Review – Captain Marvel (2019)
Review – Captain Marvel (2019)
Directed by: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Produced by: Kevin Feige & Stan Lee
Written by: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson & Ben Mendelsohn
Release Date: March 8th 2019 (UK)
I am usually there to see a Marvel movie on day 1. Unfortunately though upon this film’s initial release, there was a load of bias and negative mentality surrounding it’s release. To be honest discussing this movie seemed like a volatile minefield around that time and it put me off going to see it for a while. Instead I decided to wait a couple of weeks for the dust to settle before going into it. The main reason for this was that I didn’t want my experience of the movie to be tarnished by some bitter neckbeard’s opinion on the other side of the planet. It is unfortunate that I felt repelled from the movie because of a loud angry minority, but in hindsight I am glad that I waited to see Captain Marvel, because I got to see it in with an untainted mind-set as the filmmakers most likely intended.
Upon revisiting Captain Marvel for review two years later, I had a lot of fun with the movie. Captain Marvel is a great space hopping romp that will put a smile on your face in spite of a few minor shortcomings. The action is great throughout and every fight sequence is exciting and impressive to watch unfold. The CGI is also incredible too, from the vast space shots to the impeccable de-aging on Sam Jackson throughout the movie, to allow him to portray a younger Nick Fury.
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The characters are all great as well, I loved that Sam Jackson put a different more playful tone behind his younger, fresher Nick Fury performance as opposed to his stern colder portrayal as the older more battle hardened Fury we see in the Avengers movies. I remember watching the trailers prior to the film’s release thinking it seemed out of place, but in the context of the movie it worked really well. I also enjoyed seeing a younger, rookie Coulson and Ben Mendelsohn was great as the movies villain (?)
I was looking forward to seeing what Jude Law would bring to the MCU, but unfortunately he just played Jude Law, as in the same character type that we have already seen him play in a ton of other movies. His performance was perfectly serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Then there is arguably the most important performance of all, Brie Larson as the lead character, Captain Marvel. I thought for the most part she did a pretty great job. I will admit that there were a few lines, (mostly from flashback scenes before she left Earth for the first time,) that felt a bit forced and took me out of the movie slightly. As much as I wanted to buy everything in her performance, maybe 10% of the lines that she delivered that were just a bit too cheesy and somewhat wooden. However the other 90% was great and I am very much looking forward to seeing her sequel movie.
The plot in Captain Marvel given to us in drips and drabs due to the flashback filled nature of the way that the filmmakers chose to tell this story, but overall I enjoyed the ride. There were a few twists and turns along the way, – some painfully obvious and some not so much, – but most of them were enjoyable and some even felt refreshing, which isn’t often said about the 21st movie in a franchise.
The last major thing to address is the female empowerment element that lies under the film’s plot and is the thing that a bunch of bigots on Reddit seemed to assume would become the focus of the movie and take away from their beloved superhero fantasy. I am glad to report that no, although it is present, it in no way takes away from the scale or plot of the film. Some moments, (again moments predominately from the flashbacks before Carol leaves Earth for the first time,) were a bit on the nose and felt somewhat forced, such as the ‘cockpit,’ comment. However, later on in the movie there is an incredibly powerful, more subtle scene that shows different stages of Carol’s life where she has been pushed to the ground and has had to get back on her own two feet and carry on. This sequence which showed a bunch of different young girls, ending with Brie Larson herself, standing up to face adversity with bravery and it was it moving and empowering and very well done.
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Overall, I had way more fun revisiting Captain Marvel for review than I ever expected to. It’s never going to be anyone’s favourite entry in the MCU, but it is a very well made, entertaining blockbuster. It is still as enjoyable today as it was when it first released.
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