Captain Marvel (2019)

Directed by: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Written by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet

Starring:

Brie Larson as Vers/Captain Marvel

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Ben Mendelsohn as Talos

Jude Law as Yon-Rogg

Annette Bening as Supreme Intelligence

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language

Runtime: 124 minutes

The Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of running out of gas any time soon, though I often wonder how much could be left in the tank. Next month’s arrival, Avengers: Endgame, hints that it’s…well…the end. Who knows what will become of Marvel films when the primary heroes aren’t around anymore.

However, a new hero was born in Captain Marvel. This name is never used in the film, though one scene played with the word Marvel a bit. Brie Larson seemed to give the role all she had. Larson’s performance is praise-worthy – her best since her Academy Award-winning feat in Room (2015). I think Captain Marvel could be the next big thing for Marvel, and I can’t wait to see what she does in Endgame.

Larson’s character is first introduced as Vers, a soldier for the Kree Empire, a civilization on the planet Hala. Vers has no memory of her life before that day six years before, when she was found on Hala, except for snippets of visions that reference a life before the Kree. In those visions, one character (Annette Bening) is a constant figure – one who seems to have been a confidant to pre-Kree Vers. The Kree have an AI leader, known as The Supreme Intelligence. “The Intelligence,” as they call it, supposedly takes on the physical form of whoever you admire most when you meet with it. Vers sees the stranger from her visions, though she doesn’t know why she respected this woman so deeply. I truly enjoyed watching these scenes – Bening has always been one of my favorite actresses.

Whenever things get tense, Vers’s defense mechanism of choice is humor – something the Kree seem to frown upon. According to her superior Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), humor is a distraction. Vers can’t quite seem to contain it, though. The other soldiers laugh at her jokes, but only when they can get away with it. Her humor seems to be what keeps her going, keeps her under control…until an opponent draws (blue) blood. At that point, the gloves come off, and the opposition will feel the wrath of Vers’s fiery hands.

The Kree soldiers, known as Starforce, embark on a rescue mission against their sworn enemies, the Skrulls. The menacing Skrulls can shape-shift – possibly one of the most entertaining elements of the film.

Vers finds herself in a desperate situation with the Skrulls and flees from their captivity, only to land on what the Kree call Planet C53. She crashes through the ceiling of a Blockbuster Video (oh the nostalgia!). That should be your first clue that “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Vers has fallen to Earth in the year 1995. From there, the film is rife with pop culture references. I’m talking everything from Troll dolls to posters promoting the upcoming Smashing Pumpkins album (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness). The music was quite the treat. If I didn’t already own every song they played, I would be on iTunes right now snatching up the soundtrack. My wife and I were feeling our ‘90s child roots, for sure!

Shortly after the Blockbuster crash (in front of a Radio Shack, of course), we are introduced to a young Agent Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Yes, Agent Fury, not Director Fury. That was hard to process, as was Fury having both of his eyes. It was a little mind-blowing to see young Samuel L. Jackson in a new movie (of course, with the modern technology of de-aging actors, I should know better). It was also fun to see Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) looking just as young as Fury (that hair, though!). The people who supply celebrities with Botox injections probably look at films like these and wonder if they’ll be looking for a new line of work soon.

The other visual effects (you know, the ones that didn’t involve turning back time for the actors) were fun to see. I loved the rendering of the city of Kree, in particular. It looked like a civilization you would expect to see in any of the Thor movies, but with a touch of Blade Runner (1982).

Not to be outdone by Vers’s unstoppable wit, the film does a great job maintaining the humor even when she’s not on screen. Stan Lee has another fantastically memorable cameo (and oh, that tribute to him at the beginning – my wife was in tears). The head Skrull, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), had some of the best lines and deliveries, too. Clearly, Captain Marvel refused to be outdone by its predecessors.

My only complaint was that I felt the story lacked originality. That didn’t ruin the experience for me – I just felt like I knew most of what was going to happen. I could tell the story borrowed a lot from other movies I’ve seen in the past. I will admit, though, that I totally wasn’t expecting the big plot twist (no spoilers here, I promise). That definitely helped redeem the plot for me – but don’t get me wrong, I was having fun regardless.

Captain Marvel is absolutely a great excuse to go to the theater during the pre-summer movie season. A man sitting next to my wife fell asleep and started snoring (it wasn’t me, I swear!). He was obviously only there for his kids, but if you’re going to fall asleep during a movie, do it in your living room. Captain Marvel was not boring in the slightest – it was certainly entertaining enough to keep everyone awake! Even with the late showing being past my bedtime, the laughter and the thrills helped me stay wide awake.

3.5/4 stars