Image: Marvel Studios/Disney
Higher. Further. Faster.
That’s the premise of Captain Marvel, and also the scope at which Disney rolled in the 21st movie of the MCU, just in time to preclude Avengers Infinity War. As far as 21sts go, this is a real coming of age story, a throwback to not only a simpler time before all the supers were assembled but to an era where Nick Fury had two eyes and pagers were a form of instant messaging. It’s a celebration of firsts at every level, with female director Anna Boden sharing the helm with Ryan Fleck to direct and Brie Larson as the titular role.
DC had already broken ground with 2017’s Wonder Woman, proving that audiences would pay to see a female lead with a female director, but more importantly that the character could hold her own organic backstory. Marvel has a different battle on its hands, having to establish a character that is 20 years ahead of the events of the latest Avengers film, tie her in with the characters that she is meant to be supporting and her make her intriguing enough that she is not shoehorned into a space where she embodies the deux ex machina role.
Larson is Vers, an emerging Starforce soldier on the planet Kree tasked with seeking out the mischievous Skrulls, shape-shifting aliens led by the gleeful Ben Mendehlson as Talos (who plays up to his distinct Australian accent in one of the less cringworthy portrayals of the twang). Urging her to control her abilities, she is mentored by Yon Rogg (Jude Law) during her pursuit of the enemy, when she is ambushed and captured. The Skrulls extract from her memories a woman from her nightmares, Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening), who repeatedly appears in Vers ‘subconscious at the crash scene of a light-speed plane mission gone wrong. Crashing onto the “shithole” that is C53 (Earth) she draws the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D, led by the digitally altered and delightfully young Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), who soon realises that the threats to national security are outside the realm of his cushy 9-5 job.
This is where the fun really begins. As they goad each other with banter of being respective rogues in their fields, the soundtrack of Nirvana, REM and TLC calibrates the tone as being a Guardians of the Galaxy for millennials. “Grunge suits you,” remarks Nick and it’s a look that swirls with nostalgia. As Vers searches for her real identity, she reunites with her co-pilot and best friend Maria Rambeau and her daughter Monica, who reveal her human persona as Carol Danvers. Sans a romantic interest, the real arc in the story is the strong friendship between the pair, rivalling that of Bucky and Captain America and passing the Bechdel test with flying colours. In an endearing scene, Carol enlists young Monica to redesign her new costume, as patriotic and proud as the new American passport she virtually possesses. Carol has incredibly powerful abilities, but her rueful reminiscing of a life lost threatens to undermine her mission to prevent the Tesseract core energy source from falling in the wrong hands.
Per the action, Brie Larson’s rigorous training routine has adequately prepped her for the fight scenes. At times it seems a little too easy, like her baddies are out of her league. Purporting to muzzle her powers, Starforce manipulate her with unseemly dialogue like “what’s given can be taken away,” but trying to convince the most powerful hero in the MCU that the source of her power is a mere crutch is relinquished soon enough. Her flight sequences are as exciting as any Millennium falcon expedition, and her blast off into space is operatic and filled with the same wonder as a Flash sequence. Even as a mere mortal, her pilot scenes with her Top Gun aviators and bomber jackets emit the same excitement as a rookie agent tasked with her first ever solo mission.
For a movie that’s all about going above and beyond, there’s plenty of creature comforts on the ground, namely a ginger feline called Goose. He’s a Puss in Boots of sorts, charming and a scene stealer that isn’t exploited for cheap laughs. As far as underestimated threats as in this movie, his story would be top rank.
Just don’t ask Nick Fury how he lost the eye.
Verdict: 8/10
Marvel Australia
About The Author
