(Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures)
Captain Marvel or Captain DC?
1/2
Although DC Comics has slowed the Marvel momentum with last year’s “Aquaman,” Marvel Studios still controls the superhero universe.
Despite occupying the same intergalactic space, the two competitive comic book franchises vary greatly in their style and approach to movies with Marvel movies usually more upbeat than DC’s movies.
But in “Captain Marvel,” the top dog in the superhero genre borrows a little from its competitor, presenting a dark superhero movie with a woman shining brightly against mostly male foes.
In “Captain Marvel,” Vers (Brie Larson) has all of the tools, skills and talents to become a great warrior for her people from the planet, Kree.
The Kree find themselves under constant attack from the villains of “Captain Marvel,” the Scrolls.
Many people call the Scrolls shape shifters.
The Scrolls have the ability to transform into any person or creature they see, down to the DNA of a person, which allows them to deceptively attack their foes that often falsely believe that they are interacting with a friend from Kree.
Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) leads a band of Kree warriors who know that infiltration of their planet by the Scrolls is inevitable.
He also believes that the Scrolls want to invade other planets like Earth, also known as planet C53.
Yon-Rogg believes that the Scrolls are developing a light-speed engine, which will become a game changer in the business of war.
He knows that he has to prevent the Scrolls from fully developing that light-speed engine because it might lead to the end of the galaxy, as the Kree know it.
While Yon-Rogg has capable warriors on his team like Korath (Djimon Hounsou), he knows that he has something special in Vers.
Actually, Vers has more than one unique trait that will help the Kree finally defeat the Scrolls once and for all.
Vers sees visions from the Super Intelligence while she sleeps.
While no one really knows what the Super Intelligence looks like, the god appears to Vers in the person that she admires the most, giving her clues to help her along her journey.
The problem is she has no memories of her past, and she does not know what this admired person is trying to tell her or who the person is in the first place.
Furthermore, she has a special energy that makes her fists and hands super-effective and lethal.
The only problem with Vers’ superpower is that she sometimes uses it incorrectly, letting her emotions take over during battles.
If Yon-Rogg can get Vers to channel her energy in an intelligent way, using strategy instead of anger when she fights, the Kree people might have something to defend themselves against the Scrolls.
However, strategies change when Yon-Rogg and the Kree determine that their best defense is a strong offense.
In the same way that former President George W. Bush took the fight against terrorism to Iraq, not waiting for Saddam Hussein and his cohorts to attack America after Sept. 11, the Kree take their fight on the offensive and attack the Scrolls on their home turf.
But just how the Iraq War did not end well for the Americans, Yon-Rogg’s fight against the Scrolls does not go totally according to script.
The Scrolls fight back and Vers ends up stranded on planet C35 or Earth.
Vers finds herself on 1990s Earth, destroying a Blockbuster Video store and raiding a Radio Shack for its communication devices so that she can communicate with Yon-Rogg.
While Kree is a technologically advanced planet, Vers finds herself in a prehistoric version of Earth with slow Internet speed via AOL, old classic songs like “Waterfalls” by TLC and “Whatta Man” by EnVogue and the grunge wardrobe starter kit, which includes flannel and a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt.
However, when Vers fully immerses herself on Earth, she begins to slowly remember things from her past and begins to see that everything she believed previously is not truly reality.
And like in every superhero movie, Vers has to use her superpower and new outlook on life to prevent the world from total destruction.
Like most movies under the Marvel Studios umbrella, “Captain Marvel” does not disappoint.
“Captain Marvel” will produce cheers from the opening credits, which includes a loving tribute to the late, great Stan Lee, the former creative leader of Marvel Comics.
Additionally, Larson gives an unbelievable and extremely strong performance in “Captain Marvel.”
Borrowing from her DC counterparts, Larson gives her best “Wonder Woman” impression in “Captain Marvel,” kicking male behinds and taking names.
And while Larson’s performance in “Captain Marvel” is not equal to Gal Gadot’s performance in “Wonder Woman,” it is refreshing to see women not playing the sidekick role in superhero movies.
On the contrary, the men are the sidekicks in “Captain Marvel,” and Vers’ male foes take many kicks to their sides and other parts of their anatomy as a result of the prowess of the woman who eventually becomes known as “Captain Marvel.”
Additionally, Samuel Jackson shines playing Samuel Jackson in “Captain Marvel.”
Just kidding.
Seriously, Jackson stars as his usual Marvel character, Nick Fury.
However, Jackson’s personality and loud and vulgar voice is the same in almost every movie.
Therefore, he actually plays himself in every movie.
But he portrays himself exceptionally well and the box office results of his movies prove that movie fans do not want him to change a thing about his performances.
And what movie can go wrong with Law in it?
Although comedian Chris Rock once asked who the hell was Jude Law while hosting the Academy Awards years ago, true movie fans know how great a thespian Law is.
And while superhero movies usually do not give true thespians room to shine, Law’s subdued but conniving performance in “Captain Marvel” shows how great his acting talents really are.
But it is the darkness and bleakness of “Captain Marvel” that really shows the film’s greatness.
The upbeat nature of some Marvel movies had become a little predictable.
What is now not so predictable is whether or not Marvel will always make the best superhero movies.
“Captain Marvel” does nothing to cause Marvel to lose its top spot.
However, “Captain Marvel” shows that Marvel Studios is beginning to show more respect and admiration for their counterparts at DC Comics.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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