It’s been a long ride since Tony Stark’s declaration in 2008.
A six movie journey, five years in the making and culminating with the first Avengers flick, Marvel Studios had essentially done the impossible. But while the success continued into Phase Two with Iron Man 3 and beyond, the simplicity of character-driven origin tales has been missed.
Related: A Conversation with the Heroes Behind Captain Marvel
Sure, Ant-Man, Dr Strange, and Black frikkin’ Panther have all delivered fun genesis stories, but they’ve almost always been baggage-laden with having to move the overarching plot towards Infinity War or carrying over content from previous entries like Civil War.
Captain Marvel, however, is a Phase One film through and through. A feat, considering the film–by design–is meant to introduce the saviour of the universe post-Infinity Snap.
Free of concerns plaguing the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s storytelling, Captain Marvel dives straight into Carol Danvers’ adventures, allowing her backstory to organically play out over the movie, making for a more dynamic experience.
While Carol’s pet cat Goose has some scene-stealing moments, the movie’s true star is Brie Larson and her portrayal of Captain Marvel.
Given the character’s obviously different history in the film (her run as Ms Marvel/Warbird/Binary are all absent in this version) Larson’s take on the the character is a perfect mash of straight-faced wit and humour, as well as stoic heroism.
And the fun of the script is infectious. With arguably the most entertaining depiction of Nick Fury since Age of Ultron, it’s a refreshing experience to not have the protagonist of a Marvel movie also be the comic relief.
A special mention of directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck has to be made. Captain Marvel marks their foray into big budget tentpole blockbusters. And while they may be more comfortable with their more personal and intimate projects, we can only hope that they remain on the team for Captain Marvel 2 and beyond.
Another winning presence on the creative team of this movie is Guardians of the Galaxy writer Nicole Perlman, whose absence was all too obvious from the GotG sequel. If Disney’s still lost for a creative team for GotG 3, Perlman’s almost definitely the way to go!
Captain Marvel is out now in all theatres!
On the note of the completely stupid movement against Captain Marvel, I’m happy to report that the movie is not only great, but also exists as a giant “fuck you” to haters who have an issue with Brie Larson or her proactive stance for diversity.
While there will always be less-than-neanderthals against strong female characters, there will also be movies like Captain Marvel to put them in their place.