Captain Marvel - Film Review

A woman who doesn’t realise the potential that lies within because of what she has been told all her life. A woman who is so strong that she needs to be deviously controlled by men who are either threatened by her or want to use her power. 

A woman who eventually sees the lies and the deception that the men in power have fed her. A woman who finally breaks free of her own inner trap when she realises an important truth. That she is not weak because of how often she has fallen but how amazingly strong she is because of how fast she has gotten up and fought back, every single time. 

This could be the story of every strong woman on this planet. In this case, it’s the story of Carol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel)

Set in the 1990s America, before the creation of the Avengers, #CaptainMarvel is an important link in the whole universe (as always, don’t miss the end credits). It tells the story of Vers (Brie Larson), a fighting soldier of the powerful ruling race Kree, who is trained to fight the arch enemy, the alleged terrorist race, Skrulls. When an anti-Skrull mission goes wrong and Vers ends up on Earth, she makes the important ‘connection’ with a young Nick Fury, with whose help she traces back her forgotten human past, that eventually leads her to discover her own truth and to become the super hero that she was destined to be. 

Great visual effects, classic super hero fare, and full paisa vasool experience that we would expect of a Marvel franchise. 

In Captain Marvel, we find a welcome addition to the boys club of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (well, we have Black Widow, but she’s not really an equal, is she). She is tough, she has a sense of humour, and she has more super powers than all the other boys put together. 

And in Brie Larson, we find a delightful character, who effortlessly balances being tough and being feminine, at the same time.

And in that we see the important difference between Captain Marvel and the other (and first) real big woman super hero on the big screen, Wonder Woman. 

Wonder Woman is an amazon.  She shows her force in a way that strips men of all power and control. She can do what men can’t. She will fight when men won’t. She will lead so that the men can follow. She is strong because men are weak. She lives outside of the world created by men and challenges it. She doesn’t need men. She is man enough for the world. 

Captain Marvel, is a woman. She shows her vulnerability but will not let men take advantage of it. She can do what men can and a little bit more. She will fight the good fight, with or without the men. She will lead along with the men. She lives inside the world of men and seeks to change it from within. She is strong but she also needs good men to make the world better.

Thoroughly enjoyable, especially for all Marvel fans. We cheer the references to Avengers, the hints to upcoming stories from MCU, the clever one liners, and the back story linkages to stories that have already been told. 

A story of a super hero, the story of a woman and her journey to find herself. Because only when she saves herself, can she save the world, and indeed the entire universe...