at a whooping $910 million dollars worldwide at the box office it’s no stretch of the imagination to say that Captain Marvel is another big win for Marvel. It’ll easily cross 1 billion dollars and I think it’s safe to say that the MCU is pretty much infallible now. But is that a good thing? Lets discuss that in another blog post.
For right now let’s talk about Brie Larson shines as Carol Danvers where she gives a performance that showed her in a more charming light than trailers and internet personalities originally suggested.
With a strong $150+ million opening, its clear that audiences had an initial interest in the movie and a strong week to week hold shows that that interest is perpetual.
Now here’s the million dollar question: did I like it? While I can see why this particular movie wouldn’t be someone’s favorite blockbuster by Marvel I quite enjoyed the performances. Brie Larson does well as Carol Danvers but she’s only as good as her directors and while Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck try their best they can’t quite crack the character. Hopefully going forward a more seasoned director can let Brie’s natural acting ability shine through.
The supporting cast does more than its fair share of helping the movie go along, most notably a spectacular assist from Samuel L. Jackson as a young Nick Fury. His interactions with Brie and Goose the cat give the movie a light-hearted feel as well as some hilarious moments.
Lashanna Lynch as Maria Rambeau is essentially the emotional center of the movie and her heartfelt moments with Brie really ground the movie and shows what each woman lost after Carol disappeared. And the movie even hints at a future for Monica Rambeau who as the comic book character, Photon, is a huge part of the lore. Akira Akbar as Monica Rambeau delivers a delightful performance that makes you want to see more of her and knowing Kevin Feige I’m sure there’s a lot more to come.
Ben Mendelsohn is increasingly becoming one of my favorite actors as he delivers another layered and nuanced performance as the Skrull, Talos. The Skrulls are a supercool race of shape-shifting aliens who can turn themselves into anyone they happen to see and they don’t particularly like Flerkins. What’s a Flerkin you might ask? Watch the movie and you’ll see what I mean.
None of this takes away from the fact that Brie Larson does a good, but muted perfect as Carol Danvers and the movie does a slow buildup to the reveal of her true powers and let me just say that when she cuts loose she cuts loose! Upon the discovery of her newfound strength the movie kicks up a notch as both the audience Carol discovers what she can really do. And boy is it cathartic to watch. Not only does it give you a gauge as to how strong she is but it also shows why Nick Fury would want to call her in as a last resort. She’s the REAL muscle of the MCU.
All in all, even though Captain Marvel isn’t my favorite Marvel movie date it’s definitely a fun time and I’ll be re-watching it as Avengers: Endgame looms in the distance.
My verdict? 3 Gold Stars
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