Academy Award winner Brie Larson stars in Marvel’s latest comic-book adaption “Captain Marvel”. It may be surprising, but Brie is the first female to carry a lead role in a Marvel Comic film, and that notion seems way overdue. Larson plays Captain Marvel, well actually Carol Danvers, but most refer to her as Vers in the film. Vers was a fighter pilot turned intergalactic warrior on planet Hala, as her mind is wiped after an incident with a sought-after energy core, she struggles to truly answer who she is. Glimpses of her past pop in and out of her consciousness but she struggles to piece it all together. Most of these visions are just of Vers looking cool in a bomber jacket Top Gun style, standing next to a fighter jet.
Jude Law plays Yon-Rogg, Carol’s mentor and spar partner who gets up extra early to go a few rounds against her and lecture her with some empty enlightenment. Yon-Rogg is leading the war against a race called the Skrull who can shapeshift into anything possible, even a filing cabinet. The Skrull are led by Talos, played by Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One). Amid a battle, Vers is blasted into space and sent hurling into Planet C53, also known as Earth. She comes crashing through the roof of a Blockbuster Video (I still got my membership card somewhere) where the year is 1995. So begins the onslaught of 90’s nostalgia that’s thrown in your face. References to RadioShack, beepers, and AOL accounts will bring many viewers back to a simpler time, not to mention tracks played by No Doubt, Nirvana, and Hole accompany the usual grunge rock and pop scene of that time.
As Vers wanders around the strip mall where she crashed, she meets a younger Nick Fury who is of course played by Samuel L Jackson. Jackson’s appearance is enhanced with Hollywood tech, which looks fantastic and brings new possibilities to an ageless industry. Fury’s backstory and the history of S.H.I.E.L.D. smoothly accompany the main plot without an overbearing presence. Fury also carries the weight of practically all the humor in the film. His interactions with a cat named “Goose” got most of the audience belting out with laughter.
The plot is typical of what most audience members have come to expect in a Marvel production. The usual super-hero tropes are not absent, and the story revolves around a band of allies chasing a blue glowing cube or something like that. Plots in the MCU tend to be irrelevant as they just act as the stepping stone to the next addition, which is not to say that “Captain Marvel” doesn’t pack a punch. Brie Larson is the true badass, as she soars around like a super Saiyan blasting everything. Most Marvel fans and especially younger girls will gravitate towards. Her persona and attitude fit like a glove and doesn’t come off as artificial. Truly a fresh addition to the Marvel cast which will lead to a ton of Brie Larson action-figures being sold.
In the grand scheme of things, “Captain Marvel” carries the tradition of silly screenwriting, harmless tones and forgettable thrills. “Captain Marvel” will sell a lot of tickets and own the weekend box office. Aside from introducing a fresh new hero and personality, the film still can’t shake the stink of a “mid-level” Marvel production.
