Written by Reece Armstrong-Mills – Student Writer
As Marvel’s latest instalment in the newly-dubbed ‘infinity saga’ surpasses $800 Million at the box office, the only question left on our minds is whether it truly lives up to the hype. Despite stellar performances from MCU newcomer Brie Larson, old-timer Samuel L. Jackson and show-stealer Ben Mendelsohn, it would appear as though the 20th addition to the decade-long roster is reminiscent of the safe, old-school style of phase 1 rather than mapping out the exciting future of the MCU beyond Avengers: Endgame, a 10-year long project in the making.
As origin films go, it cannot be said that the movie is bad, or even lacking. After all, it is still Marvel, a brand so well-established that it seems impervious to any form of critique whatsoever. But it is pretty clear that it is not the cosmic cinematic masterpiece that fans were hoping for. The only real surprise throughout – don’t worry, this review is spoiler-free! – was the script’s total disregard and reformulation of 50 years of comic book history, which, although may have left hardcore comic book fans reeling, felt refreshing in a movie that missed the mark. Yet considering the expectations it had to live up to, it was always going to be that way – and despite it flaws, any Marvel fan worth their salt should rush out to watch this film, if not for the excellent performances, then for the exciting post-credit scene that will undoubtedly make the month-long wait to Endgame feel infinitely more unbearable.
In terms of the titular character, the highly anticipated Captain Marvel herself, it has to be said that the movie is definitely better than the character. And that’s no shade to Brie Larson, who managed to keep us all convinced that she really was an extremely powerful alien in the midst of a complex battle with green shape-shifters, but to the lack of profound emotional scenes that would have had us rooting for her all the way. In a movie centred around controlling your emotions, there was surprisingly little emotion from the character, who managed to punch through entire fleets with minimal effort and smashed her way through the entire third act without any struggle or strain whatsoever.
That being said, the movie clearly knows how to build a good relationship. Whether it’s an intergalactic comradery between Agent Fury and Carol Danvers, the master-student relationship between Yon-Rogg and Danvers, or the bond of sisterhood between herself and Maria Rambeau, the connection in every scene was almost tangible. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re a person who absolutely adores cats then this movie is a must see solely based on the screen time dedicated to Goose, who most of you will undoubtedly recognise from the promotional posters released ahead of the film.
The future ahead of Carol Danvers is an exciting one, and it won’t be that long before she appears on the big screen again, this time interacting with some fan favourites in Avengers: Endgame, out in the UK on April 25th.
The final verdict? It remains to be seen whether a movie whose best parts include the soundtrack and CGI is actually a good movie, or one that plays it a little too safe.
