In
Marvel's first female-lead film, it's Brie Larson's turn to kick ass
as the eponymous Captain Marvel. Returning to the tried and tested
origins story formula, Captain Marvel begins
by introducing its lead as a warrior named 'Vers', who has no memory
of her life before being taken in by the Kree. Tasked with fighting
in a war against the shape-shifting Skrulls, she finds herself
stranded on Earth after a mission gone wrong. She is soon detained by
Shield agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and begins to uncover the
truth about both the war and herself, eventually discovering her true
name: Carol Danvers. This return to the origins story is, whilst
formulaic and familiar, very refreshing after the last few years of
sequels and Avengers films. This is a film that knows how to hit all
of the right notes, and is immensely enjoyable to watch.
Filled
to the brim with car chases, fight scenes and Star Wars-esque
spaceship battles, Captain Marvel displays
all of the engrossing set pieces that would be expected of an action
blockbuster, and wows with its special effects. These are especially
incredible when it comes to Carol's powers when she has realised her
full potential. The film makes a spectacle of Carol using her
abilities, emphasising how insanely powerful she is, more so than any
other character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, and it is immensely fun to watch her blast her way through enemies with ease.
The
impressive special effects are also evident in the de-ageing of
Samuel L. Jackson, which is incredibly well done, but young Fury is
fun to watch in more ways than one. The trademark Jackson attitude is
back with a vengeance, and the on-screen chemistry between Fury and
Carol makes for great teamwork and plenty of amusing lines. But it's
also a novel experience to witness a version of Nick Fury who doesn't
know everything there is to know, and seems unsettled by the thought
of aliens and superheroes. The return of Coulson (Clark Gregg) is a high point, but
his appearance is disappointingly short, and seems just barely more
than a cameo. But the rest of the cast more than make up for this
absence, with Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn performing well as Yon-Rogg
(Carol's Kree mentor) and the Skrull leader Talos, respectively.
Even
when placed amongst fan-favourite characters, shape-shifting aliens
and a cat, Larson is still the standout performance in this film.
Carol is tough, confident and bad-ass. But she also manages to have
some very emotional moments where she rediscovers her humanity and
these are what make her such a great character. Her interactions with
her friend Maria (Lashana Lynch) and her daughter are especially
heart-warming and really add more depth to her character, which
becomes increasingly humanised as the story progresses. Captain
Marvel works well as a feminist
tale, and whilst some of the lines feel as though they're trying a
bit too hard to convey this, the positive female representation and
other enjoyable aspects of the film make this forgivable. The songs
included in the soundtrack are also superbly chosen and set the tone
of the film perfectly, with songs from an array of 90's female-lead
bands including No Doubt and Hole.
Carol
Danvers is an excellent addition to the colourful characters of the
MCU, and her origins story is fun, exciting and action-packed. With
Captain Marvel, Marvel
has produced a film where women are not just side characters, love
interests, or kick-ass fighters. This is a film that portrays them as
warriors, mothers, daughters and inventors all at once. And above all
else they are persistent in achieving their goals and refuse to be
constrained by the roles that they are usually pushed into. And
really, it's about damn time.
