A solid, soaring new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Every good hero needs an origin, right? Well…kind of. 

As has been the tradition, almost every superhero tale will naturally involve a beginning of some sort, yet the further we head down the comic book movie rabbit hole, the more the origin story appears old hat.

The 90s were awesome for a great many reasons, but superhero films were not one of them. Much of this was down to an obsession with rehashing the same, tired superhero origins, full of the same old characters and clichés, ad nauseam. Honestly, come the mid-00s, if we never saw Uncle Ben or the Wayne parents die again it’d be too soon.

Fast forward a couple of decades and the cinematic superhero landscape has evolved to the point that the good old origin story now appears akin to a crude scrawling on a cave wall.

As the alpha hero in the genre, Marvel have long since moved past the need to spoon-feed an origin to us, choosing instead to shuffle the deck by introducing characters in other stories before spinning things off into a solo adventure so we hit the ground running. Read: Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

But, despite this narrative evolution, the fact of the matter is that the hero’s journey is still very much a mainstay of the genre. Not everyone can be Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker.

In particular, a character like Carol Danvers - who has such a convoluted and often confusing origin in comic book form - just couldn’t be done without some form of setup. The question, however, is not only how to introduce such a relatively unknown hero to general audiences, but how to do so while avoiding the pratfalls of your average origin tale.

Caught in the midst of an intergalactic battle between her people and the shapeshifting Skrulls, Kree warrior Vers (Brie Larson) is thrown to Earth when a rescue mission goes awry. Now trapped on Earth circa 1995, she’s haunted by recurring memories of another life; one of U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and newfound ally Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Vers attempts to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her extraordinary powers to end the war with the Skrulls once and for all.

It’s an odd concept these days but there was a time when expectations were as low as you could get for a big screen comic book adaptation. A time when even the mighty Marvel struggled to interpret their properties adequately. Those times, however, are long gone, replaced by an increased pressure to maintain relevancy and supply an audience whose palette and expectations develop with every passing film.

So here we are then, as Captain Marvel arrives with the unenviable task of not only being the precursor to what will quite literally be Marvel Studios’ Endgame, but to follow in the monumental footsteps of Black Panther. A daunting prospect certainly, yet those who know Captain Marvel will be fully aware that she’s never one to knowingly back down from a fight.

However, in all honesty, Captain Marvel was never really going to touch Black Panther in terms of cultural impact. In fact, nothing in the MCU is likely to touch that singular moment in cinema history for quite some time. But that’s fine. Not everything has to be a game changer.

Captain Marvel’s ambition is certainly on a similar level to Black Panther, yet the outcome is something far more subdued. Sure, it comes laden with political baggage (some brought about by itself, some unfairly thrust upon it) and will certainly go down as a cultural touchstone in terms of cinematic representation; however, the results this time round are a little more restrained.

The fact that it’s taken this long is quite frankly shocking, but now that it’s here there’s no doubting the huge moment Captain Marvel marks for female representation, not only within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for a genre largely dominated by testosterone. Of course, Wonder Woman got there first, but this really shouldn’t have to be a race. The fact that within the space of a couple of years, the dusty old adage that you can’t make money from female-led superhero movies has been completely squashed is cause enough for celebration alone. 

However, while Captain Marvel will quite rightly be celebrated for its ambitions, underneath is a safe – if infinitely enjoyable – origin tale like many we’ve seen before. In many ways, it’s far more benign than something like Black Panther and, while directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck certainly aren’t averse to the odd narrative curveball or two, once you strip things back, Captain Marvel plays out like something we may have seen back in the MCU’s early years.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Such a simple, barebones approach actually feels like the right way to introduce a character that few in the general audience will have heard of before. After all, not everyone can hold the kind of pop culture sway Wonder Woman can, where an origin can be fast-forwarded without much fuss.

That’s not to say there isn’t a little trickery afoot within Captain Marvel’s script. Although it fails to click quite as seamlessly as one might have hoped, the ambition to have Carol Danvers’ backstory drip-fed to us in a non-linear, fragmented fashion is it be applauded, with the guessing game it causes keeping things interesting throughout.

For the first act at least, the rhythm feels a little awkward as we swing between Earth, Hala, and beyond through scattergun memory flashes, but as things settle down, the film gradually picks up momentum. As ever, Captain Marvel deploys the classic hero’s journey trope, yet the decision to spice things up narratively works well to differentiate it from the superhero crowd. 

