When Brie Larson crash lands through the roof of a Blockbuster Video and picks up a copy of ‘The Right Stuff,’ you know that you’re in for a good time. ‘Captain Marvel’ soars as an essential origin story to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson has had an impressive career in indie films like ‘Short Term 12,’ ‘The Spectacular Now’ and ‘Room.’ When she was cast as the first female lead superhero, it was a no-brainer she was the right choice. She brings intelligence to her roles and most importantly, she has fun as the most powerful superhero. She asks the question, “What happens when I’m finally set free?” It is her journey through self-discovery that we get to follow in ‘Captain Marvel.’ She will play an important role and be an exciting addition to the upcoming ‘Avengers: Endgame’ too.
The film begins with Vers (Brie Larson) sparring with her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) trying to teach her how to control her emotions. She is a Kree warrior endowed with special powers. The Kree are fighting the Skrulls, shape-shifter aliens that can transform into other life forms down to their DNA. During a space battle, she crash lands onto Earth (known as Planet C-53). It’s here that she begins to have memory flashbacks from when she was a Top Gun pilot in the Air Force. Could it be that Vers is actually a human named Carol Danvers? This is the journey she must take to desperately find her real identity. Along the way, she discovers how powerful she actually is and her place as a female superhero.
The story itself is written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. They come from an indie filmmaking background and give ‘Captain Marvel’ a cool, retro feel. The film is set in 1995 so the soundtrack is filled with rock gems from that era including ‘Only Happy When It Rains’ by Garbage, ‘Waterfalls’ by TLC, ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana and ‘Just A Girl’ by No Doubt. The music adds to the fun in key scenes. And for those that are concerned that ‘Captain Marvel’ is a feminist movie… well duh, the movie is set in the ‘90s when women pilots were not allowed to fly combat missions. Of course, it has that element for Carol Danvers to set herself free from a patriarchal society. A portion of the movie is devoted to Carol reuniting with her fly buddy Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) and remembering her past.
One of the most entertaining aspects of ‘Captain Marvel’ is the buddy film twist. Vers must cross paths with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the introduction of SHIELD into the marvel storyline. Not only is Jackson digitally enhanced to make him look younger but he becomes attached to Goose the cat. Without give away any spoilers, this is no ordinary feline. It is Vers and Fury that figure out what the Skrulls want on Earth. It is also to the credit of the writers for changing the unexpected loyalties. The Skrulls, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) take some surprising twists in the plot that help Vers discover herself and the real cause she needs to fight for. It’s a smart and entertaining journey she must take in order to become the superhero she actually is.
I’m not a Marvel fan boy by any stretch of the imagination. I like good acting and good storylines in a movie. ‘Captain Marvel’ encompasses both of these essential ingredients to create a fun superhero adventure. It is about time that female superheroes get to shine in the spotlight. Brie Larson is a talented actress that gives a refreshing performance to ‘Captain Marvel.’ When she gets to fire her photon blasts, she has a lot of fun and so do we. ‘Captain Marvel’ is a must-see for movie fans.
