Captain Marvel impresses

By Brandon Li, Copy Editor

A comic book hero turned into film? Check. Shooting laser beams from her wrists? Check. Nice battle scenes and great chemistry? Check. And Marvel’s first female-led superhero film? Check.

The story of a fighter pilot turned superhero hit theaters March 8. Co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, “Captain Marvel” documents the journey of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) trying to remember her past life while protecting Earth from intergalactic warfare between the Kree, the protagonists, and Skrulls, the antagonists. She is first introduced as Vers, her alter ego, and serves as a member of Starforce, a Kree military force. After escaping from Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), Vers lands on Earth and teams up with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to recover an experimental engine designed by Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening).

As Vers digs deeper into Lawson’s project, she realizes she used to live on Earth and that her real name is Carol Danvers, an ex-U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who supposedly died in a crash. After learning about her true identity, Danvers suits up as Captain Marvel and is determined to find and protect the Tesseract, an energy cube that served as the engine’s power core.

Throughout the film, Captain Marvel’s seemingly fearless nature and emotional attitude are put to the test, as she not only confronts the Skrulls, but must also confront herself to find out who she truly is.
Within the two hours and four minute runtime, the film contains numerous fight scenes, which is great for action film viewers. “Captain Marvel” truly shines as a classic superhero film, as it includes an engaging plot that will keep viewers hooked throughout its entirety.

An aspect that seems to entice fans is the inclusion of corny humor. Although some may view it as a distraction to the film’s plot line, the humor does assist in making the film worthwhile for younger audiences.

Additional features worth mentioning are the special effects and costume/makeup designs. Perfectly-timed explosions and visual effects complement each fight scene well, while the design of the Skrull aliens seem like creatures created from “Star Wars,” which makes them even more convincing.

However, some could say that the film is plagued with tacky dialogue. While this hurts the overall perception of the film, it doesn’t take away from the fact that “Captain Marvel” is a blockbuster success, as it has brought in $594.6 million worldwide as of March 15.

Nonetheless, the film is a must see, with its greatest facet being the chemistry between Larson and Jackson. Larson’s ability to portray Captain Marvel perfectly meshes well with Jackson’s sense of humor, creating an enjoyable duo to watch.

With “Captain Marvel” premiering a month before the highly-anticipated “Avengers: Endgame” film, a sequel to 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” some wondered if it would live up to the hype. While the film lacks substantial dialogue between characters, the chemistry between Larson and Jackson and a well-written plot make up for it. Those who get a chance to watch the film should enjoy it and leave the theater excited for the upcoming “Avengers: Endgame” film.