After the thrilling rollercoaster “Infinity War,” Marvel’s latest release “Captain Marvel” had some pretty high expectations to live up to. And with $455 million after its first weekend, according to Daily Motion the best opening weekend of 2019, it is safe to assume that the people were not disappointed.
The movie opens with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) herself waking up from a nightmare about a past she doesn’t remember. She is on the planet Hala and is a member of the Kree Starforce. After a mission, she ends up on Earth during the ‘90s, which is caught in a battle between the two alien races, the Kree and the Skrulls. While on Earth, she unlocks memories of her past, helps save the Earth, and forms a friendship with future Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
Before delving into everything that makes “Captain Marvel” a big win for women’s equality in superhero films, let’s talk about the story line itself. The movie has a beautifully constructed plot that fits perfectly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but also left room for further expansion of Captain Marvel’s character, a.k.a. Carol Danvers. Like most Marvel movies, it had a perfect balance of humor, action and character development to make this an all-around great film.
Everyone knows that Captain Marvel is a big step forward for female superheroes. At first, I was a little skeptical about the new character (partly because I think Black Widow deserves a solo movie before Captain Marvel). I really hoped that Marvel was going to actually make the film good and not just churn out a movie solely for female representation. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie. As I have said, the film turned out amazing, but it also addressed a lot of women’s issues. The film takes on topics such as catcalling and harassment, as well as shows Carol’s struggles to be taken seriously in America as a woman. She is an incredibly powerful character that did not let herself be defined by what men thought of her.
Now, let’s get on to what we are all waiting for — the soundtrack. Marvel really pulled through for us and gave us the ‘90s bops that we had all been hoping for. Including hits from Guns N’ Roses and Nine Inch Nails, Carol got the edgy, rock soundtrack that she deserved. The music added an extra oomph to the fight scenes, much like Immigrant Song did in “Thor: Ragnarok” and I think it goes without saying that it’s all I’m going to be listening to for the next few weeks.
One of the most important things that “Captain Marvel” did was set up Carol’s role in the MCU before “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as showed where all of our favorite characters are in the lead up to the movie. I think it’s pretty safe to say that with Captain Marvel, Thanos does not stand a chance.
Rating: 5/5 Torches
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