3.5/5 Star Rating
Brie Larson stars as Marvel Studios' first female lead on the big screen as she portrays Vers (pronnounced Veerz) in this long awaited nostalgic feature. Amnesiac Vers (Larson), is on a mission with her fellow Kree to stop an impending war with a race of shape-shifters known as The Skrull.
We initially meet our heroine at the very beginning of the film as she is seen training on the planet Hala with her superior, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Larson's character comes across as a brash individual who isn't one for following rules and regulation, so when it comes to taking orders or commands from her mentor Yon-Rogg (Law) or even their highest authority, an AI form known as 'The Supreme Intelligence' she is often seen sniggering and brushing them off along with many forms of sarcasm an irony.
The entire film is set in the mid 90s and with a bold start, showing a couple of familiar faces from previous Marvel films residing on the planet, and a few action scenes, you kind of feel like you've just been thrown in at the deep end. There's no gentle ease in or traditional style backstory is to be found in this opening. Also bare in mind, if you aren't familiar with some of the characters such as The Skrull or The Kree then you may have to do a little digging or rewind to some of the previous Marvel studios films to get caught up as there is doesn't appear to be any sort of reference regarding who they are or anything to do with how they came to exist. We also get another visit from Guardians Of The Galaxy villain Roman The Accuser (Lee Pace).
After a battle sequence, Vers and some members of The Skrull end up crash landing on Earth in 1995 to face a whole new set of challenges. The olive toned shape-shifting extra terrestrials known as The Skrull are led by an individual named Talos (Ben Mendelsohn - known for roles in Ready Player One and Star Wars). They too have an ultimate objective: to find Dr Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening) so they can find an important piece of technology which she had previously invented as they believe it is the key to helping their survival.
Upon arrival to 'Planet C-53' (Earth), Vers smashes through the roof of a well known video rental store chain, making viewers feel all warm and fuzzy inside thinking of memories from their childhood. A local officer alerts the authorities and who should turn up to greet Vers? None other than the younger looking Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), more familiar faces to add into the mix.
Throughout the first half of the film, Vers is often seen experiencing flashbacks of old memories that she has no conscious recollection of. The flashbacks and some research in some old case files lead the fiesty "wetsuit wearing" Vers to discover who she really is. in a matter of fact, she was a tester pilot named Carol Danvers who worked alongside her best friend Maria Rambeau (played by Lashana Lynch) and that Dr Wendy Lawson (Bening) was her former employer.
Upon finding out her true identity we are then treated to more flashbacks of Carol Danvers as a child or teen in various scenarios, most of them show her failing at some sort of task or playtime past time. The film clearly shows that the character has some 'daddy issues' however there wasn't actually too much shown on this aspect of the characters back story. I felt like it was skipped over and it really needed a little more context. However due to this, it does show her to have a great connection with a two eyed Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The pair together actually bring a comedic element to the film, making an emotional story become lighthearted and fun. Although in my opinion he completely overshadowed her and making her come across as a little dull when the two are in the sharing some scenes.
Danvers wasn't the only being to form a friendship with Fury, later we are also introduced to a beautiful furry companion, Goose. A lovable ginger cat. It was very amusing to see Fury (Jackson) become so besotted with his new feline friend. As many fans of the Marvel films and comics will know, Nick Fury is portrayed as a pretty serious guy. It was good to see a completely different side to the character. This little ginger cat had clearly become the star of the show, stealing the limelight from all other actors and leaving fans everywhere falling for him and being unable to resist charm.
There are some segments of the feature that feel like they need a little oomph to ramp up the excitement, however the end of the film plays out an epic final battle where Carol discovers just exactly what she is capable of when she starts to believe in herself. This is one hero that you do not want to mess with. With glowing fists which can be likened to that of Marvel's Iron Fist and pulsar blasts that could annihilate anything in their path, Captain Marvel is a total badass! All I can say is that Thanos better be shaking in his boots before he meets this epic beauty in Avengers: Endgame.
Honestly I had my reservations when Brie Larson was cast in such an important role within the Marvel Universe. But honestly she was pretty amazing, she was instantly likeable and easy to relate to in many ways. All in all I really enjoyed the film, however it didn't make me think "Wow!" which is the reason why I couldn't give it a higher rating. If you want some 90s nostalgia, a classic soundtrack, to find out exactly how Captain Marvel is going to influence the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, or how Nick Fury lost his eye (I'm not going to go into too much on that one, but I will say it's pretty disappointing) then this film is a must see. Don't forget to stay behind after the credits too as there is a hidden cut scene, which is pretty awesome!
All photos/stills are courtesy of Google Images
Captain Marvel Trailer courtesy of YouTube