Captain Marvel Will Have You Rethinking Who the Strongest Avenger Really Is…
Captain Marvel has been out for a good week now and if you haven’t seen it yet, you best get to the theater! Just how strong is Carol Danvers? Let’s just say that Thanos should be shaking in his gold plated boots…
Captain Marvel serves as both an origin story for Carol Danvers and a set up to the fast-approaching Avengers: Endgame. Fans have been aware for a while that they would most likely learn the meaning behind Nick Fury’s mysterious pager. You know, the one that was seen after the unfortunate events of Avengers: Infinity War‘s end-credit scene.
Set in 1995, Captain Marvel follows the Kree Starforce, a covert group of warriors. Carol Danvers, who has no memory of her past or where she comes from, is part of this crew. Their mission is to eradicate the galaxy of the Skrulls, an evil, shapeshifting race of aliens who use their abilities to infiltrate worlds and claim them for their own. The problem is not everything is what it seems in this Kree Skrull War.
The bulk of the movie takes place on Earth, where Danvers meets a younger Nick Fury. Together, they set out on a mission to find a mysterious scientist before the Skrulls and uncover the mystery of her past, not to mention the true goal of the war she’s participating in.
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel
Brie Larson does an incredible job at portraying our hero. Not only is she tough, she’s also funny and a cunning warrior. Larson brings charm and genuine personality to the character. I was initially thrown off by Larson’s way of speaking her dialogue, but I soon learned that it was only because it was so genuine.
Captain Marvel talks as if she is a real person and not someone who’s reading a script. Her delivery of the dialogue is charming and refreshing. She’s witty, tough and has the integrity of Captain America.
The funnest exchanges come from her interactions with Nick Fury, who is still an otherwise unwitting SHIELD agent at this point. It was strange seeing Fury as the character who doesn’t have the answers, which is the opposite of who he is in almost every other film in the MCU. The film clearly shows where he got his trademark determination and cunning tactics from.
Speaking of Nick Fury, the visual effects team did an outstanding job at taking 25 years off his face. You almost forget that you’re looking at CGI and not the real Sam Jackson of today. Clark Gregg also had the CGI treatment, although he was in the movie far less than Jackson.
Other notable effects are that of the Skrull warriors. They look like a mix between Piccolo from that God awful Dragonball Evolution movie and the monster from Jeepers Creepers. I loved the visual effects when they would shape shift into different characters throughout the film. You’ll also be surprised at how much humor comes from the Skrulls!
Female Empowerment
The personality Brie Larson brings to the character is empowering enough without being over the top. There are certain flashback scenes in which we see Danvers in various stages of youth being knocked down only to get back up and keep going. This is such an important thing for young girls everywhere to see and the movie does phenomenal with its responsibility. Carol is cool like Iron-Man, powerful like Thor and virtuous like Captain America.
However, near the end of the movie I couldn’t help but feel that the message was pushed a bit too hard. During a pivotal scene where Carol learns an important lesson about herself, we are shown a montage of flashbacks (which we’ve already seen) play again. This was included to push the idea that woman are incredibly strong, but the way it was inserted felt awkward and forced. I was already getting goosebumps at Captain Marvel’s relentless power, but that whole flashback thing felt out of place.
Not Everything Is What It Seems
Viewers should expect a surprising plot twist that will make you rethink everything you’ve seen up until that point, and possibly have impacts on the greater MCU. The source material that the filmmakers had to work with gave them countless storyline possibilities and it’s fun to see them run with it.
Avengers: Endgame
A huge driving force that’ll bring people to the theater besides having the MCU’s first female lead is how it will tie into Avengers: Endgame. One can’t help but feel like they need to be on the lookout for easter eggs or hidden meanings. There’s no doubt that Carol Danvers is a worthy foe to Thanos, but you’ll find out just how much once you see the movie. I’m more hyped than ever for Captain Marvel to make her presence known to the Avengers, as was hinted in the new trailer.
Overall
Captain Marvel is bright, funny and feels very different from other MCU entries. Larson takes the character and gives her the most personality out of almost all other Marvel heroes we’ve seen so far. I’m very excited for the little girls everywhere who are starting to have more and more female superheroes to idolize, especially one as strong as Carol Danvers. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this by now, but stay for the mid-credit scene…
Rating: 8.5/10
