By Harlly A Lewis
Captain Marvel, directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck is the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Jude Law as Yon Rogg.
Captain Marvel is the story of Carol Danvers, also known as Vers, a Kree super-soldier who lands on Earth (landing right in a Blockbuster video store) after a run in with the Kree’s sworn enemies, the Skrull. Finding Earth more and more familiar, she begins to uncover her connection to the planet and its people and a conspiracy hiding the truth of an intergalactic war, while also coming into contact with a young Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.
The first thing I noticed is the visual language of the film. The MCU has, for lack of a better term, a very homogenised cinematographic style. Captain Marvel is a thankful break from this with several moments of very creative camerawork and editing thanks to the artful eyes of Boden, Fleck and their cinematographer, Ben Davies who also worked as a cinematographer on Doctor Strange and was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film is very much a story about finding oneself not only in terms of regaining ones memory but also standing up for yourself and coming into your own and finding the power within.
The standout performances include Brie Larson, who plays Carol as not only strong with a urge to fight against her limits (or rather the limits put on her) but with a real caring side and likeable sense of humour. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is another great performance showcasing a younger, less jaded and less paranoid version of the man who will one day form a team of The Worlds Mightiest Heroes. The person who steals the show however is Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, but I can’t get into his performance without mentioning spoilers. But trust me it’s worth the watch for his performance alone, not to mention the great work of everyone else.
The score by Pinar Toprak is, like much of the MCU music, pretty standard stuff. The score and soundtrack (the film is set in the 90’s so expect to sing along to some catchy tunes you thought you forgot) fit the movie perfectly, but it’s not a score that I would listen to by itself. My favourite moment regarding the music is the use of the song Just a Girl by No Doubt, it took me right back to my childhood and really fit the scene, with Captain marvel kicking serious ass.
The CGI was top notch, especially on the de-aged Jackson, with only a few moments where it looked strange. Yet again, like in Justice League, the upper lip is a hard part to do right with CGI. The action was amazing and really showed off how powerful Captain Marvel is when she really cuts loose. They also managed to combine several designs of her character from the comics in a very clever, practical in world way.
Captain Marvel is a very good film and a great second step into a more diverse MCU, which is a very good thing. The film also contains probably the greatest Stan Lee cameo so far and it will definitely bring some to tears. Not me though, someone was just cutting onions next to me, yeah, definitely didn’t cry.
On The Brightside 