Movie Review : Captain Marvel (2019)

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gemma Chan, Jude Law, Annette Benning, etc

Captain Marvel tells a story of Vers, a member of Kree, who is in a mission to rescue a Kree spy from Skrull, an alien race who can transform into anyone in the galaxy. Vers is caught by Skrull and when she tries to escape, her plane is destroyed and she lands on Earth. In this planet, she meets a young SHIELD agent which is none other than Nick Fury. They, then, team up to fight Skrulls who chase her down to Earth. During this team up, Vers slowly discovers her previous life as Carol Danvers.

So there are some positives and negatives things about this movie but I have to say that for a solo movie this movie is good. Not a great one but a good one. Captain Marvel is undeniably a crowd pleaser movie and a nice addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie is just like the tagline is about what MAKES her a hero, not how Carol Danvers (Cap Marvel) becomes a hero. For those who are screaming about feminism propaganda, do not worry, there is no such thing in this movie. If anything, I think it is more like military propaganda actually.

There are so many things happen in this movie. From the beginning, the movie immediately tells you that this is a superhero movie, a weird one. There are so many subplots here. There is a Kree plot, there is an Earth plot, there is a Skrull plot but somehow it is handled nicely. Sure there are some weird directions and editings here and there. In the first and second acts, we are given several clues that actually pay off at the third acts. I will not explain them without giving spoilers, so...

The ensemble cast for this movie is great, especially the supporting casts. Here we can see a young energetic Nick Fury. Ben Mendelsohn is amazing as Skrull general and throughout the movie, we can see how uncomfortable the makeup for Skrull is but this guy seems to use it as his advantage by giving a stoic and calm deliverance. Annette Benning and Jude Law are good. Goose the cat is good but does not exactly steal the show like many people said. Its interaction with Nick Fury is what makes it stand out. Brie Larson is maybe the weakest here. She is still good and gives a solid performance but nothing much. I think it has to do with the script because she does not really give a moment to show us the emotions Carol Danvers is struggling with. We can see the emotion in her eyes in some scenes though. At the beginning of the movie, however, we see that Supreme Intelligence (Annette Benning) and the Captain of Star Force (Jude Law) constantly remind her to control her emotion. I get it, she is a soldier, she is supposed to be a stoic person. In my opinion, Brie Larson shows us how weird, sassy and confident Carol Danvers is despite the materials gives her. The 90s theme is great and fits well in this movie, sometimes.

Despite the goodness above, there are some things which bother me. The'90s theme is okay, but sometimes it is kinda overwhelming. There are some songs which do not fit with the situations on screen. The most obvious is at the final fight where we finally see Carol Danvers embraces her power. It sounds so forced and it takes away the seriousness of the movie. For me, it also does not fit the moment Carol shows up in her Captain Marvel glory. When the song "Just a Girl" starts playing and I know it is a serious final fight scene, my mind just screams "Please, STOP."

Another negative aspect for me is how Nick Fury loses his eye. I was assuming something sinister since Winter Soldier but well. It is too bad they sacrifice it to create a stupid background story. It's almost as stupid as how Xavier lost his hair in Apocalypse. I do understand why Fury said the line "The last time I trusted someone, I lost my eye." though. Fury is a kind of person who will do everything as long as his goal is achieved and that includes lying. It is not a total lie, but still. I actually hope the line is more like "He trusted Carol and helped her but he lost his eye along the way."

In conclusion, Captain Marvel is a good enjoyable movie. It delivers what it is supposed to do: a solid solo movie. I do hope Captain Marvel will be treated much better in End Game because I can see so much potential in this character and really curious what Russo Brothers will do with this powerful being. With different script and directors maybe this character will turn out to be one of the best Marvel characters in MCEU. During the mid-credit scene, we see an older Carol with a fresh hairstyle, upgrade suit, more experience and mature look. That is Captain Marvel I am waiting for.

I give this movie: B+