Walt Disney pictures proudly present the newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel. Directed by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel stars Brie Laron as Vers, a former Air Force fighter pilot who is now a Starforce member. When we first meet Vers, she is having recurring nightmares. Hoping to stop the nightmares, Vers trains with Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), the commander of Starforce.
During a routine mission, Vers is kidnapped by the Skulls, whose leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) has his own ulterior motives for Vers and her powers. Upon escaping the Skrulls planet, Vers crash lands on Earth in the mid-nineties. A young Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is sent to investigate the incident and finds himself teaming up with Vers (Brie Larson) to save the plant and unlocking the secrets to Vers's past.
As Vers begins to unlock her past, she discovers that her real name is Carol Danvers. Reuniting with her best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch), Vers discovers that she went missing in 1989 while helping Dr. Lawson (Annette Bening) with a top-secret mission. As the threat looms, Vers will have to use all of her newfound powers to truly become the heroine she was born to be.
Before a trailer was released, Captain Marvel was already predicted to be a failure by some die-hard male fans. While I don't fall into the category, I view every film with an open mind, no matter the genre. I'm also a fan of Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, so I walked into the movie with moderate expectations. Despite opening with the superb training fight sequences between Vers (Brie Larson) and Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), I was not blown away with the first twenty minutes of Captain Marvel.
This is director Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck's first time working on a big-budget film that may be the reason for some of the film's issues that I had. The special effects were a bit on the amateurish side, and the action sequences were mediocre. I also found the pacing off-putting in the film's first twenty minutes. In my head, I was counting down the moments until Vers made it to Earth. With Captain Marvel having a 90's setting, I was expecting the film to go overboard with pop culture's references. Still, thankfully the script by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck keeps them to a minimum.
When Vers lands on Earth, the film starts to gain its footing and traction. As Vers, Brie Larson is excellent and carries the movie with ease. Vers knows how to successfully deliver a one-liner and a punch. Larson also has great with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Lashana Lynch's Maria. The rest of the cast also deliver solid performances. Ben Mendelsohn continues to show why he's becoming Hollywood's go-to bad guy, and Jude Law is excellent as Yon-Rugg. There are also some great cameos from Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou, with both men reprising their roles from 2014's Guardians of The Galaxy.
Serving as a decent introduction to Marvel's biggest female hero, Captain Marvel, succeeds on the strength of Brie Larson's performance. While Captain Marvel has its share of issues, I still recommend the film for Marvel fans.
Final Grade B
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