Why Captain Marvel leaves Wonder Woman for dust
It only took Marvel 21 movies to finally make a movie led by a female superhero. Forgive the comic-book powerhouse for their tardiness: It has perfected the manoeuvre at the first time of asking with Captain Marvel.
Leigh Paatsch
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It only took the Marvel Cinematic Universe 21 movies to finally make one led by a female superhero.
Forgive the comic-book powerhouse for their tardiness: Marvel has perfected the manoeuvre at the first time of asking with Captain Marvel.
Sure, DC Comics might have beaten Marvel to the punch on this front with the spectacular box-office success of Wonder Woman.
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Nevertheless, it doesn’t take long for Captain Marvel to leave that inferior offering for dust.
Marvel signalled their intention to get this movie right by signing Brie Larson for the title role here immediately after her 2016 Best Actress Oscar win for Room.
Larson steps up in emphatic style in Captain Marvel, delivering a different brand of MCU superhero to which we have become accustomed.
Larson crafts a character that channels more individuality than your typical Marvel he-man, displaying a resilience, a resolve, a humour and an honesty that courses deeper than many viewers will expect.
A fun and lively script set in the mid-1990s maps out a compelling origin story for Captain Marvel and her human alter ego, former test pilot Carol Danvers.
When her DNA is accidentally blended with that of an elite alien species known as the Kree, Carol acquires a suite of superpowers she is able to refine on a faraway planet.
Later, when the Kree’s bitter foes the Skrulls unveil their plans to take over Earth, it is only Carol as Captain Marvel that can possibly save the day.
Though Captain Marvel meets all obligations as an effects-driven action spectacle, it also strikes a deft balance between the heavy bombast of a typical Avengers outing, and the lighter humour of a Guardians of the Galaxy.
Two stand-out support players seal the deal here. Australia’s Ben Mendelsohn, playing Talos, the devious leader of the Skrull incursion, comes up with one of his finest (and strangest and funniest) Hollywood creations yet.
Equally as effective as Mendo is a 12-year-old orange tabby named Reggie, who steals every scene she appears in as Carol’s crafty cat (and sometime sidekick) Goose.
Captain Marvel opens in Melbourne cinemas this evening.
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