Captain Marvel – Just a prequel?

Captain Marvel, the much- anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe standalone title based on its' premiere female superhero, released on March 8. Brie Larson, the actor who bagged both Academy Award and Golden Globe previously, played the role of Captain Marvel, with supporting characters being Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Jude Law as Yon-Rogg and Annette Benning as Dr Wendy Lawson, among others. Brie Larson bore the weight of playing Captain Marvel and being in the centre of a superhero movie gracefully, whether it be performing close combat, or delicately playing emotional scenes.

The movie heavily focuses on introducing Carol Danvers to its audience. Initially, Danvers was shown to be suffering from amnesia, and it was a relief to see that the movie did not bombard its audience with countless flashbacks, which would be an unwelcome addition. The character gradually recollected her memory, and came to understand that the Skrulls, a refugee race among the aliens, were the victims of the Kree, their captors. She eventually goes on to embrace her identity as Captain Marvel.

One of the more unexpected and enjoyable aspects of the movie was the 'unseen' and humorous sides to the character of Nick Fury. The audience applauded and laughed out loud when the movie disclosed how Fury got his eye injured and marked permanently, which I will not disclose.

The film served well as an introduction to Captain Marvel, before her grand entrance in the upcoming movie of MCU, Avengers: Endgame. However, on its own, the plot seemed to lack inspiration: it lacked the quality that would evoke a hefty response, let alone a standing ovation. Perhaps it would be better if Captain Marvel was released after Avengers: Endgame with a better plot and more refined character work. However, for all its mediocrity, it is a good introduction to a very charming female superhero, one that would justify her actions in Avengers: Endgame for the casual audience.