K.T Simpson
The first Marvel movie to star and be co-directed by a woman, “Captain Marvel” effectively and understandably makes sure to tick all the boxes when it comes to trumpeting female empowerment and equality but at its core is a feverishly fun ticket to a circus that spurs nothing smiles under its big top.
A prequel to all of the Marvel movies from the past decade, “Captain Marvel” has a plot that seemingly has two purposes : to tell the origin yarn of Carol Danvers, a pilot who ended up with powers, which she later brings to Earth to help save humanity, and also to connect some of the dots and answer some of the lingering questions over from the earlier Marvel films.
We meet Starforce member Vers (as she knows herself to be) in the 90s, backed by an appropriate soundtrack, and a mentor in Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) who trains her to control her abilities. During an mission in which the Skrulls are attacking Kree, Vers is kidnapped and probed for her memory. She escapes, lands on Earth through a Blockbuster Video (a familiar sight back in the ’90s… maybe not so much now), and meets S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.
To be my completely honest self here, it is here that I resembled Confused Nick:
My ability to follow the menagerie of storylines probably has got to do with my lack of thorough knowledge into the Marvel universe and comic books, so if you come in with a base understanding of these things then you’ll be ahead of the pack straight up.
Where I do suddenly become fixed on the screen is when the kitty cat Goose comes in, but moreso Jackson’s interaction with said kitty was just too cute for words.
Oscar winner Brie Larson (“Room”), in a welcome change of pace from the heavier fare she’s been courted for in recent years, provides an almost child-like mischievousness and smirkish spunk to a part that might otherwise had been played far more solemnly by someone whose funny bone hasn’t been lubed in a while. Sure, Larson’s skills as an actress provides a great anchor for the weightier more emotional moments, but this is her chance to shine as the kind of rib-tickling adventure hero Sly Stallone and Harrison Ford played in the ‘80s.
Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his Nick Fury character, but 25 years earlier (complete with stunning de-age tech) and with more naivety and less knowhow, is clearly relishing the chance to not only add some fun back into a character known for being pretty solemn but also poke a little fun at the man too.
As with all Marvel films, there’s a solid ensemble here – Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law and Clark Gregg, reprising his Agent Phil Coulson from the earlier films – but it’s an imaginative production designer and the punchy, fun action-adventure sequences that deserves just as high billing.
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Captain Marvel” is unarguably Marvel’s most poppy, less solemn DCP in quite time. And with the majority of google news alerts in recent times producing frowns, it couldn’t come sooner.
Like James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, the template is driven largely by oodles of era-appropriate music (in this case, everyone from No Doubt to Nirvana), lots of smart-alec (almost Schwarzenegger-style) quips, and a plethora of pop-culture references and visual throwbacks to the Clinton-days. Rather appropriately, it plays like a film from the mid ‘90s.
In much the same way “Galaxy” and “Thor Ragnarok” were a cheerier pause from the usual more-serious superhero fare, our dual director’s seems hellbent on simply giving audiences a smile. Sure, there’s an A to B plot to take care of (granted, it’s not much – and as I mentioned, a bit all over the place) but the thin libretto disappears into the background of a chorus of comedy, masking most noticeable holes or unevenness it might possess. From the scene-stealing cat ‘Goose’, a straight-shooting chameleon alien (Ben Mendelsohn, having a ball) and the welcome return to screen of a Blockbuster video store – used to great effect – it’s almost demanded that that you don’t sprout even one “Infinity War”-like forehead wrinkle while sitting through this swiftly paced, jovial throwback and fix on the amusements in front of you.
If it weren’t for all the space-set dog fights and hallway combatant, much of “Captain Marvel” might otherwise be considered a comedy. And if that was the intention, then it’s one of the highest caliber.
