'Captain Marvel' Is A Solid Prequel for the MCU
Captain Marvel, was an origin story for Carol Danvers but it also acted as another essential viewing block in the remarkable world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Captain Marvel's Carol Danvers was created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan. The character is now joining the MCU. Carol Danvers is one of the most popular Avengers characters in comic book circles. So, it was only a matter of time before she reached the big screen.
Before the film even starts Marvel Studios did a touching tribute to Stan Lee. It was truly wonderful to watch and greatly appreciated as a fan.
The film starts off in 1995, on the Kree planet of Hala. Vers (Brie Larson), who later becomes Captain Marvel, is suffering from the same nightmares. She is trained by her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). During a mission to rescue a fellow Kree from Skrulls. Vers is captured by Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and is taken to a special facility. Vers escapes and lands on Earth. Where she ends up meeting SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). That's where it all begins.
Captain Marvel is bold and takes some risks even right out of the gate. The film had a unique balance of humor and action. I would not consider the film as funny as previous MCU outings but this film definitely has a more serious tone. Captain Marvel is the 21st entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet it felt fresh and it continued some necessary world-building of the MCU's cosmic realm. The film's nineties backdrop adds great musical choices and overall appeal to the film. The film does start off slow. Once it finally gets going it's amazing.
Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck utilize their ultra-talented cast and created some beautiful shots throughout the film. Boden and Fleck do a wonderful job tackling an origin story that has so many layers. From the story of a former Air Force pilot turned superhero by force and not by choice, to the story of a SHIELD agent learning the universe is a lot larger than it seems. Not to mention Boden and Fleck executed the intelligent twist on the villains The Skrulls.
Ben Mendelsohn is excellent as Talos. The villain turned family-man hero. The Skrulls as characters could potentially be impactful on the rest of the MCU. The characters could potentially infiltrate and take over Earth in a future Secret Invasion film. I don't think Mendelsohn would reprise Talos but maybe he would? A lot could happen in the 20 years since Captain Marvel. What if something happened to his family and it leads him into doing that famed invasion. The Secret Invasion storyline is big enough to be the next Infinity War/Endgame level movie event.
Captain Marvel has its flaws but the good outweighs the bad. The de-aged Clark Gregg and Samuel L. Jackson give great performances of their younger selves. Captain Marvel's villain is what she deals with on the inside. Losing her memories and always trying to protect people, and when she finally gets the ability she becomes unstoppable. The film didn't have a true villain which is fine because we could consider Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg as villains for their deceptive ways. The ensemble was thrilling to watch, and hopefully more of these characters get explored. (cough cough Disney+).
Captain Marvel features fun chemistry between Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson as Nick Fury and Captain Marvel. Hopefully, we can see that duo in the modern-day MCU. Captain Marvel is similar to Black Panther and Wonder Woman in the way it has impacted our culture even with the film only being opened for a couple of days now. It is a shame that some people take stuff too seriously. Captain Marvel deserved to be just another great installment in the MCU but instead, people decided to use it as a weapon to push annoying narratives.
Lashawna Lynch is relatable in her role as Maria Rambeau. The future for her daughter Monica Rambeau will be interesting. Monica may end up being a hero in one of the future MCU films. Goose the Cat is hilarious, and I love the nod to Top Gun.
I enjoyed the score by Pinar Toprak. The cinematography by Ben Davis was fantastic. Captain Marvel had some lovely shots. The story was by Meg LeFauve, Nicole Perlman, Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. The screenplay was written by Fleck, Boden, and Robertson-Dworet.
The ending was magnificent. I love how Nick Fury was writing the Avengers Initiative after meeting Captain Marvel. I would love a Disney+ series to focus on Fury attempting to find other heroes. I'm sure there are more heroes than we know, and Fury finding them could be interesting. Would he recruit a grief-stricken Hank Pym or even a Bill Foster Goliath? Fury creating this initiative would be interesting to watch, and not to mention the pager. Did Nick Fury ever use the pager before Infinity War?
Also, another thought to ponder is I'm not buying the whole Captain Marvel is going to single-handily defeat Thanos. Captain Marvel is powerful but defeating Thanos has to be a team effort.
The Tesseract, also known as the space stone, has been a part of MCU lore since Captain America: The First Avenger. Howard Stark discovers the Tesseract in the ocean. Odin, the father of Thor, sent it there for its own protection. S.H.I.E.L.D loaned the Tesseract to Project PEGASUS. It soon ends up in Goose the Flerken's stomach, and he spits it back out in a post-credit. The Tesseract essentially created Captain Marvel and plays a gigantic role in Thanos decimation of the universe.
The mid-credits scene to Captain Marvel was fantastic, and it gave me even more excitement for Avengers: Endgame. Which I didn't think was possible. The mid-credits scene starts at Avengers headquarters sometime after Infinity War. Captain America, Black Widow, War Machine, and Bruce Banner all watch the death toll rise after the worldwide apocalyptic event. They're studying the Nick Fury pager that was dropped during the dusting, and the pager has stopped transmitting. Cap wants Banner to reboot the pager so it can resend the signal. Black Widow says she wants to meet whoever is at the other end of the transmission. Captain Marvel is standing behind her. Captain Marvel then asks them "Where's Fury?"
Captain Marvel is a fun and thrilling watch that is essential viewing before Avengers: Endgame. Brie Larson was made for the role of Captain Marvel, and she was able to bring the character to life in its complex plot. Captain Marvel mixes new and old elements of the MCU to make an eclectic film. There is something for everyone. The MCU continues its incredible streak.
Now we are in the Endgame.
