#MovieMonday: Captain Marvel Review: An Enjoyable Movie with a Slow Start

It’s about time.

Ever since Avengers: Infinity War (A:IW), I’ve been thirsting like a rabid wolf for the next instalment of the franchise:

I mean, sure; it’s not exactly Avengers 4: Endgame. But from what the ending of A:IW insinuated, Captain Marvel seemed like a necessary, if not vital addition to the series. Someone really needs to kick Thanos’ ass, you get what I’m saying?

And naturally, everyone’s bound to be hyped about Captain Marvel’s own standalone entry into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). But here’s the thing… did it live up to expectations?

Well, suffice it to say; the answer’s a resounding…

Read on please.

Captain Marvel

Before we proceed, let me just get on with the usual introductory stuff.

First off, we have the synopsis:

Captain Marvel gets caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Editor: Wait, that’s it?

Well, that’s what the first Google search got me.

Editor: Give the readers a more concise one, what does that synopsis above even tell anyone?

Well, fair enough.

Popcorn’s synopsis:

Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom.

And here’s a more detailed description, courtesy of everyone’s favourite site:

Captain Marvel is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Carol Danvers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the twenty-first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet also contributing to the screenplay. Brie Larson stars as Danvers, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law. Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after the Earth is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien worlds.

Is that detailed enough?

Editor: Detailed, but it could be even better.

What’re you now, an Asian Mom?

Captain Marvel: More Deets

I’m so, so sorry, but before I get on with my personal movie review I would just like to get some other stuff out of the way.

Reviews wise, Captain Marvel currently stands at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s rated 6.3/10 on iMDB, and 69% liked the film.

Honestly speaking, they aren’t the most rave reviews (considering the anticipation that awaited the film’s release), but objectively speaking they aren’t the worst either. So in that aspect, I guess it’s still 50-50.

Another point I would like to talk about is that Captain Marvel’s a film set in the 90s, which also means that our favourite Agent pair, Nick Fury and Phil Coulson…

Are technically younger in Captain Marvel.

But that does get us wracking our heads: did Marvel get a couple of lookalikes to portray Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg’s younger roles or what?

Well, as it turns out, Marvel opted for digital de-aging. And boy…

I must say that it works like a charm.

Kudos, Marvel. Kudos.

Indeed, now I’m kinda hyped to see a digitally de-aged Chuck Norris.

If anything could be orgasmic, that’ll be it. But enough digressing, for it’s time to…

Enter my personal review

I’m lucky, in the sense that I caught Captain Marvel the moment it sneaked into Cinemas on 6 March 2019. Had I not, I couldn’t even have imagined the pandemonium going on in the ticket reservation section, with everyone fighting tooth and nail (just figurative, hopefully) for a ticket.

But thankfully, I’m past that phase, and so I shall head onto the review which will be broken down into a couple of aspects:

• Visuals
• Organisation
• Enjoyment

Visuals

Now, I’m not easily impressed by visuals. To qualify as a top-notch film in terms of visuals, a film’s gotta have all the consistencies and whatnot.

Yeah, no cutting corners.

But really, I couldn’t have expected any less from Marvel. Set against a whopping budget of USD$152 million, it was evident that the film creators (just like any MCU movies) spared no expense and really, it worked out really well. 

Despite boasting a scarily high amount of visual effects, the bulk of which really needed top-notch qualities in order to come through, Captain Marvel never faltered, and consistently met my expectations.

In fact, I would even say that the visuals are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Though of course, Avatar still reigns supreme.

Visuals: 4/5

Organisation

I gotta say; the first part wasn’t all that… marvellous.

Not saying that it was bad or anything, but it’s just not… impressive or anything. Slow, confusing and perhaps even boring at times, the first part was the encapsulation of everything you don’t want in a Marvel film. Alright, maybe bulk of it. I did like certain parts of it, to be fair.

But here’s the thing. While the first part was kind of lacklustre, whether it’s the organisation of clips or the stoic storyline, the second part more than made up for it.

Capturing every single Marvel element that has entranced every fan out there, the second part had it all: action, emotions, joy (Editor’s note: How is joy not an emotion?).

In fact, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that Captain Marvel somehow incorporated its worst and best sides in the same movie, and yet somehow still came on top.

Truly, kudos Marvel. Kudos.

But still, it’s still hard to forget that I nearly dozed off during the first part of the movie. And so, the score in this department would, sadly, have to be…

Organisation: 3/5

Enjoyment

Really, I only have three words:

It was awesome.

Indeed, when I walked out of the cinema, I couldn’t help but feel elated, empowered. Such was the resonance, impact of the film that I left with a tingly sensation in my stomach, a well satisfied one. And I’ll have you know that the last time I left with such a feeling, I was watching Avatar.

And with that said, I end off this enjoyment sector with just two words:

Genuine enjoyment.

Suffice to say, you’ll have to endure the boring first 30 minutes before the movie starts picking up. Kind of like the very first Captain America.

Enjoyment factor: 4/5

So… what’re you waiting for?

If you’re a fan of Marvel, I’m telling you:

You gotta watch Captain Marvel. Now.

Granted, it’s not exactly the first female empowerment superhero film in the industry. Granted, it didn’t quite hit the heights Wonder Woman achieved, but to be fair WW is really one of a kind.

Yet nevertheless, I would say that Captain Marvel, while definitely not the best entry in the MCU…

Is definitely a good and enjoyable film in its own right.

And with that said, I would say that yes, it’s a definite go from me. 🙂

Rating: 3.67/5