Captain Marvel: Movie Review

"Captain Marvel" throws itself fully into its retro-based screenplay. At times, it's a work of nostalgia and a burst of freshness but at times, the film feels a little sluggish and a little too stale. Undeniably, "Captain Marvel" still works as an origin film and a solid one at that but it feels safe to clearly stand out.

Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) has no memory of who she was and what was her previous life. She only finds herself dreaming about a mysterious woman and a Skrull attacking both of them after a crash. During this time, Carol has developed into one of the most elite warriors of the Kree. She with her elite commando team led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) is out on a mission to save one of their hidden agents but Carol finds herself captured by the enemy. When the Skrulls taps into her mind, she finds out hidden snippets of her previous life on Earth, new memories she has failed to remember for the past six years. As fate would have it, she finds herself once again Earth - trying to stop the Skrulls and trying to find more about her previous life.

"Captain Marvel" is not only an origin story to Carol Danvers but to Nick Fury, to S.H.I.E.L.D, and even to the Avengers. That alone makes this film both nostalgic and feeling fresh at the same time. And overall, the screenplay did a pretty solid job in balancing out all the easter eggs and unique elements reserved for Carol Danvers herself. As expected, the film features action, humor, and a bombastic conclusion as expected from an MCU release. But the action here takes a slight dip. "Captain Marvel" felt like a 90s release even with its shots, cuts, and coinciding soundtrack. It's a bit jarring and the action sequences early on felt sluggish and disjointed. All is not bad though, in fact, we loved its fight choreography as it shows a superhero learning the ropes and who's not afraid to be plain unconventional and unclean with her moves. Additionally, there's really no clear and powerful antagonist to match Carol Danvers. Partly, she's just too powerful when fully-unleashed but the other "enemies" littered throughout the film feels half-baked. There's no denying though that Brie Larson had an outstanding outing as Carol Danvers. She's able to fully convey the brash, cocky, confident outer self and the intimate, mysterious, and emotional hidden aspects of her character. The origin story itself was straightforward. There are no surprises and the big reveals predictable. But at least it made sure it had a lot of emotion and heart. The first half hour or so was honestly rough but eventually, the film just clicks and once it got its groove, it never looked back. "Captain Marvel" may be a level below from the MCU's greatest but it's definitely not its worst. It's a solid outing that viewers will find at least a fun and enjoyable romp.

Rating: 4 reels




Why you should watch it:
- a solid MCU release that is both nostalgic and fresh

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the action takes a slight dip from other MCU films
- there's really no solid antagonist to be the Yang to Carol Danvers' Yin