Captain Marvel: Relatable

For a film to be in the position that Captain Marvel was in, following Avengers: Infinity War and being the only Marvel Cinematic Universe film before phase III’s closing chapter, Avengers: Endgame, it was placed in a tight spot. With the excitement being so driven for the mysterious Endgame, it was easy to be dismissive over Captain Marvel.

However, with all that being said, Captain Marvel is finally here and will leave a bright spot on your soul. Here’s the non-spoiler review to whet your appetite.

While it’s by no means the strongest MCU movie in the roster, Captain Marvel succeeds in all ways it’s needed to; it introduces a crucial character, continues to connect the webs of the universe and gives some explanation. Plus, it’s set in the 90s, so it means a stellar soundtrack, nostalgic nods, and a younger, more jovial version of Nicholas J. Fury.

The movie doesn’t have the strongest start, some events happen that dash by and there is just a smidge of too much exposition. However, this lasts for about the first fifteen or twenty minutes, so once you’re past that hurdle, the movie takes you on the ride it’s meant to.

Some of the best moments come in the form of how seamlessly Carol Danvers and Fury work. Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson have worked together on several occasions, and it’s apparent their comfortability on screen is due to the bondage they’ve built through their years working together. We can easily trust these characters, and, if somehow Fury is returned to us in the future after Endgame, we’d be eager to see them on screen together again.

That brings us to the next relationship we’d also like to highlight, Fury and Goose. While the trailers gave us an inkling of the delightful workings of the pair, rest assured it is amplified on the big screen. Expect a laugh any time Fury and Goose team up.

Hard to believe it was less than 10 years ago when Brie Larson graced our screens in another comic book movie, belting out Black Sheep by the Metrics in Scott Pilgrim. Since then, she’s won an Oscar for her performance in Room and directed her first series (also starring Samuel L. Jackson) with the upcoming Unicorn Store on Netflix.

Larson breathes life into Carol Danvers as we know her in her contemporary iteration. Heavily influenced by Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run, the MCU’s Danvers fits easily into her roles. She’s curious, but doesn’t let it distract her from her goals. She exhibits confidence and instead of allowing her setbacks to define her, she simply reframes her headspace. It becomes evident that Carol Danvers was a superhero long before she got her powers. What was most enjoyable about Carol and her experience was how relatable it felt to watch her in her journey.

Directed by husband-wife duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Larson is joined by Jude Law, Gemma Chan, Ben Mendelsohn, LaShana Lynch, Clark Gregg, Annette Benning, Djimon Hounsou and Akira Akbar. Akira Akbar, who portrayed Maria Rambeau’s (Lynch) daughter was especially a delight on screen. It was also great to see Clark Gregg again on the big screen even if he had truly never left the MCU in his Agents of SHIELD role.

Some other details to nitpick are some of the editing and setting choices. Maybe it was the screen at my theatre, but most of the scenes were shrouded in darkness and it was difficult to pinpoint action.

The ending was satisfying, and the post-credit scenes will have you leaving the theatre marking off the days for Endgame.