As April 26th nears closer and closer, the world is waiting for the aftermath of Thanos’ snap. We’re clenching our teeth, and gripping our seats in anticipation for what happens after the Mad Titan made us all cry like little babies. And because of this anticipation, one film was being overlooked: Captain Marvel.
It seemed like an odd departure from the rather coherent story and timeline we’ve been given by Marvel as of late. Not to mention we’ve seen countless origin stories by this point, so it seemed like another generic superhero movie. Quite frankly, the big selling point for many was a young Nick Fury and the return of our beloved Shield Agent, Coulson. I may have unfortunately been one of these people, simply writing off the movie due to the impending doom of Avengers: Endgame.
The little excitement I did have turned to caution due to some immediate backlash towards the film at its release. Captain Marvel was being thrown aside, noted as just another boring, superhero story that was too preachy and cheesy in its ideals. And while yes, at its core it is a classic superhero film, that didn’t in any way make it bad. All the worry and mediocre excitement was wrong.
While the film is by no means the best Marvel has to offer, it is one of the better entries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We get the usual fun and jokes and the immaculate action sequences paired with a smart script. But the best thing about the film, is that it proves Marvel hasn’t given into formulas. The company continues to twist things, especially as of late, and make sure each new film is refreshing, and can stand on its own.
The days of cookie cutter bad guys and predictable plots are gone. Without going too much into the story itself, Captain Marvel essentially did a 180 towards the climax of the film, changing who the audience was led to believe were the villains. It didn’t start from the beginning, and instead opted to give us Carol’s origin story in a way that actually mattered to the plot of the film. It took a note from Ant-Man and gave us two comic book versions of the Captain Marvel persona.
And all of these little details, of course paired with some fan service to comic book readers, make the film an enjoyable watch to all viewers of all ages and comic knowledge levels. It also allows Captain Marvel to hold her own when compared to the rest of the MCU heroes. We get a clear picture of her character, and who she is, and it bodes well in the effort of making audiences care for her come the next Avengers movie.
I’m still adjusting slightly to Brie Larson. Her delivery came across a bit stiff and awkward at times, but over the course of the movie it came to be endearing in a way and characteristic of the role. I think as the films go on she’ll really embrace her role more and continue to be more natural in her portrayal.
With that said, Captain Marvel really does stand strong in the MCU and as the latest addition to the Avengers. The film was unique, an impressive feat for Marvel to continue to pull off, and it continues to deliver things we expect from these films (including making me almost bawl my eyes out because of the Stan Lee tributes and cameo). So be sure not to skip on this one in your excitement to watch Avengers: Endgame. It gives us a great look at the hero who might just bring all of our beloved Avengers back from the dust, and of course gives us some top notch after-credits scenes to continue to build up excitement for the return of Thanos.
Jackson Horvat is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
