Captain Marvel

Image credit: Wikipedia

It has to be said that Marvel studios have smartly created their own cinematic ‘flourishing’ season. From around March the excitement and exhilaration begins as the trailers and year’s instalments of the cinematic universe hit screens of all sizes and it’s actually quite a lovely experience that fans around the world can share. Marvel has kicked off this year with the film that had got many fans excited since the devastating end of Infinity War: the arrival of Captain Marvel!

One of the coolest and refreshing origin stories that we’ve had in awhile, Captain Marvel chronicles the galactic adventures of Vers (Brie Larson), a Kree soldier fighting in the war between the Kree and the Skrulls. When a rescue mission backfires, resulting in her capture, she ends up stranded on Earth with a group of Skrull. Things take an interesting turn then when she discovers that she had a former life on Earth as pilot Carol Danvers and, with the help of a young Shield agent named Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), she discovers that there are two sides to every story and sometimes the heroes are fighting on the wrong one.

Officially claiming the title of sixth-biggest box office success worldwide opening since 2002 (it raked in over $456 million) Captain Marvel is the film to start your fresh filmic season with! Now that the Oscars are over, the fun and exciting movies are having their time in the limelight and it’s definitely shining bright on this beauty!

Now that the phase 3 Marvel movies are experimenting with blending genres and subgenres, finding new recipes that make explosive blockbusters, audiences are being completely spoilt with a degustation of delicious, inspiring, enticing, and empowering movies and characters. Captain Marvel stands proud as the first superhero movie (that I can recall anyway) that really depicts glorious and genuine female empowerment and gender equality. Fury as a supporting character is just as charismatic and strong as Vers and what’s most refreshing about this movie is that there is no clichéd and ridiculous love story, indeed the central relationship is actually the friendship between two women and it’s one of the most beautiful things that I’ve seen on screen in a long time.

Despite it’s generic superhero-literally-saving-the-world narrative, Captain Marvel is also a movie about reshaping identities and changing minds: it may not appear on screen to be as poignant or deep as that sounds, regardless the theme is there loud and clear in its seeming obscurity and that is what makes this movie so great!

Image credit: Daily Express

Being half set in space and half set on Earth, everything at this film’s disposal works to create two distinct tones between the two settings. When we’re out of the Earth’s orbit things are pretty serious and this is where the movie revels in its sincere and gritty science-fiction war movie vibe with its orchestral score, CGI magic, and most of the grander battles and fight sequences. However, as soon as we touch town on Earth the movie relaxes and allows its funny, sweet, and vulnerable side to show, giving it more of a misfit cop-duo-against-the-world type vibe. What brings the two sides together is the character development and reflective shift in performances from both Larson and Jackson, as well as the impeccable soundtrack, which doesn’t quite reach Guardians standards, but comes pretty damned close!

The trailers may have made it seem like a generic superhero movie, and in many respects it is, but Captain Marvel is so much more; offering its audiences the expected Marvel thrills as well as a funny, memorable, and surprisingly moving filmic experience!

Director, Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, 2019

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelson, Jude Law, Lashana Lynch, Clark Gregg, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Akira Akbar, and Annette Bening