Tonight's Movie: Captain Marvel (2019)

The long-awaited origin film CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019) has just opened. It's the 20th film I've reviewed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe since seeing my first Marvel film, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), in July 2015.

I was a bit skeptical going into this one as the trailer didn't wow me, but having been pleasantly surprised by other Marvel films I was unsure about, DOCTOR STRANGE (2016) and THOR: RAGNAROK (2017), I felt chances were good I'd end up liking the final film, and that did prove to be the case. It's a substantive movie with a solid storyline, good characters, a fun nostalgic '90s vibe, and more.

For Marvel fans, CAPTAIN MARVEL also brings the series full circle, with young Nick Fury (a computer "de-aged" Samuel L. Jackson) beginning "The Avengers Project." A closing tag scene building on the final scenes of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018) will leave viewers breathless with anticipation to see next month's AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019). About that pager message Fury was sending just before he dissolved...

CAPTAIN MARVEL begins in satisfying fashion with the usual Marvel opening logo sequence changed to pay tribute to the late Stan Lee, including clips of his cameos in the various films. It concludes with a card thanking Stan, which drew audience applause at the screening I attended. It was a perfect and quite moving start to the film. Lee also has his usual funny cameo scene later in the film.

Brie Larson stars as a woman we initially know as Vers, a woman with no memory of her past who has trained as a Kree warrior, mentored by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). A mission gone bad against the Kree enemies, the shape-shifting Skrulls, results in Vers crashing to Earth in the 1990s, straight through the roof of a Blockbuster Video store.

Vers quickly meets (relatively) young Shield agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg, who like Jackson is "de-aged" thanks to special effects). Fury and Coulson quickly realize this woman is the real deal, someone from outer space.

However, that's only partly true. Vers is plagued with strange dreams, and she gradually realizes that she's actually an American fighter pilot, Carol Danvers. More surprises await, including who is really good and bad among the Kree and the Skrulls.

As Carol works to uncover her true past and deal with the fallout from the Kree-Skrull conflict, she's aided by an old friend, fellow pilot Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), and a most remarkable kitty-cat named Goose, who provides some truly funny and surprising moments.

(Side note: Curiously, the MCU now has three separate characters named Maria, the others being Tony Stark's mother Maria, played by Hope Davis, and Nick Fury's right-hand woman at Shield, Maria Hill, portrayed by Cobie Smulders.)

Oscar-winning actress Larson is one of several past Oscar winners or nominees who star in the Marvel series. Some reviewers have complained that Larson is too bland in the role, not giving enough insight into who Carol really is, and honestly that was also a concern I had based on the trailer. But here's the thing: Carol doesn't know who she is, other than being calm and competent enough to deal with the mental battles raging inside and the physical battles of the world around her.

When late in the film Carol suddenly has an insight which allows her to fully come into her powers, unifying her two different pasts, it's a satisfying moment of real joy and discovery. The absolute confidence she then feels as she deals with invading forces is quite a powerful moment, culminating in her final scene with Yon-Rogg, which is blissfully perfect because it's so unexpected.

I sense that AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) will show us a more lively, fully rounded Carol, who knows who she is and what she can do. We shall soon see.

The film's many pleasures also include a terrific '90s nostalgia vibe; it's a little weird to me that we're already nostalgic for the '90s (!), but the use of now-defunct stores such as Blockbuster and Radio Shack is wonderful. A lunchbox from a hit nostalgia comedy popular in the '70s and '80s also plays a significant role.

The computer "de-aging," which was also used to portray Michael Douglas's Hank Pym as a younger man in ANT-MAN (2015), is a bit weird, giving Jackson and Gregg a bit of a "plastic" look -- I guess it's the equivalent of computerized plastic surgery! -- but at the same time it works pretty well as a tool enabling the filmmakers to tell the story.

Leonard Maltin hasn't reviewed the film at his site yet, but in a video interview he said, "The core of this movie, the heart of this movie, is that you can do anything, and the power is in you...It will have a global impact."

Additional reviews from critics I enjoy reading: Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times found the film "hugely entertaining," while Brian Truitt of USA Today terms the film "a blast."

CAPTAIN MARVEL was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It was filmed by filmed by Ben Davis. The running time is a well-paced 124 minutes.

The supporting cast includes Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn (reviewed here in DARKEST HOUR and ROGUE ONE), Gemma Chan (CRAZY RICH ASIANS), Lee Pace (MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY), and Akira Akbar.

Just a few weeks from now the last decade of Marvel films will build to its climax with the release of AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Between the hints in this film and the terrific Super Bowl trailer I'm very excited to see it. Later in the year SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019) looks great too.

I really appreciate Marvel producer Kevin Feige and all he's done to build the interconnected world of the MCU while maintaining such high quality, a real feat given how many films have been made. If anything the series just gets better and better, reflected by the Best Picture nomination for last year's BLACK PANTHER (2018).

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. Like all Marvel films, it has non-gory cartoon-style violence. Lots of battles, but nothing really disturbing. Like ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) I found it closer to a straight PG film.

Previous Marvel reviews: IRON MAN (2008), IRON MAN 2 (2010), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), THOR (2011), THE AVENGERS (2012), IRON MAN 3 (2013), THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), AGENT CARTER (2015), ANT-MAN (2015), AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), DOCTOR STRANGE (2016), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017), SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017), THOR: RAGNAROK (2017), BLACK PANTHER (2018), AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018).

Update: Here are reviews of AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) and SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019).