Is Captain Marvel on the same level as Black Panther or is it lower than Thor: The Dark World? Here’s my Captain Marvel review powered by Walt Disney Studios and SM Cinemas. The film was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and stars Brie Larson, Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Lee Pace and more. It opens March 6 in 2D, 3D and IMAX.

Finally, I can write down my thoughts on Carol Danvers and her insane story in this Captain Marvel review. We had a week embargo and rather than make a mistake and slip up, I just kept quiet so as to avoid being blacklisted.

Anyhoo, Brie Larson is Captain Marvel in this new movie from Marvel Studios. Is she the best? Not quite but its in the higher up spectrum of the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup of movies. it’s definitely not as deplorable as Iron Man 3 or The Dark World if you’re wondering.

There’s a lot of things to like about the movie. They do have a cool cast, a nice dive into an alien world that GotG only touched on, a lot of surprises and twists. It’s also a history lesson for people who are more interested in SHIELD, just to give you a heads up. “Captain Marvel” however is also mired with a predictable plot, bits of tongue-in-cheek comedy, a few inconsistencies with what has been established in the current MCU.

Still a fun romp nonetheless.

Visuals

Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL..Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) ..Photo: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2019

By this time, anything Marvel Studios dishes out, you can expect to be high quality. The fight scenes where the great, that epic final battle was climatic and there’s those precious few minutes where Carol actually shows just how powerful she is and oh my god Thanos, you need to hide. Larson as an actress here also looks great here. I’m not keen on her facial expressions from time to time but that’s OK, she makes it up with her stunts and other things. Her whole “Binary” mode is also one for the books.

The visuals for characters like Gemma Chan’s Minn-Erva or Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg were nice. This just reaffirms why Marvel gets a good call every Oscar season for the costumes and make-up department. Hell even surprising breakaway character Goose gets awesome visual moments!

Overall, the film looks slick and its strongest power is giving us a sense of nostalgia especially for the 30-somethings who grew up in the 90s.

Music

I rarely comment on the music for films. Maybe a line or two. But for this Captain Marvel review, I dedicate an entire paragraph. They had everything set up nicely in terms of musical score. But its really the song selection that hits right home. Songs from bands and talents like “No Doubt” and “Hole” are here and they make everything better. Even Nine Inch Nails makes a soft cameo in this film.

I don’t know about you but I’m also good with the whole “girl power” movement the film is subtly hinting at.

Costume Design and Sets

Loved Carol’s costume either during her time with the Kree Starforce as well as after her appearance when she finally becomes the heroine Captain Marvel. It all made sense and flowed smoothly how this came to be. And it’s also not a biggie as to why this happened. It was a logical progression.

Plot

Another minor controversy here that may raise some eyebrows are the changes they did to Captain Marvel’s origins. Without spoiling, they went for the simpler road and provide the film with a good mystery. Who was the Kree warrior named “Vers” and why does she have amnesia? Also why is she the only member in her unit that can fire off “Photon blasts”? It all gets neatly packed up by the time the credit rolls.

Also I’d like to assure you that these will be explained by the end of the movie:

1. Where she was in the last decade or so?
2. How Nick Fury loses his eye?
3. How Nick Fury came to trust Agent Phil Coulson
4. How did the Avengers get their name?
5. How Captain Marvel connects to Avengers Endgame.
6. How did Nick Fury get the Tesseract

What it doesn’t explain to us is:

1. What happened to the Kree in between Captain Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy
2. What happened to Ronan the Accuser between CM and GoTG
3. How is Thanos involved in all this?

There’s also a lot of promise for a sequel but I highly doubt at the moment that they will consider that. It could be that CM could be the new gateway for solo Marvel movies which goes on a cosmic scale. But then again, that’s why you have Peter Quill and the Guardians.

Captain Marvel Review – Verdict

9/10

Captain Marvel is another fun romp in the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson is a nice lead as the most powerful character in the MCU to date and while its still contestable at the moment, it opens another path for more stories to be told. Marvel Studios has given another powerful character and an equally powerful statement in the new film. Plus it gives us a history of SHIELD way before Iron Man’s Tony Stark announced that he is Iron Man to the rest of the world.