Not bad, not great either

Rating: 6/10 (8 March 2019)

"Captain Marvel" is a new 2019 film that runs for minimally over 2 hours and was written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. These two have really worked together for a long time, also on some quality projects, so here they get their shot at the world's biggest superhero franchise as of course this one we got here is the most recent entry into the Marvel universe. And the title could no make it any more obvious. The lead actress is Oscar winner Brie Larsen and most of all with Oscar nominees Bening, Jackson and Law we have a fairly decent supporting cast, although Jackson is probably lead too. This film plays in the mid-1990s and takes place before Jackson summons his Avengers team. They are all not there yet, so also not a force in this movie, but Agent Coulson is and there is one scene in particular when we find out how close he and Fury are, namely when Coulson lets his buddy and the target get away and trusts him completely in making the right decision. This is the story of a female hero who knows virtually nothing about her past, but has some very impressive super powers that she fails to keep under control, however. So the entire movie is basically a journey into the woman's past, how she she finds out where she originates from and what links her with Bening's character, one that has great significance, more than you'd think compared to the limited screen time she has. Of course, Stan Lee gets also his moment here as we see him in a train when Larson's character chases a bad guy with a reference to a movie that Lee actually appeared in in the mid-1990s. And very early on, there is also another really nice tribute to Lee that I liked a lot, at the very beginning in fact. Apart from that, the comedy does not happen too rarely either here and there were more than just a few funny moments. My personal favorite was perhaps when Fury gets scanned and we hear someting like earthling, not a potential danger and finally his reaction. I must say I like Samuel L. Jackson quite a bit, so it was nice to have him featured so prominently in here. Or his character I shall say.
There are some memorable moments involving his character and that refers for example to the moment he realizes that his boss there is in disguise and not who he seems he is when they enter the elevator. And apart from this reference about everybody calling him by his last name, the Havana reference is also used later on in another key scene that was actually pretty heartfelt and showed how he had a connection with the one stating said reference. You would not have expected this early on. Not at all. There is a major plot twist in this film involving Larsen's character and where she belongs. I must say I did not see it coming and it was pretty surprising, but it did feel real somehow and I always like to be surprised in movies, so I am all for it. Of course, there are also again many spectacular scenes and special effects, some of which involve Larsen's powers obviously. But there's more, like a cat (actually not a cat) with a very particular set of skills and seeing Fury interact with this cat was simply hilarious. The one thing I did not like too much were the refugee references. It's not the first time Marvel makes use of these and it did feel like a fairly clumsy attempt here too in somewhat making a connection to what is going on in the real world now treating these reptile men a bit like refugees in the sense of nomads who don't have a home. But I guess it can't be a perfect film. Apart from that, the character I liked the least was the Black best friend and her role was really not very realistic, also that she is able to be on par with these physically way superior aliens, even if she is a trained pilot. I wish she would have been out the picture. Or will be if there is a sequel. One minor thing I did not like that much was how they put together 2 words on several occasions turning it into one. Marvel is the best example and there were a handful others, maybe 5 or so and that was a bit ridiculous honestly. You will know what I mean when you hear these examples. Of course, it has nothing on the last Avengers movie, but it does not need to in order to be a success. I certainly think it is worth checking out. May also be a good idea to rewatch this one and keep an eye out for references and indicators who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. One example that comes to my mind is for example the scene I mentioned earlier with Lee when she steps into the train, the reptile man treats the old woman kindly while Larsen's character treats her pretty roughly. But there's certainly more than these and with that I do not just mean the blinking in the eye or the fact that the reptile creatures do not hurt Larsen's character one bit when capturing her. Or the young reptile playing around with her. Overall, the film and also the epilogue make me curious about the next Avengers film. I hope it wiill at least be almost as good as the previous, which would be a big achievement already. As for this one here, it is not a must-see, but still a good watch for everybody who likes superhero films like myself. I give it a thumbs-up.