Captain Marvel

Here we have the origin story of how pilot Carol Danvers [Brie Larson] becomes Captain Marvel. It is partially told in flash-back, as ‘Vers’, a member of an elite Kree force tracking down their shape-changing Skrull enemies, gradually regains her memories, and relaises that things may not be as clear as she had thought.

I like the flashback style, as we slowly learn, along with Danvers, who she is, and what happened to her. I also like the retro 1990s setting, with lots of great little in jokes. And there’s the early days of S.H.I.E.L.D., with a youthful, two-eyed Nick Fury, and a very youthful and green Phil Coulson. Lots of slam-bam flying action, a tad of moral complexity, a gaining of superpowers (here a result of powerful alien tech going wrong, rather than from mythical or fantasy source), a real joie de vivre, and a marvelously unexpected cat. Who could ask for more?

Rating: 3

[ unmissable | great stuff | worth watching | mind candy | waste of time | unfinishable ]

reviewed 9 June 2019