Without wanting to dive too deep into the murky, trolling underbelly of the film’s release build up, it’s hard to avoid the political spin being thrust upon it. There is of course a huge feminist angle to Captain Marvel that’s hard to miss, yet there is little outright politicisation within the narrative itself.

Those seeking an in-depth dissection of gender politics may leave disappointed as, while Captain Marvel appears willing to engage to some degree with the topic, the film actively steps back from going full throttle on it. Carol’s journey as she battles to fight back against those who have conspired to control, manipulate, supress, and gaslight her is certainly an overt comment on the day-to-day struggles of women everywhere, yet the film stops short of fully scrutinising it.

The low-key approach is probably not the game changer many may have hoped, yet there’s a lot to be said in not forcing the issue – at least not now anyway. No, this isn’t the mind-blower it could’ve been, but Captain Marvel does what it comes to do and completes its mission efficiently and effectively.

Restrained and uneven though the film’s narrative may be, what it does do is lay down the foundations for the future of Carol Danvers as a character and act as a steady platform for the film’s impressive cast, all of whom do a top notch job in dialling the whole thing up to the next level.

As with many Marvel outings, the film has strength in numbers as every part of the ensemble plays their part in its success, yet this would all be for nowt of course if the name at the top of the poster didn’t step up to the challenge. Luckily though, the movie is blessed with the kind of strong, powerful lead the Captain Marvel name demands.

As our star, it’s little surprise that Brie Larson knocks it out of the park considering her enviable talents, going full-pelt to embrace Carol Danvers and what she stands for. It’s a role that requires both an icy stoicism as she’s initially told to suppress her emotions and a subtle, heroic warmth as her cold exterior begins to thaw - all building to a triumphant, rousing finale as she finally throws off the patriarchal chains.

Barring the odd wobble along the way, Marvel have been pretty flawless in their lead casting and Larson is no exception. She is every inch the super-powerful hero Captain Marvel needs to be and it’s going to be incredibly exciting to see where things go for her in Avengers: Endgame and beyond. One thing’s for sure though – Thanos better start worrying.

Of course, the ultimate success of Captain Marvel lies not just on the shoulders of its titular hero but across the entire cast and this is precisely where the film springs to life. With an easy going energy that stems from their real-life friendship, the chemistry between Larson and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is positively infectious and wonderfully complimented by the charming bond between Carol and Lashana Lynch’s Maria Rambeau, whose screen time together delivers a huge injection of heart just when its needed. 

Joining them for the ride, Jude Law is operating at optimal Jude Law, while Ben Mendelssohn steals the show as Skrull leader Talos. Without wanting to give much away, it’s fair to say Talos is a refreshingly rounded antagonist with more than a few surprises up his scaly sleeve and its thanks largely to Mendelssohn’s incredible range that the character is as utterly charming and empathetic as he is, especially considering the one-dimensional villain role it could’ve been.

Oh, and we finally have our first fully fledged cat star of the MCU in Goose and she’s awesome. How’s that for increased representation across the board – felines and all?

At the helm, co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck do a solid job; however, there’s a constant nagging feeling that they were perhaps a little hamstrung by the occasion and the patented Marvel formula. That’s not to say that Marvel have completely shackled them creatively, as its clear the studio are more than happy to let directors run with things if necessary, yet not enough of Boden and Fleck’s personality manages to seep through in the end product – and certainly not to the extent of the Wattis and Cooglers of this universe.

Coming off the back of exceptional, low-key indie work like Full Nelson and Mississippi Grind, Boden and Fleck have a clear handle on the character side of things as they cleverly navigate Carol Danvers’ complex personality, yet much of the film feels rather devoid of the pair’s directorial personality. In particular, the movie’s action feels more functional than anything and lacking the kind of flair we’ve come to expect from a Marvel product.

What they do manage to do, however, is construct a world and an era within the wider MCU to great effect, with a fun and authentic 90s feel that, while not subtle in the slightest, provides plenty of period humour and a soundtrack that’ll be a nostalgic kick for any child of the decade. It all adds up to an unabashed throwback action flick that may start with a wobble but gradually finds its feet, before soaring with a finale that absolutely smashes its inspirational intentions.

And this really is where the true power of Captain Marvel hits home. As we enter the final act, things have been bubbling along steadily, yet as the showdown gets into full swing, the film becomes something else entirely. As Carol finally puts her foot to the floor, the end result is a rousing and thoroughly inspiring moment that, while not having quite the same gravitas as Wonder Woman’s No Man’s Land sequence, does more than enough to force your fist in the air and be that moment every little girl watching can look to and tell themselves – that’ll be me some day.