“Ladies and Gentlemen, please keep your phones dark, silent and out of sight. To order, write what you want on a place card, raise it, and a server will pick up your order. Thank you and enjoy the show.” Theater number one darkens at the Alamo as Captain Marvel is about to begin at 8 o’clock sharp. The room is packed with fans as they murmur one last comment to a friend or frantically finish their order, desperate not to miss the movie.

Captain Marvel centers around Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot turned special-forces alien warrior who fights for her adopted culture, named the Kree. When a rescue mission goes wrong, Carol is captured by the Skrulls, the enemy of the Kree. Carol escapes to Earth (aka C-53), where she meets Nick Fury, currently with both eyes, and tries to save the world, all the while exploring her hidden past. An important aspect to note is that this movie takes place in the ’90s, before the first Avengers film and Guardians of the Galaxy (you might want to rewatch them). During the screening, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, as the movie isn’t short of twists and turns.  

Many aspects of the movie were enjoyable. The cinematography was distinctive and at the same time familiar, forming a unique movie-going experience. The fight scenes were packed with cool special effects and great choreography, mixing the two elements to get the best of both worlds. As always, Marvel adds in just the right amount of humor and wit needed. In addition, the movie has deep underlying themes for the viewers about gender equality. The acting is phenomenal and the chemistry (and tension) between the characters is realistic to the point where you can truly believe the actor has immersed themselves in their character. Being an avid Marvel fan, I believe that the plot was extremely well created. But, for a less informed movie-goer, many of the plot points may go over their head (as I had to explain to my Mom the people in the post-credits scene were the Avengers). The CGI in the movie had its ups and downs, and some scenes in the movie using CGI were unrealistic. Then again, you can’t really have a superhero movie without CGI. Finally, a few scenarios in the movie were clichéd, spanning from a sassy African-American sidekick to a final showdown on a barren plain between former friends. In the end, I came to the conclusion that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages of Captain Marvel. These cons can easily be overlooked and the film is fun nonetheless.

At the end of the day, it’s just another Marvel movie. The fact is that Captain Marvel is now the 22nd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). If Marvel keeps on producing movies like these, they ultimately will not go anywhere. They might make money at the box office, and they will probably produce good movies, but they’ll also start to become repetitive. I hope that Avengers: Endgame will cleanse the MCU and usher in a radically new era for superhero movies. But if we’re still stuck with movies like Captain Marvel, I won’t be complaining.

Final Rating: 8.5 out of 10