A Marvel to behold

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2019)

Captain Marvel Review
By Nelson Nantanapiul
I enjoyed the latest installment from the MCU starring Brie Larson as the titular Captain Marvel. I really liked Brie Larson's performance as a Kree warrior engaged in a war against the Skrulls a race of shape shifting aliens. Vers (Larson) ends up on earth after a botched mission to infiltrate a Skrulls stronghold and embarks on a journey to piece together her past and to stop the Skrulls form getting their hands on tech that could give them the upper hand in the war.
Marvel felt very much like a phase one film and that's not a knock on this movie in any way. This film was a lot of fun, it had the Marvel brand of humor that works so well and a great heroine in Vers/Carol Danvers (Larson). Her chemistry with a younger as of yet unjaded Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) was really great. It was really great to see Nick Fury back on the big screen after being absent from the franchise for so long barring his quick end credit cameo at the end of Infinity War.
Ben Mendelsohn was so good as the "big bad" (Talos) in this film the head of the Skrulls. I am a big fan of his work and he delivers with a heartfelt and multilayered performance. There is a nice twist in this film involving his character that I won't spoil here. I did not see this reveal coming and it's what in part made this installment in the franchise so enjoyable for me. That being said without trying to reveal too much there is another "villain" in the film that was very cookie cutter and which has become the hallmark of many an MCU film with exceptions of course (Loki, Red Skull, Killmonger).
Clark Gregg returns as agent Coulson in this film and there was really no reason for him to be in it as his character contributed nothing to this film other than to serve as a nostalgic easter egg for the hardcore MCU fans. Ronan (Lee Pace) from the first Guardians of the Galaxy also makes an appearance but he also was not essential to the plot and was not needed in the film other than to help tie this film into the larger universe but that was the purpose of the Fury character who WAS an essential part of the story.
There are other nods and references to the MCU some clever some not so much. The explanation behind how Fury lost his eye is addressed in this film and it was the most ridiculous and anti climactic scene in the movie. It felt like a scene out of Hot Tub Time Machine except in that story someone loses an arm.
I would have liked it if they had spent more time in highlighting how the war between the Skrulls and the Kree began and why the villain of the piece acted in the manner that he did. Due to the absence of this plot point the motivations of the some of the characters in the film didn't feel as impactful and hard hitting as they potentially could have been.
Captain Marvel did its job in introducing us to a new power player in the MCU who will undoubtedly play a major role in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. I enjoyed this film quite a lot despite its flaws so definitely check it out. I am eager to see where they take the character in future MCU installments. As always make sure you stick around for the end credits.