Captain Marvel
It’s only been in the past few years, that female focused superhero
films have been given their fair go at the box office. Historically, most comic
book characters are men, and for the small collective of heroines out there, it’s
been far too long for them to take the spotlight. Iron Man 2 would introduce
Black Widow / Natasha Romanov, who would go on to figure prominently in the
Avengers films and the Captain America sequels, and with her portrayal by actor
Scarlett Johannsson, this begged the question; why aren’t there more female heroes
on the silver screen kicking guys butts?
As DC comics Justice League plans started to take shape, and
in an attempt to catch up to Marvel and steal some of their thunder, they
introduced Wonder Woman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. She only
appears prominently in the third act, but actually steals the show from the two
biggest comic book heroes of all time. It would only be a year later she would
get her own film, which was a fine film. Gal Gadot took on the role of Wonder
Woman with sophistication and sex appeal and showed the men she could rough it
with the likes of all of them, and in most cases beat their asses to the
ground!
Marvel had plans to expand greatly with their growing universe
and decided to insert a lesser known character to mainstream audiences who
would play a pivotal part in the events of the back to back Avengers sequels.
Captain Marvel was touted as the most powerful superhero in the whole Marvel
Universe; even more powerful than Thor in his ability to wield power, more
powerful than Vision, and likely, the only real candidate to take on the mighty
Thanos.
So there’s the back story of how Captain Marvel came to the
screen, but in keeping in check with the timeline of movies I’m reviewing here,
Captain Marvel, although released in March of this year, sits in at number two
in the timeline. Why? Because it’s set in the radical 90’s!
Ahh, the 1990’s. What a decade. I was a youngster, between
the ages of 8 and 18 for that decade, so was proudly a teen of the 90’s. There
was a lot of change happening in this decade, most notably with the rise of
technology, and the introduction of the internet. The global economy was in
pretty good shape, and more or less, life was good. The events of 9/11 were still
a decade away, and the darker times that terrorist attack would spawn were
still far off, in turn acting as the backdrop to the modern Avenger films we
know today. So why set this film in the 90’s?
I guess, because there is some loose connection to this
decade in other Avenger related films, most notably in Iron Man 3 and Captain
America: Civil War. The events of a younger Tony Stark’s life weren’t making
waves just yet, but something was stirring in the weeds. A younger Nick Fury
was working for the government, and trying to piece together the mysteries of
the world that had started to slowly appear, and would later prompt the formation
of S.H.I.E.L.D. And in 1995, Agent Fury would get more than he bargained for
when an alien humanoid would literally crash land into planet earth, and head
off on her own special mission with Fury joining in for the ride.
That’s the set up for Captain Marvel, but if you’re unfamiliar
with this relatively unknow character (unless you’re a Marvel comic book reader)
let me bring you up to speed.
It’s uncertain to us at the start of the film just where
exactly Viers (played by Brie Larson) comes from, but she lives on a planet
that is unlike anything you’ve seen so far in the wider Marvel Universe. She is
some kind of soldier in training but heads off on her mission with her team to
retrieve an important hostage. This is where they fall into a trap set by their
rival alien race, the Skrulls. Taken hostage herself, Viers has her mind accessed
by the enemy, to view what appear to be her memories, but memories of people
who are more human than her own race, and in events taking place on earth that
have no explanation. After she escapes, Viers is desperate to know the secrets
from her own past, and her purist leads her to Earth.
Once she realises where she is, she tracks down an important
power source before the Skrulls can get it, so she can return it to her home
planet. Along the way, she runs into Nick Fury, who wants to help her in this
mission, as his search for the truth is just as strong as her own. The two team
up, and surprisingly became allies in an intergalactic battle, where enemies
become friends, and friends are not all they seem.
The movie becomes something of a buddy picture, pitting
Viers (who discovers her real name is Carol Danvers) and Nick Fury together,
hitting the road and putting the pieces of her past together. The chemistry
between Larson and Jackson is strong, and their interactions make for some humorous
scenes together. Nick Fury is not the hardened and wise S.H.I.E.L.D. agent we
know he will become later at this point, but you can see how this experience started
him on that road. And have you always wondered how Fury lost his eye? This is a
running gag in the film, and the reveal is quite smart.
Chronologically, Captain Marvel has been released just one
month before “Avengers: Endgame”, as it was eluded to in the post-credit scene of Infinity War,
that Captain Marvel would play an important part in the conclusion to 2018’s cliff-hanger.
Given the dark, sombre ending of Infinity War, Captain Marvel comes along to
brighten things up a bit, and gives us a lighter piece of fare compared to the darker
Avengers films. It’s got plenty of action, but its not too violent or intense, and
although it may lag in parts, as the film focuses more on introducing Captain
Marvel to the audience and setting her up for bigger things to come, the film
does ramp up again in it’s final act, where we get to see Captain Marvel strut
her stuff.
Not that I like to compare Marvel to DC, but Wonder Woman
still holds the title as the best female-focused superhero movie to date, and
Captain Marvel does enough to continue the movement. With the current state of
the world certainly needing more recognition of women, and a lady’s touch when it
comes to handling the big issues, Captain Marvel looks like she could be the
girl for the job.
You can watch this as a standalone film in the Avengers
timeline, and also a tease as to what is to come with Endgame. Either way, if
you’re a fan of the Avengers films, you should find something to like here, and
get just enough Marvel Magic until the end of April.
*Post-Credit Scene - Lastly, the post-credit scene here is a corker, and if you’ve
seen the post-credit scene in Infinity War, you can guess what’s in store.
Without giving too much away, as Captain Marvel is still at the cinemas for
your viewing pleasure, a call is put out… the call is answered… more
superheroes meet each other… and the plot thickens. That’s all I can say. But make
sure you stick around to right after the end credits, for the final adventures
of Goose the cat, who plays an important part in the film, and “coughs” up his
last scene in fine fashion. Want to know more? Just go see the movie.
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