Captain Marvel - Film Review

Catch Captain Marvel, in cinema's now

The moment that every fragile, white, male lover of superhero movies has been dreading, has arrived. Captain Marvel landed in theatres this weekend, and it's the first Marvel movie of this year.


This film had a lot to prove. Firstly, it follows on from DC's immensely popular Aquaman, which grossed over $1 billion and has quickly elevated Marvel's competitor to very high heights. Secondly, it is the first MCU movie to be lead by *shock horror* a woman, instead of the boringly same-y, crusty, white dude (Black Panther excepted.) Finally, it has to both set up the new leader of the next ten years of Marvel movies, as well as building hype for the next film in the series, the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame.


Now, I am a huge Marvel fan, as I'm sure I have mentioned in other posts. I am also a white woman, which makes me the epitome of target audience for this film. That being said however, I genuinely do believe that Captain Marvel is one of the BEST superhero movies to ever grace the cinema screen, and not just because it's a feminist's wet dream.


Before I get into talking about the film though, Captain Marvel is the first Marvel film to air following the death of Stan Lee, the pioneer of many beloved characters from the Marvel universe. Therefore there is a tribute to him at the beginning of the film. Believe me when I say that I almost missed the first 5 minutes of the film because the tribute had me in tears. It was absolutely beautiful. Thank you Stan Lee. For everything.


Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel herself, is just sublime. Every line of dialogue, the delivery of it, even down to her facial expressions told me that she just got the character. I felt like I really was watching Carol on screen and not an actress. Brie Larson as the new face of the MCU is 100% alright by me. Captain Marvel as a character is delightful to watch. She's witty, she's clever, she's empathetic, in a way that I always thought a superhero should be but have never witnessed until this film.


As well as this, every side character is also well fleshed out and feels like a real person. It was very interesting to get a glimpse into Fury's past, and the way Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson worked so well together, their easy camaraderie, made this the fun buddy cop-esque romp that Ant-Man and the Wasp failed to be. Whilst these two had the most compelling character dynamic, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law and Lashana Lynch also gave excellent performances, particularly Ms Lynch, whose character (in my opinion) had the best chemistry with Larson's.


The acting and the character relationships in this film are definitively the best parts of the film, but the story is engaging as well. Whilst the pacing starts out a little too slowly for my liking, once the film really gets into its run (about 15 minutes in) it just goes from strength to strength. I've heard a lot of people saying that this film could fit in perfectly with the styles of Marvel's second phase films and I concur. From a directorial stand-point, I would say that this film is very reminiscent of the styles used in Guardians of the Galaxy, and not just because it's partly set in space. The use of the wide shots to frame the landscapes, as well as the close ups to focus on character motivations, particularly done with Larson's character who is suffering from amnesia, just enhances the excellence of the acting and the simplicity of the story.


There are a few moments however, which brought me out of the film. For one, whilst the effects are stunning, particularly on ageing down Mr Jackson, there are some elements where the cinematography suffers because of it. Also, and this is a spoiler so look away now, I thought that Lee Pace's Ronan was criminally underutilised. Which brings us to Marvel's villain problem. Whilst the actual villain reveal of the piece is well executed, and an interesting plot twist, it is drowned by the prospect of too many other potential villains, such as Pace's Ronan. They disrupt the flow of the film and leave you feeling slightly disappointed.


That said though, I adored this film and I'm definitely going to be seeing it again, and I would urge everyone else to see it too. From fans of superhero films, who just want to see some cool explosions, car chases and ass-kicking - this film has it in spades. To women of every age, who want to see themselves represented in popular media, this film is so empowering. It teaches you that you are human, that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. That even if you fall, you still get up and try again.


This film is overflowing with good character interactions, amusing dialogue, poignant political messages and best of all, there's a really cute CGI cat in it. So please go see this film, it might just surprise you.


Higher, Further, Faster Baby.


-The Act of Writing-