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Last year, Marvel introduced their first African-American hero in the ground-breaking and eye-popping Black Panther—which went on to earn a Best Picture nomination. And this year, with Captain Marvel, it’s finally time for female Marvel fans to get a standalone adventure of their own.
Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson as Vers, a powerful Kree warrior from the planet Hala. While battling the shape-shifting Skrull army, Vers is kidnapped, and the enemy extracts memories that had long been buried. Confused by these strange and unfamiliar memories, Vers follows the Skrull to Earth. While she searches for answers about her own past and attempts to find a scientist who seems to have discovered some technology that could change the course of the war with the Skrull, she attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Coulson and Fury (Clark Gregg and Samuel L. Jackson).
This new intergalactic superhero adventure once again brings its own tone and style to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Set in the ‘90s, it’s grunge and flannel shirts. It’s beepers and painfully slow Internet connections and classic pop music—all with a kind of Guardians of the Galaxy outer space twist. And with its quirky retro vibe comes some corny humor, too. It’s all just a little bit awkward, and it lacks the polish of some other Marvel adventures. So if you’ve been hoping for a grand, Black Panther kind of debut for Marvel’s first solo female hero, you may be disappointed by its frequent cheesiness.
The story, meanwhile, takes a while to find its way. In the beginning, it’s a mess of characters who aren’t really introduced—much less developed. There are missions and warring civilizations, and none of it is really explained. So anyone who isn’t well-versed in the character’s history will most likely be confused for much of the movie.
Still, when you get beyond the retro quirkiness and some awkward humor—when the pieces of the story finally start to come together—there’s just something inspiring about this new hero and her story. She’s strong and resilient and thoughtful, too—a hero with plenty of promise for upcoming adventures.
In the end, Captain Marvel is really more of an introduction to a new hero than a big, bold standalone thriller. But while her introduction isn’t exactly solid, the character is still likeable enough to make audiences look forward to seeing more from her in next month’s Avengers: Endgame.
Blu-ray Review:
The best special features are the ones that are entertaining and enlightening—that give you a better appreciation for the film. And that’s exactly what the features on the Blu-ray release of Captain Marvel do.
The extras include six short featurettes, which explore the character, her importance, and the work that went into creating her. But they also examine things like how the movie also offers insights into the origins of Nick Fury and even the MCU. One introduces co-writers and –directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who brought their enthusiasm, their perspective, and their indie movie history to the film. There’s always “Hiss-sterical Cat-titude,” which shows how much fun the cast had with the film’s feline star.
Other special features include six deleted scenes, which offer a little more insight into some of the scenes, an audio commentary with the directors, and (one of my personal favorites) a fun gag reel.
The extras here aren’t long and in-depth, but they’ll give you a new perspective on the film and the filmmakers. So if you have some extra time after you finish rewatching the film, be sure to explore the special features menu.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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