The latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Kaleidoscope’s newest is on Disney’s & Marvel’s production of “Captain Marvel”.  Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, the movie stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Gemma Chan, Djimon Hounsou, Clark Gregg, Lashana Lynch, & Annette Bening.  Rated ‘PG-13’, it has a running time of 2 hr., 3 min. 

In the year 1995 on the Kree home planet of Hala, a Star Force member named Vers (Larson), has recurring dreams of an older woman, a younger woman who is a pilot, & herself as a pilot on an unknown planet.  Her mentor & commander, Yon-Rogg (Law), is training Vers to control her abilities while the Supreme Intelligence, an A.I. & the ruler of Kree, is trying to train Vers to control her emotions.  Later, Vers is involved in a mission to rescue an undercover agent who has infiltrated a group of Skrulls, a shape-shifting race with whom the Kree are at war.  During this mission, Vers is captured by the Skrulls & their commander, Talos (Mendelsohn).  As she is interrogated by Talos, she manages to escape.  Since their ship was heading to Earth, Vers goes there in a captured vessel, too, & crash lands.  The crash-landing is investigated by S.H.I.E.L.D agents Phil Coulson (Gregg) & Nick Fury (Jackson).  During the investigation, the Skrulls attack Fury & Coulson.  Throughout the investigation & chase, Vers manages to obtain a crystal which contains the memories that Talos earlier extracted.  After Fury kills a Skrull who has shape-shifted into a Coulson look-alike, Talos shape-shifts into S.H.I.E.L.D director Keller; he orders Fury to work with Vers so that Fury can spy on her.  Whew—and this is all in the 1st act; there is no dearth of plot, typical of a Marvel film. 

Co-directors Boden & Fleck have crafted a film that fits right into the Marvel canon; that is both its strength & weakness.  Strength—an abundance of plot that is layered & complex, at times.  There are action scenes aplenty with a female hero at the center—a 1st for Marvel.  Altho the MCU has included Black Widow & Scarlet Witch, they have been supporting characters rather than the central hero as Larsen’s Vers/Carol Danvers (it is interesting that Supergirl’s Earth name in the CW series is Kara Danvers) /Captain Marvel is here (btw, my granddaughters loved that the hero is a woman).  This is a valuable step as the Universe enters the current #metoo movement.  The script by Boden, Fleck, & Geneva Robertson Dworet is filled with a great deal of humor that acts as both a counterpoint & accompaniment to the actors & action.  Weakness—we have seen much of what occurs here before.  The set pieces are structurally similar to previous MCU films and come at expected times.  Some may see this as a strength; ‘we’re getting what we paid for’; from a popular view, this is correct.  From a critical standpoint, maybe not so much.  The screenwriters are not being asked to go beyond a formula; however, based on box office results, this does work.  Larsen is excellent as her 3 identities; she is properly strong, introspective, & inquisitive at relevant times.  She makes an imposing figure in her outstanding Marvel (or, mar-VELL) outfit.  Larsen fits right in with Downey, Hemsworth, Evans, et al.  Jackson (who, like Gregg, has had his appearance CGI smoothed to reflect what he probably looked like 25 years ago) has his performance as Nick Fury completely mastered.  He is as comfortable in this role as someone who puts on a well-worn glove.  Since this is an origin story for his character, Jackson does put on a bit more of a complex performance here; we do learn how & why Fury has to wear his eye patch, as well.  Although Mendelsohn is covered in makeup 95% of his screen time, he makes an impact as his character has an arc that does surprise the audience.  Bening, Gregg, Law, & the others give serviceable but unremarkable performances.  Ben Davis’s cinematography is clear & expansive as befits the 4-time Marvel cameraman.  Debbie Berman’s & Eliot Graham’s editing is precise & seamless; this is Berman’s 3rd MCU outing.  Pinar Toprak’s score is suitable if unmemorable.  The production design, art direction, & set decoration are professional & blend well into the MCU.   

I give “Captain Marvel” 3 out of 5 nuggets.  If you are a lover of Marvel, you will thoroughly enjoy this outing.  If you are not, or are on the fence, you probably will want to wait for next month’s “Avengers: Endgame” which will have everyone from the MCU.  If you do see “Marvel”, stay for the mid-end credit & final end credit scenes; you will not be disappointed.