Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Movie Review: 'Captain Marvel'


I have enjoyed pretty much all the movies in the MCU – it is easily the most consistent movie franchise, if you can call it that. I think a large reason for that is that despite connecting threads linking it to the larger MCU, each movie had its own unique flavour, which suited the lead character and the story that was being told. Which is probably why ‘Captain Marvel’ feels underwhelming. The movie sticks to the tried and tested, but ultimately tired formula of origin movies – and with just one movie left in the current story of the MCU, playing it safe feels lacklustre.

‘Captain Marvel’ kicks off in the year 1995 with the Kree empire’s Starforce member Vers (Brie Larson), who suffers from amnesia and has recurring visions of what seems to be her past, getting trained by her mentor and commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), who tries to get her to control her abilities. The Kree empire’s ruler is an artificial intelligence known as the Supreme Intelligence (played by Annette Bening). After she is captured by a group of the shape-shifting enemy known as Skrulls, Vers escapes and crash-lands in Los Angeles. Her presence attracts the attention of Agent Nick Fury of the newly established S.H.I.E.L.D. (Samuel L. Jackson, made to look young by really impressive visual effects). They need to work together to fight the Skrulls threat, uncover Vers’s past and essentially save the day.

Like pretty much all Marvel movies, this one is a pretty solid movie. The acting, for one – Brie Larson is a very likeable Captain Marvel, and her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson is probably the best thing about the movie. Jude Law is very good – so it’s a shame that he doesn’t have a lot to do. The supporting cast is pretty good too. The special effects are great, the nostalgia aspect with all the ‘90s references are fun, there are laughs to be had – there is a lot to like here.

The problem, for me at least, was that there is nothing new on offer here. There is a ho-hum feel to the entire proceedings, and I was never really invested in the story. It was emotionally quite light, and didn’t really elevate from a popcorn entertainer. Not that it is a bad thing – but I have come to expect a lot from these movies. I saw ‘Captain Marvel’ more from a continuity standpoint to be honest.

To sum up, the movie is definitely worth a watch – needless to say I guess, considering how successful it is. That being said, this is not up there among Marvel’s best offerings.

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