Captain Marvel is far from a perfect movie. It struggles in the same ways than many origin stories struggle. It stumbles a bit out of the gates, takes its time getting going. The result is a semi clunky first third or so. But once it finds its footing, it’s right up there with the most fun MCU movies. Before we get to the good stuff, let’s cover some of those faults.
In addition to the slow start, one of its faults – a common pitfall of countless origin stories – is a predictable plot. And Captain Marvel is no different, especially with everyone knowing she will have (major?) part to play in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. There’s never a question of if she becomes the hero by movie’s end. But the how is fun ride. And the movie includes a few twists and turns that keep it from being completely predictable. But all in all, the larger story does leave something to be desired. However, now that the character is established, any future movies (you have to believe Captain Marvel will get at least one sequel) will be free of this initial setup, and can jump right into the good stuff. And that’s an exciting possibility, as there is a lot of good here.
First and foremost, the cast. It’s great from top to bottom. Brie Larson nails the lead role of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. Samuel L. Jackson returns as a younger, still-has-two-eyes Nick Fury (I won’t say whether or not the movie answers the question of how he lost his eye). He and Larson spend a lot of time together and their chemistry is great right from the start. That chemistry carries over into the rest of the cast too. Marvel has historically aced their casting, and the trend continues here. Not a single character feels out of place. And thankfully that extends to my man Ben Mendelsohn.
Mendo FINALLY gets a good role. There’s the running joke that if a movie needs a bad guy, you cast Ben Mendelsohn. And to be fair, he’s done great with what he’s been given. But he hasn’t had a solid role, good guy or bad guy. But his character here, the Skrull leader Talos, is fleshed out and developed. And Mendelsohn crushes it, as you would expect him to. Let’s hope this is a trend for his roles going forward.
As much of a strength as the cast is, the visuals don’t take a back seat here. Any MCU movie is going to be heavy on action sequences and CGI. And while they’re not perfect, they get the job done at worst, and rock your socks off at best. There are a few moments that stick out as weaker than the rest of the film, but nothing that is egregiously bad.
Aside from the real meat of the movie, there are some extra treats that most other MCU movies don’t have. Given that Captain Marvel takes place in 1995, it’s able to include some fun MCU Easter eggs throughout. Without spoiling any of the fun, there are enough sprinkled in to get the juices flowing, but not so many that it feels like they’re forcing them on you.
Then there’s the ’90s nostalgia. I’m a big nostalgia guy, especially when it comes to ’90s culture. Like the MCU references, the ’90s culture references didn’t feel forced. And that’s easy to believe considering the movie is set in 1995. Many of the references come very naturally and easily. For anyone who loved the ’90s, this will up the enjoyment factor by a decent amount, especially the music.
In particular, while the whole soundtrack is great, there are two instances of absolutely perfect song choices. It’s a Nirvana song and a No Doubt song. And I was literally smiling ear to ear during the entirety of both scenes. The No Doubt scene is as perfect of a song-to-scene match as I can remember seeing.
And if you want a song about how great the ’90s were, the video for Lil Dicky’s “The ’90s” is a must watch (somewhat NSFW).
Lastly, there are the traditional two credits scenes. The mid-credits scene is the money one. That’s the one that ties directly into Endgame. And for an MCU junkie like myself:
The second one comes after all the credits are done, and is skippable. It’s a fun little scene, as they usually are. But there’s nothing there that you would regret missing if you leave after the mid-credits scene.
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