Left to Right: Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Cat as Goose the Cat, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Well would you look at that, another white male reviewing this film, a film that – according to some members of the Marvel fan-base – isn’t for me, it isn’t for a white 22 year-old male living in the UK. However, to the people who truly, truly believe that, well…you can go f*ck yourself.
If you stopped yourself from going to see this movie because you think that the Studio and/or the lead actress (Brie Larson) didn’t want you to see it, then you really have missed out on another home run for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Before going to see Captain Marvel, I had heard (from critics I trust) that this film was a little bit bland, not as entertaining and that the lead wasn’t very charismatic, so I had quite low expectations, but coming out of the cinema on a wet Friday night, I thought that me and those critics must have watched a completely different movie.
So, I’ll start with what a common complaint has been. The ‘un-charismatic’ lead. Brie Larson plays Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, a role that has been cast for a few years now (since 2016) and something that was actually praised for pretty decent casting from most of the fan-base. For me, she delivered a performance that was on-par with the level that Robert Downey Jr. gave in his first outing in Iron Man 1 back in 2008. Danvers quips and makes jokes just as much as any other hero, she can fight brilliantly and has some powers that can rival that of the God of Thunder himself. So to say she couldn’t hold the film or that she is un-charismatic is doing her a real injustice. After this film, I could see no one else holding the role of Captain Marvel, and I can’t wait to see where her character goes next.
Another common criticism I saw of the film was that of it’s ‘basic’ and ‘bland’ execution, and whilst i’ll admit that the film wasn’t as extravagant as Doctor Strange or Guardians of the Galaxy, for me, it didn’t need to be. There were some stunning shots in this movie, especially towards the end, and even some parallels to other popular franchises (keep an eye out for some cinematic similarities to Independence Day). I haven’t seen any of the other films the directors (Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck) had produced before this, so I can’t speak to how this one compares, but moving forward in the MCU, if these directors are kept on, I can’t wait to see if they’re allowed any more free reign on how they create their movies.
Now for onto the things that stood out to me the most. And these are two things in particular. Firstly, Goose. If you don’t know, Goose is the cat that lives on the air force base that Danvers is from. He is a ginger cat. A very cute ginger cat and, oh boy, he absolutely steals every single scene he is in, even from great actors such as Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. This, brings me on to my second thing…
The cast. The whole cast in this movie is brilliant, not just Brie Larson. Samuel L. Jackson does a brilliant job showing a more energetic Nick Fury (featuring some very impressive de-aging technology throughout), Clark Gregg returns in a small role as Phil Coulson – a character who hasn’t been present on the big screen since The Avengers back in 2012 – and he just brings a small amount of joy to every line he has. Finally, Ben Mendelsohn is a stand-out. I first noticed him in Rogue One in 2016 and since then I’ve loved him in everything I’ve seen him in (Ready Player One and Robin Hood) but in Captain Marvel his performance is the perfect mix of menacing, emotional and humorous, honestly one of the best aspects of this movie.
So, if you didn’t already guess, I really enjoyed this movie. I loved it’s nods to the other MCU films, I loved the twists it took during its plot and this was another MCU Score that i really enjoyed listening to but most of all, I enjoyed Brie Larson’s performance more than I thought I would. If you haven’t seen this film yet because you’re not sure if it’s your type of film, I would highly recommend seeing it.
Whilst it’s not the feminist revolution most people wanted, it sure as hell is a damn fine movie.
Captain Marvel: 4/5