Posted by I finally got around to watching Captain Marvel, so now I can share my thoughts on it. However, before I begin, I would first like to say that next week I’ll be reviewing Avengers: Endgame. I did see Endgame, but first I want to talk about Captain Marvel and I want to give people some time to see Endgame first because Endgame is an absolute must-see.
For the most part, I thought that Captain Marvel was a decent movie. I have seen better movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it was by no means the worst. Personally, I would say that Captain Marvel is solidly in the middle when compared with other movies in the MCU. My reasoning behind this has to do with a few separate factors, the biggest of which being that Captain Marvel is an origin story. Origin stories are not always the most interesting or entertaining of superhero movies, but they are necessary and important, especially for large franchises like the MCU.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
My biggest complaint with the movie stems from the implied knowledge. Captain Marvel begins in medias res, which I do really like because it differentiates Captain Marvel from all of the other standard origin stories, but by doing this, Captain Marvel does not do a very good job of explaining who everyone is and what exactly is going on. The viewer is just dropped right into the middle of the Skrull and Kree war where Carol Danvers–who is going by the name of Vers because she has amnesia–is woking in a Kree squad led by Yon-Rogg to hunt down Skrulls. If you’re a casual fan that doesn’t know a whole lot about the source material, it’s easy to be confused. It confused me a little because my knowledge of the Kree and Skrull is pretty limited.
The plot itself was fine, albeit cliche. The whole idea of the amnesiac protagonist that is trying to figure out what happened to them as well as the betrayal of the trusted leader has been done before. However, I did enjoy how as the movie progressed, the view of the Kree and Skrull war shifted. One of the big ideas in life that fascinates me is the ambiguity of conflict. In war, one side is rarely wholly good while the other is wholly evil, but this is the exact black and white dynamic that most superhero movies present. Captain Marvel is guilty of doing this, but there is some ambiguity. After Danvers switches sides and begins to help the Skrulls, the Kree are only presented as cold-hearted murderers, even though they were the good guys half an hour ago. Danvers decides to help the Skrulls, because she learns that her mentor when she was in the Air Force was actually a Kree scientist that was working to help the Skrulls escape and colonize their own planet. It is revealed that the Kree and Skrull war is occurring because the Skrulls did not want to submit to Kree rule, so the Kree destroyed the Skrull homeworld and is trying to exterminate the dissenting Skrulls. On second thought, the Kree are pretty bad and the black and white morality is not as far off as I thought it might have been, but I still like the shift in allegiance and how it impacts the narrative.
My other major complaint has to do with the special effects. The special effects in Captain Marvel are great, especially for the Skrulls. However, when Danvers is flying around towards the end of the movie, the special effects just seemed off to me. But other than that, I found the movie to be quite enjoyable.
One thing that I really enjoyed was the dynamic between Danvers and young Nick Fury. It was entertaining watching the two interact, especially before and shortly after Nick Fury understands the alien threat that earth faces at the moment.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the actions sequences. MCU movies are known for their well choreographed and visually stunning fights, and Captain Marvel is no exception.
SPOILERS END
Truth be told, when I went in to see Captain Marvel, I didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t know how good or bad the movie would be, though I had only heard good things from my friends while on the internet I had only heard bad things. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by Captain Marvel and I did enjoy it. I would recommend Captain Marvel if you enjoy the MCU and want to see every movie, but it is not essential to the overarching timeline of the MCU. Because of this, if you don’t want to watch Captain Marvel, you don’t have to. It was a fun and entertaining movie, but it was honestly nothing special. Overall, I would give Captain Marvel a solid 7/10.
Broad Scope Entertainment 