Captain Marvel

Here we are, film 21 one of the MCU and there is no denying, it's a little bit embarrassing that this is the first film in the franchise with a sole female lead. I'm happy it's here now but there is no doubt it has been a long time coming.

Captain Marvel follows an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls, whilst simultaneously fighting with the recurring memories of her - unknown to her -  former life as an Air Force pilot on earth.

The title character is played by Brie Larson and she is joined by Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Lashana Lynch and with it being set in the '90s, a digitally de-aged Samuel L Jackson and Clark Gregg reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Phil Coulson.

You can tell Marvel no longer want to do origin films but with a character like Captain Marvel, it's hard to do without one because her story is a mix of the earth and cosmic based lore, which is unlike anything we've seen before. It's also quite confusing; I didn't actually know that much about Carol Danvers going in so I can't comment on comic accuracy but I can say that it takes a little while to get your head around everything going on. You can tell the film is struggling as well, exposition is clumsy and contrived, the opening is just a little more disorderly than we're used to from a Marvel film.

When we get to Earth things are a lot smoother, it feels a lot more familiar, reminiscent of phase one of the MCU. However, I think I might be as torn as Marvel must have been on this film. I want something different, and they definitely cater to that but it's confusing and messy, but when it's familiar it feels bland and too much 'been there, done that'. It comes together in the third act, which makes the good parts of this film quite difficult to talk about without spoilers, but I will say that when certain story elements are revealed, it really elevates the film to something quite different and something a bit more poignant.

Brie Larson is a great addition to the MCU, though I think we've just seen the tip of the iceberg of her potential in her first outing. She clearly has the acting chops, but the writing did sometimes let her down (this is not Marvel's funniest film) and despite her doing a lot of training for the action the editing and camerawork does not showcase just how hard she worked. That being said, she plays the stoic hero very well and her more human moments are touching. It'll be interesting to see how the Russo brothers handle her in Endgame, as they really seem to have a handle on character, story and structure within the confines of a feature film. Not that this film handled it badly, it was just a lot of new and complex balls to juggle. With the information dump out the way, the future can only be less complicated.

One element of this film that was great to see, was the Skrulls faithfully realised on the big screen. The make-up and costuming look awesome and Ben Mendelsohn absolutely kills it as Talos, making for yet another unique and complex antagonist. Marvel really seems to have a handle on that now. They've also got a handle on the de-aging CGI process, with younger Nick Fury looking pretty flawless. Coulson looked a tad smooth at times but I'd be surprised if general audiences would even notice. It's a cool technology that's well used here.

Overall this is quite a middle of the road Marvel film, it's quite the complex story to tell and it does struggle but it's an okay start for the new Captain. The stuff it does well, which is unfortunately spolier-y, is very good; you've just got to sit through some pretty so-so stuff to get there. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, it was okay. I'm rating Captain Marvel a 3/5. I'm still excited to see where they go next with the character.

What did you think of the film? Love it or hate it, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

SDCC 2016 Thoughts #3

Bare with me now, this is a big one. Loads of great stuff came out of Comic Con last night and I am going to try give you my thoughts on the biggest reveals.

So lets start with the most surprising trailer of the night, Justice League.



Well I wasn't expecting that and even more so, I wasn't expecting to like it so much. That trailer is a great little glimpse at the film and contains more jokes than the whole of Batman V Superman combined. Not that jokes make a good film but it just lightens the tone and allows the audience to enjoy themselves a bit more. I'm sure DC haven't Marvel-ed their film and they don't need to either, as long as the story is good and the audience enjoy themselves then you'll have a hit on your hands. I'm not saying I'd rush out to see this film with Snyder at the helm but I'll at least wait and see what audiences think before deciding to go see it myself. That Aquaman imagery looks sweeeeet!

Next lets look at the second trailer for Doctor Strange.



Without giving too much away, Doctor Strange is showing that it's going to be an absolutely visual delight to watch at the cinema. I'm hoping that it will have the same effect that Guardians of the Galaxy had on audiences who went in with little knowledge of the characters and came out just enjoying the heck out of a different and fun superhero film. I really hope this film is as good as it looks.

Alright, time for the Wonder Woman trailer.


I love the concept for this Wonder Woman film, I think it's going to be a great origin story for her character and looks to boast some very cool looking action. The superhero film genre has really been lacking in female characters and I can't wait to see that change in the form of Wonder Woman which really looks set to kick some ass in 2017.

Now back to the wizarding world with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

In the crowded world of superhero films, there is something very refreshing about this film. With J.K Rowling on writing duties then surely this film can't be bad, can it? It look cool and when that music kicks in I got some serious chills. I really hope this is good and not just cash in on the Harry Potter franchise.

Another fantastic beast is glimpsed in the Kong: Skull Island trailer!

Wow are we really going to be getting some beautiful looking films next year. The film also boasts a very impressive cast, so surely this is a easy win for the studio? I hope so, I love a big monster movie and I can't wait to see a giant King Kong on the big screen again just before he goes up against the one true king of monsters, Godzilla.

Back to superheroes but something a little more light hearted with The Lego Batman Movie.


I absolutely loved The Lego Movie and this definitely feels like it's going to follow in the same vein. It's going to be a lot of stupid fun and I cannot wait to see what silly laughs it will bring.

Now away from trailers and onto some casting news, Brie Larson has been officially cast as Captain Marvel in the MCU. She is an amazing talent and a perfect choice for Carol Danvers. Marvel have done it again.

Now there is a lot more news to go over but I think you have enough here to chew on, I will try get some of my final thoughts on the other big stuff out of SDCC online in the next couple days! So keep checking back.

Thanks for reading!