Captain Marvel – Honest Movie Review

Deep, established and well-regarded with twenty successful movies under their belt, Marvel Studios’ latest “Blockbuster” entry, Captain Marvel, is the company’s first female-led Superhero film, starring the Oscar-winning and supremely talented actress Brie Larson in the lead role along with Samuel L. Jackson reprising his prominent character, Nick Fury.

The storyline kicks off with Vers (Brie Larson), stuck in an alien city called Kree, as she tries to learn and control her extensive superpowers with the help of her trainer, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and at the same time struggles to remember her forgotten past as a normal human being. As the narrative continues, Vers joins on a mission with Yon to eliminate a cutthroat race who seem to qualify as a threat to their civilization and in the process of doing so, finds herself in a series of revelations which paint a picture of her past, present and the future.

Before jumping into a boatload of problems I had with the film, let’s discuss the positives. Occupying a heavy amount of screentime from start to finish, the chemistry between Vers and Nick Fury carries out the film with much-needed appeal and humor. Both Larson and Jackson seem to play off of each other well as their relationship felt warranted and chucklesome.

But, the primary drawback of the film, on the whole, is the character of Vers/Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, who didn’t appear as fully established or explored throughout the entire runtime. The passage that directors (also co-writers) Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck took to explain their lead character’s fragmented past (which is mostly dialogue and quick flashes of different life events) was impotent and failed to put in a good word for our hero. Her personality attributes and superpowers which make her the most overpowering warrior among the Avengers were faintly showcased, but, never get to see the light of day in any aspect. As a result, the inclusion of Brie Larson felt forced, her performance is wooden and the moments which hoist her character to the sky didn’t feel earned. With her getting chased or chasing her enemies most of the time, the messy storytelling aspect didn’t help either as the film never settled on a particular theme or tone, whether it’s an extravagant space adventure or a buddy-cop comedy or an inspiring sisterhood drama.

Moreover, unlike Marvel’s Black Panther or DC’s Aquaman, the illustration or the world of Captain Marvel is dull, bland and misses the opportunity of creating an outlook which feels like a character. The action scenes, barring a couple, were also predominantly forgettable. The choreography was dry, and it’s unjustifiable that we only got to witness barely anything with a luxurious character like Captain Marvel who maintains a wide variety of tricks and powers up her sleeve.

Overall, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck hyperfocused on creating entertaining moments rather than telling a cohesive story and establishing an appealing character that we can all get behind. As a result, this film fails in setting up its own universe and lacked imagination and intrigue. A passable and a forgettable origin film!

Rating – 2.5/5 | Grade – C+