Starring
Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Djimon
Hounsou, Lashana Lynch, Annette Benning, Gemma Chan, Lee Pace, Clark
Gregg. Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. (2019/124 min).
On
BLU-RAY FROM DISNEY / MARVEL
Review
by Stinky the Destroyer😺
When
it comes to superhero movies, I suppose kicking franchises off with
an origin story is almost unavoidable. After all, not everyone’s a
comic book reader, so explaining what compels a guy throw on a cape
for the public good makes narrative sense (though Tim Burton’s
Batman never bothered and it turned out just fine).
Even if that has a tendency to render a lot of superhero films somewhat
predictable, Marvel has done a pretty remarkable job introducing
everyone populating their cinematic universe. And rather ingeniously,
Captain Marvel actually gives us two origin stories.
First,
of course, is the story of Vers/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), whose
circumstances leading to her emergence as the titular character are
more interesting than those of Doctor Strange or an umpteenth
reboot of Spider-Man. After a rather mundane opening act –
a flashy-but-rote clash between the Kree and Skrulls – once Vers
arrives on Earth in 1995, the story really takes off. She already has
her considerable powers and stands-out like a sore thumb, leading to
some amusing moments and frequent clashes with the shape-shifting
Skrulls. Larson’s confident performance is enjoyable, displaying
just the slightest bit of superiority over us puny humans (at least
until she begins to remember where she came from).
 |
| Saving the day is difficult when you miss your train. |
Vers
also meets Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Captain Marvel’s
other origin story. At this time, Fury is just another S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent (made plausible by some Oscar-worthy CGI that makes Jackson
look 25 years younger). One long-standing criticism I’ve had of the
entire MCU is that, with the possible exception of Captain
America: The Winter Soldier, Fury
has never been given anything interesting to do. Here, Fury arrives early and does a lot more than provide exposition. Jackson is great, of course, like he's been unleashed to make Fury funnier and more charismatic than we've previously seen, especially once he befriends Goose the Cat. How
he came to need an eye-patch provides one of the film’s biggest
laughs.
 |
| Damn late fees. |
Elsewhere,
Captain Marvel tells an interesting story that not-only fits
comfortably within the MCU, but provides a few welcome, surprising
twists. Speaking of which, can we give another tip-of-the-hat to Ben
Mendelsohn, once-again stealing every scene he's in? As Talos, not only does he make a terrific initial
adversary, he’s personable and often very funny, no small feat
considering he’s covered in alien make-up for most of the film.
Of
course, Captain Marvel has plenty of the action and
visual fireworks we've come to expect from the MCU (as well as a few moments of
wonky CGI). But like the Ant-Man films, it never threatens to
collapse under the weight of its own spectacle. As origin stories go,
this is one of Marvel’s better recent ones.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES
- “Becoming a Superhero” (mostly about Brie Larson preparation for the role); “Big Hero Moment” (a little character history); “The
Origin of Nick Fury” (title tells all); “The Dream Team”; “The Skrulls and the
Kree”; “Hiss-Sterical Cat-titude” (my favorite of the featurettes, amusingly presented like a 90s' era promo spot)
OPTIONAL
INTRO BY THE DIRECTORS
AUDIO
COMMENTARY – By Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
GAG
REEL
6
DELETED SCENES
DIGITAL
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
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