Saved by Larson

Rating: 6/10 (4 September 2019)

The latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is both the first female-led and female-directed film of the Marvel canon. Considering the recent successes of Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, Captain Marvel has a lot to live up to.
The narrative itself is nonlinear, but for the most part is set in 90's USA during an intergalactic war between two alien races. Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson steps into the titular role, and alongside a digitally de-aged Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), she fights to discover her origins and the truth behind the age-old war. The 90's backdrop sets the tone for a retro-space feel, as Carol Danvers (Larson) bursts through the roof of a blockbuster-video store to find such films as The Right Stuff, while Jackson's regressed face is reminiscent of Pulp Fiction.
Larson's energy breathes life into a somewhat generic origin story and her charisma feels much needed in a male-dominated franchise, but unfortunately this isn't enough to mask the underlying problems of the film. The story suffers from both plot predictability and narrative confusion, with Marvel's trademark formula becoming much too apparent too early on in the film. After the scale of recent Marvel blockbusters it falls a little flat, which may leave some viewers disappointed. Having said this, their generous supplement of humour is always welcome, a characteristic now commonly attributed to Marvel films since its success in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Don't get me wrong, while it does need a clearer and perhaps more original story, Captain Marvel is still a perfectly adequate piece of popcorn entertainment; although, after twenty-one films, it seems that Marvel's seemingly immortal body of films could be starting to wrinkle. We'll just have to wait and see.