but it does have a lot talking and explaining things. It’s set a lot in space, with a lot of different species and types of beings, so there are lots of scenes were people are just talking and explaining their backstories or talking about their feelings in super long and introspective moments.

Continuity Issues. I guess this is more of a personal problem lol, but maybe not, I just think it’s hard to really grasp the timeline of things when there are so many Marvel Cinematic Universe films to keep up but the biggest things that stood out to me was “SHIELD” (I swear that word looks so wrong every time I write it lol), but this film is set in the 90’s right? Okay cool, but we know that SHIELD didn’t become S.H.I.E.L.D at least without the title becoming a thing until 2008 when Iron Man first came about. Pepper kept saying to Coulson that it was a mouthful and by the end, they finally made the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate into S.H.I.E.L.D. So, I thought it was big glaring misfire when they kept calling it that when it didn’t become that until years later. But that’s just me lol. Also, without getting too much into spoilers, but the thing that everyone is looking for, we’ve seen that thing so many times… it doesn’t completely add up to me.

Villains? I do think the MCU has issues with having compelling villains. I think their last few outings have been some of their better villains and it’s hard to say that there is a clear cut one in this film. You get a bit of a bait and switch when it comes to the villain and you can take it as you want, but I think either way, both villains are kind of meh in that what true threat to the pose? If anything, the first “villain” is there because of what we’re told throughout the movie, then the second villain is more of a personal villain? I mean… sure lol.

Overall, I really liked Captain Marvel. I think the acting is good all around. All the characters were interesting and good additions in their own rights. I’m curious to see the events of this movie affecting future Marvel films, even though this one is set in the 90’s. I think all of the characters are interesting. The visuals are top notch and the action is also handled well. I think it’s funny, Fury having a lot of the funny moments as to be expected with him being a younger character here. I like the story being portrayed. It may be a story we’ve seen before, but it’s handled well. Now it does have some issues, particularly with how exposition heavy it is, and it does feel like it’s preventing the movie from progressing as smoothly as it should. Also, the continuity issues that I think are pretty glaring for a movie in a shared universe. But that’s a kind of minor. Also, is there a villain? If so, they’re a bit meh which is kind of sad as the MCU has been doing well with their villains the last few movies. Anyways though, I really enjoyed this movie and it’s a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars.

Have you seen Captain Marvel? What are your thoughts down below? If you didn’t like, let’s talk about why? I’m interested to hear about it.

What is your favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movie?