Film Review - Captain Marvel (12A)

I want you to be the best version of yourself.

Captain Marvel is film twenty-one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe established back in 2008 and the first with a solo female lead. It's also surrounded by the kind of bogus culture-war controversy that really grinds my gears. So to make clear my thoughts on the matter - yes it's a splendid thing that the girls are getting equal time with the boys in the MCU and no it's not over-earnestly PC that such a thing should happen. Rather it adds greater interest and variety. Now having carried out that bullshit-bypass, let's get to what really matters - is the film any good? Short answer: yes it is. Not free of flaws, but as much pure entertainment as you might hope.

Set in the ancient retro-world of 1995, Captain Marvel is a stand-alone origin story with a good thick scattering of prequel elements for the regular MCU audience. It begins as pure space opera, with our soon-to-be hero (Kong: Skull Island's Brie Larson) going by the name of Vers on the Kree planet of Hala (stick with me here). She's being trained up by Jude Law to help fight the Kree people's shape-shifting enemies the Skrulls and is imbued with enough power to give her people a crucial advantage in the conflict. But when a mission gone wrong, she plummets to Earth, pursued by several Skrull nemeses. Having dusted herself down, she forms an alliance with government agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson as a younger version of his Captain America/Avengers character) and sets about uncovering what business the Skrulls have with this planet. Meanwhile Earth-bound memories are surfacing regarding her obscure past, suggesting that 'Vers' might be more than just Kree...

Even typing that detail-lite synopsis reminded me of what a good story there is at the heart of this film - both in the non-conventional way it deals with the super-hero's origins and in how it sets up expectations only to flip them on their heads via plot twists you simply won't see coming. Writer-director team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, better known for character-driven independents than blockbuster behemoths, deal adequately with the initial interplanetary set-up, even if it's not really their forte. It's when the action hits Earth that they come into their own. The '90s nostalgia element is a constant source of fun, there's lots of political-thriller paranoia courtesy of the shape-shifting enemy and at the centre of it all is a smart buddy-rapport between out Captain-in-the-making and MCU favourite Nick Fury.

Larson's Vers/Carol Danvers/Cap Marvel is an enigma, trained to control and channel the power that crackles within her. She's remote but with an enjoyably wry sense of humour, subtly allowing her humanity to seep through as she reconnects with Earth. Jackson meanwhile has a ball as the young dual-eyed version of Fury, reverse-engineering his performance from the earlier movies into something lighter and more genial. True the digital anti-aging makeover on him (and on Clark Gregg's always welcome Agent Coulson) is remarkable, but no less so than his engagingly youthful performance. The scenes between the odd-couple are the film at its best, but there's room also for Ben Mendelson (Star Wars, Ready Player One) to shine as their layered Skrull antagonist Talos, while a cat called Goose pilfers every scene he's in. 

Not everything works. The first-act interplanetary conflict isn't as focused as it needs to be and the Carol Danvers backstory - while ingeniously introduced - is confusing, at least to begin with. While the action scenes on Earth are fun, some of the later physical confrontations don't engage like they should (possibly I've been spoiled by the Russo Brothers' more bruising confrontations in four other Marvel movies). And one long-time MCU mystery is solved by way of a gag that many fans are simply going to find cheap. 

That said, Captain Marvel succeeds on way more levels than it fails, chiefly though a nicely conceived story and the gleeful sense of fun with which it's told. Take its genre mash-up along with that injection of nostalgia for a bygone Nineties era, and this is largely a box of delights, one that's full of tease for the imminent Avengers: Endgame. The new Cap is too reserved for us to feel we know her fully yet, but she's an intriguing addition to this storytelling universe, one who promises interesting times in the very near future. April 26th to be precise. The Marvel A-team took a serious beating in Avengers: Infinity War, after all. Carol Danvers' super-duper-powers are going to be needed...

Gut Reaction: Not fully engaged till Carol D hit Earth, then caught up in a genuinely fun experience - one with quite a few thrills and just as much laughter. 

Memorable Moment: Goose reveals his secret. 

Ed's Verdict: 7.5/10. The more I think about this (albeit impertfect) MCU entry, the more I enjoy its smartness. A tantalizing prelude to the Endgame event craziness and a damn good story in its own right.